Update a Flutter app
without the store review.
A bug in production, and the fix is one line of Dart. Here is how to get it to every installed copy of your Flutter app on iOS and Android today, without a new App Store or Play Store build.
Why a normal Flutter update is slow
Every store update means a new build, an upload, a review that can take hours or days, and then users who install updates whenever they feel like it. For a crash or a wrong price on a checkout screen, that is too long.
The faster way: over-the-air updates
Over-the-air (OTA) updates, also called code push, send changed Dart code straight to the installed app. The app checks for an update when it opens, downloads it in the background, and runs it at the next launch. The store build stays the same; only your Dart code changes.
What you can update without the store
- Business logic, API calls and validation
- Widgets, layouts, colours, text and translations
- New screens and new classes
What still needs a store release: native code (Swift, Kotlin, Java, Objective-C), new plugins, images and fonts, and permissions. OverPush tells you when a change needs one.
Step by step with OverPush
1. Install the CLI and connect your project
$ curl -fsSL https://overpush.in/install.sh | bash $ overpush login $ overpush init $ flutter pub add overpush
2. Release to the store once
$ overpush release android $ overpush release ios
Submit those builds the way you always do.
3. Change the code and publish the update
$ overpush patch android $ overpush patch ios
Users get it within minutes. Add --rollout-percent 10 to try it on a share of users first.
Will it break my app?
Every update is signed with your app's key and checked before it runs. If an update ever stops the app from starting, the phone goes back to the store version on its own, and you can pull an update back for everyone with one command. The dashboard shows installs and failures for every update.
Is it allowed?
Apple allows apps to download code that changes behaviour as long as the app's main purpose does not change, and OverPush updates never contain native code. Google Play applies its policy differently to different apps. Use OTA updates for fixes and improvements, not to change what reviewers approved. More in the Flutter OTA updates guide.
What it costs
Free for 5,000 update installs a month. Paid plans start at ₹999 / $15 a month. See pricing.
Fix it today, not next week.
Install the CLI and publish your first over-the-air update in about 15 minutes.