🆕App Updater

App Updater for Unity mobile games - check for updates and prompt users to stay current

Essential Kit's App Updater feature lets Unity teams check for app updates and prompt users without maintaining platform-specific code. This tutorial walks you through setup, key APIs, testing, and troubleshooting so you can keep your users on the latest version with confidence.

Using PlayMaker? See the PlayMaker guide: PlayMaker.

Update Prompt

Installation

Looking for a working reference? Open the demo scene at Assets/Plugins/VoxelBusters/EssentialKit/Examples/Scenes/AppUpdaterDemo.unity and the companion script at Assets/Plugins/VoxelBusters/EssentialKit/Examples/Scripts/AppUpdaterDemo.cs to see the full API in action.

What You'll Learn

• Check for available updates programmatically

• Show customizable update prompts with optional or forced updates

• Handle in-app updates on Android with progress tracking

• Direct users to app stores on iOS for updates

Why App Updater Matters

• Version Control: Ensure users are on versions compatible with your backend

• Bug Fixes: Push critical bug fixes by requiring updates

• Feature Adoption: Drive users to new features with optional update prompts

• Security: Enforce security patches through mandatory updates

Tutorial Roadmap

1. Setup – Enable the feature and configure app store identifiers

2. Usage – Check for updates, show prompts, handle different update flows

3. Testing – Test update detection in editor and verify on devices

Key Use Cases

• Critical Bug Fixes: Force users to update before continuing

• Optional Updates: Suggest new features without blocking gameplay

• Version Compatibility: Ensure minimum app version for server compatibility

• Soft Launch: Control rollout by prompting updates to beta testers first

Prerequisites

• Unity project with Essential Kit v3 installed and App Updater feature included in the build

• iOS or Android target platform with valid app store identifiers configured

• Published app on App Store or Google Play for testing update detection

SetupUsageTesting