in_app_version_update

A lightweight Flutter helper to detect and run app updates on Android (Play In‑App Update) and to present an iOS App Store update dialog.

This package wraps platform-specific update flows and provides a compact, testable API so host apps don't need to depend on in_app_update or implement App Store lookups themselves.

Android Example One Android Example One iOS Example

Key capabilities

  • Android
    • Immediate updates (blocking) using Google Play In‑App Update.
    • Flexible updates (download in background) with a choice of auto-completion or host-controlled completion.
    • Exposes install status updates (stream + optional callback) so host apps can show progress UI and decide when to call completeFlexibleUpdate().
  • iOS
    • App Store lookup by app id and an optional, testable Cupertino update dialog.
    • All dialog texts are configurable via parameters so host apps can localize or customize wording.
    • iosAppId is optional — if your app only targets Android you can omit it. When iOS flows are used the id must be provided.
  • Platform control
    • checkForUpdate accepts checkAndroid and checkIos flags so host apps can selectively run platform checks; both default to true.

The repository includes an example/ app demonstrating immediate and flexible flows, stream and callback usage, auto completion, and iOS dialog usage. Unit tests cover version comparison and mapping logic; widget tests verify the iOS dialog and example screens.

Why use this package

  • Single cross-platform API (InAppVersionUpdate) for app update flows.
  • Keeps host apps decoupled from in_app_update and App Store lookup details.
  • Stream/callback visibility into install state for better UX (progress, prompts, manual completion).
  • Testable helpers (presenting dialog UI without network calls) to simplify unit and widget tests.

Quick start

  1. Add the package to your pubspec.yaml (when published use a version; for local development the example imports the library directly):
dependencies:
  in_app_version_update: ^<latest-version>
  1. Create an instance and check for updates:
Future<void> exampleCheck(BuildContext context) async {
  final updater = InAppVersionUpdate(iosAppId: '123456789');
  await updater.checkForUpdate(context);
}
  1. Example: Android flexible update with host-controlled completion (listen to stream):
Future<void> flexibleExample(BuildContext context) async {
  final updater = InAppVersionUpdate(iosAppId: '123456789');

  await updater.checkForUpdate(
    context,
    androidUpdateType: AndroidUpdateType.flexible,
    autoCompleteFlexible: false,
  );

  final sub = updater.installUpdateStream.listen((status) async {
    if (status == InstallStatus.downloaded) {
      // show prompt to user and then call to install
      await updater.completeFlexibleUpdate();
    }
  });

  // Cancel subscription when no longer needed
  await sub.cancel();
}
  1. Example: Provide a callback to receive install updates (helper keeps an internal subscription you can stop):
Future<void> callbackExample(BuildContext context) async {
  final updater = InAppVersionUpdate(iosAppId: '123456789');

  await updater.checkForUpdate(
    context,
    androidUpdateType: AndroidUpdateType.flexible,
    autoCompleteFlexible: false,
    onInstallStatus: (status) async {
      if (status == InstallStatus.downloaded) {
        // prompt user and then complete
        await updater.completeFlexibleUpdate();
        await updater.stopInstallStatusCallback();
      }
    },
  );
}
  1. iOS: present a configurable dialog (host can customize all texts). The helper also provides presentIosUpdateDialog() to show dialog UI directly (useful for widget tests):
Future<void> presentIosDialogExample(BuildContext context) async {
  final updater = InAppVersionUpdate(iosAppId: '123456789');

  await updater.presentIosUpdateDialog(
    context,
    title: 'Update available',
    content: 'A new version is available on the App Store.',
    laterText: 'Not now',
    updateNowText: 'Open App Store',
    onUpdatePressed: () {
      // optional test hook instead of launching the App Store
    },
  );
}

API reference

  • Constructor

    • InAppVersionUpdate({ String? iosAppId, Duration httpTimeout = const Duration(seconds: 10) })
      • iosAppId: Optional numeric App Store id used for iOS lookups. Omit when you only need Android.
      • httpTimeout: network timeout for App Store lookup requests.

  • checkForUpdate

    • Future<void> checkForUpdate(BuildContext context, { AndroidUpdateType androidUpdateType = AndroidUpdateType.immediate, bool autoCompleteFlexible = true, void Function(InstallStatus)? onInstallStatus, String iosDialogTitle = 'Update available', String iosDialogContent = 'A newer version of this app is available on the App Store.', String iosLaterButtonText = 'Later', String iosUpdateNowButtonText = 'Update now', bool checkAndroid = true, bool checkIos = true })
      • androidUpdateType: choose AndroidUpdateType.immediate or .flexible.
      • autoCompleteFlexible: When true the helper automatically calls completeFlexibleUpdate() once a flexible update has been downloaded. If false, the host app must call completeFlexibleUpdate() when appropriate.
      • onInstallStatus: Optional callback that receives mapped InstallStatus values during flexible update lifecycle. If used, the helper keeps an internal subscription until stopInstallStatusCallback() is called.
      • iosDialogTitle, iosDialogContent, iosLaterButtonText, iosUpdateNowButtonText: All dialog texts are configurable; they default to sensible values.
      • checkAndroid, checkIos: Per-platform boolean flags (both default to true). Use these to skip checks on a platform.

  • installUpdateStream

    • Stream<InstallStatus> get installUpdateStream
      • Emits mapped InstallStatus values (enum documented below). Use this when you want host-controlled completion and progress UI.

  • completeFlexibleUpdate

    • Future<void> completeFlexibleUpdate() — calls Play's API to install a downloaded flexible update.

  • stopInstallStatusCallback

    • Future<void> stopInstallStatusCallback() — cancels the internal subscription when onInstallStatus was provided.

  • presentIosUpdateDialog

    • Future<void> presentIosUpdateDialog(BuildContext context, { String title = 'Update available', String content = 'A newer version of this app is available on the App Store.', String laterText = 'Later', String updateNowText = 'Update now', VoidCallback? onUpdatePressed })
      • Presents the iOS update dialog UI immediately (no network checks). Useful for widget tests or when the host app wants to control the Update action. If iosAppId is not provided and onUpdatePressed is null the method will log a debug message and return without showing the dialog.

Enums

  • AndroidUpdateType { immediate, flexible }
  • InstallStatus { unknown, pending, downloading, downloaded, installing, installed, failed, canceled }

Testing

  • Unit tests

    • Version comparison logic (isStoreVersionNewer) and mapping from in_app_update statuses to the package InstallStatus are covered by unit tests. Edge cases include different segment lengths ("1.2" vs "1.2.0"), pre-release suffixes, and invalid inputs.

  • Widget tests

    • iOS dialog UI is tested via presentIosUpdateDialog to avoid network calls.
    • Example screens in example/ are covered by widget tests to verify the UI and that flows present the expected controls.

Run tests:

flutter test

Notes and platform specifics

  • Android in-app updates require the Play Store and a real device for full flow validation. Tests intentionally avoid running Play Core flows and instead validate mapping and UI.
  • iOS App Store lookup uses a network request to Apple's public lookup API; use a short timeout and handle network failures gracefully in your app.

License

This project is provided under the terms of the LICENSE file in the repository.

Acknowledgements

This package uses the in_app_update package for Android in-app update integration: https://pub.dev/packages/in_app_update

Many thanks to the author(s) and maintainers of in_app_update for their excellent work — this project builds on top of their efforts.

Libraries

in_app_version_update
In-app version update helper for Flutter