An over-the-air update may change JavaScript and compatible assets; it cannot add native code or change capabilities absent from the installed binary. Runtime compatibility is the safety boundary.
Design the Update Topology
- Give binaries an intentional runtime version policy.
- Map channels to environments such as preview and production.
- Publish branches through reviewed automation rather than whichever local branch a developer happens to have.
- Keep server migrations backward-compatible with installed app versions.
If an update depends on a new native module, ship a new binary and target a new runtime.
Automate with Guardrails
A production workflow should install deterministically, typecheck, lint, test, build or export, publish to the intended channel, and record the commit and runtime. Protect signing credentials and environment secrets in the CI service.
Use separate workflows for pull-request validation, preview distribution, production binaries, and compatible OTA updates. This makes authorization and rollback boundaries visible.
Plan Recovery Before Publishing
- Know how to republish the last known-good update.
- Keep a record of channel, branch, runtime, commit, and rollout time.
- Monitor startup failures and critical product events after release.
- Stop rollout or revert quickly when a regression appears.
- Remember that a bad native binary still needs store or internal distribution remediation.
Test updates against the oldest supported binary for the runtime, not only the newest simulator build.
Sources
Verify rollout and automation behavior in the current EAS Update, deployment, rollback, and EAS Workflows documentation.