Set Up React Native Release Channels

Jul 18, 2024

To target a specific group of users for OTA updates in Expo, you can use a combination of release channels and the expo-updates library to control which users receive the updates. Here’s a detailed guide on how to achieve this:

Step 1: Set Up Release Channels #

Create different release channels for different groups of users. For example, you can create channels like staging, beta, and production.

Step 2: Publish Updates to Specific Channels #

When you publish updates, specify the channel. This can be done using the following command:


expo publish --release-channel staging

Step 3: Configure Your App to Use Specific Channels #

In your app.json or app.config.js, specify the release channel for each version of your app. For example:


{

  "expo": {

    "name": "YourAppName",

    "slug": "your-app-slug",

    "sdkVersion": "your-sdk-version",

    "updates": {

      "enabled": true,

      "checkAutomatically": "ON_LOAD",

      "fallbackToCacheTimeout": 0,

      "releaseChannel": "staging"

    },

    ...

  }

}

Step 4: Distribute Different Versions of the App #

Distribute different builds of your app to different user groups. For example:

Staging Users: Build and distribute a version configured to use the staging release channel.
Beta Users: Build and distribute a version configured to use the beta release channel.
Production Users: Build and distribute a version configured to use the production release channel.

Step 5: Use expo-updates Library to Dynamically Change Channels #

If you need more control and want to dynamically change the release channel for specific users, you can use the expo-updates library to programmatically set the release channel.

Example Code: #

First, install the expo-updates library:


expo install expo-updates

Then, in your app’s code, you can check user conditions and set the release channel accordingly:


import * as Updates from 'expo-updates';

async function configureUpdates() {

  const user = await getUser(); // Assume this function gets the current user

  let releaseChannel = 'production'; // Default to production

  if (user.group === 'beta') {

    releaseChannel = 'beta';

  } else if (user.group === 'staging') {

    releaseChannel = 'staging';

  }

  if (Updates.releaseChannel !== releaseChannel) {

    await Updates.setOptionsAsync({ releaseChannel });

    await Updates.reloadAsync(); // Reload to apply the new release channel

  }

}

configureUpdates();

Step 6: Monitor and Adjust #

Monitor the performance and feedback from each group and adjust the release channels and updates accordingly.

By following these steps, you can effectively target specific groups of users for OTA updates in Expo, ensuring that each group receives the appropriate version of your app.