in_app_update_android 1.1.4

A Flutter plugin for prompting users about Android in-app updates using Play Core API.

in_app_update_android

A Flutter plugin for Android in-app updates using the Google Play Core In-App Update API.

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Features

• Check Google Play for update availability
• Immediate full-screen update flows
• Flexible background update flows with reliable progress tracking
• Install state and download progress listeners
• Flexible update completion handling
• Optional allowAssetPackDeletion for low-storage devices
• Typed Dart exceptions for unsupported platforms

Requirements

Requirement	Details
Flutter	>=3.44.0
Dart	>=3.12.0
Android API	21+
Installation	Google Play, Internal App Sharing, or any Play testing track

Note: In-app updates do not work with locally sideloaded debug APKs. Use Play internal app sharing or a testing track when developing.

How In-App Updates Work

In-app updates is a Google Play Core libraries feature that prompts your active users to install a new version of your app without sending them to the Play Store listing. Because users can update in place, they experience fewer interruptions and are more likely to run the latest build.

The feature is supported on Android 5.0 (API level 21) and higher for Android phones, tablets, and ChromeOS devices. In-app updates are not compatible with apps that use APK expansion files (.obb).

Your app can support two UX flows:

Flexible updates

Flexible updates download and install in the background with graceful state monitoring. This flow is appropriate when it's acceptable for the user to keep using the app while the update downloads — for example, when you want to encourage users to try a new feature that isn't critical to the core functionality of your app. The app then asks the user to confirm the install, after which Play completes the update (including any app restart).

Immediate updates

Immediate updates are full-screen UX flows that require the user to update and restart the app in order to continue using it. This flow is best when an update is critical to the core functionality of your app. After a user accepts the update, Google Play handles the installation and app restart.

How this plugin maps to each flow

Flow	Plugin method
Flexible (background download → consent → install)	InAppUpdate.startFlexibleUpdate() → InAppUpdate.completeFlexibleUpdate()
Immediate (full-screen, critical)	InAppUpdate.performImmediateUpdate()
Both	InAppUpdate.checkForUpdate() + installStateListener for progress

Quick Start

import 'package:in_app_update_android/in_app_update_android.dart';

Future<void> checkAndUpdate() async {
  if (!InAppUpdate.isAndroid) return;

  final info = await InAppUpdate.checkForUpdate();
  if (!info.updateAvailable) return;

  if (info.immediateUpdateAllowed || info.immediateUpdateInProgress) {
    await InAppUpdate.performImmediateUpdate();
    return;
  }

  if (info.flexibleUpdateAllowed) {
    InAppUpdate.installStateListener.listen((state) async {
      if (state.installStatus == InstallStatus.downloaded) {
        await InAppUpdate.completeFlexibleUpdate();
      }
    });

    await InAppUpdate.startFlexibleUpdate();
  }
}

Tip: Subscribe to installStateListener before calling startFlexibleUpdate() for the most responsive UI.

API Reference

Method	Returns	Description
InAppUpdate.isAndroid	bool	Check if running on Android
checkForUpdate()	Future<AppUpdateInfo>	Check for available updates
performImmediateUpdate()	Future<AppUpdateResult>	Start immediate update
startFlexibleUpdate()	Future<AppUpdateResult>	Start flexible update
completeFlexibleUpdate()	Future<void>	Complete downloaded flexible update
installStateListener	Stream<InstallState>	Stream install state & progress events

Play Console Notes

• Update priority is controlled via inAppUpdatePriority in the Play Developer API.
• clientVersionStalenessDays is provided by Google Play when available.
• Update availability may be delayed by Play Store caching and rollout state.

License

MIT