App distribution news and happy new year 2022!

What a year 2021 has been! In 2021 Updraft continued to grow steadily in number of users and new record numbers of app uploads and downloads were achieved. We are super happy to have such loyal customers who use our app distribution tool on a daily basis. Thank you! In this blog post we would like to give a short review of what happened in 2021.

 

One installation link for two apps

In January 2021, we were finally able to release a feature that we had originally developed back in 2017. Due to the constant further development, this feature unfortunately was omitted but could now be published with an adapted UX concept. 

We had custom developed the feature in 2017 for a large insurance company in Switzerland, which wanted to perform an internal beta testing before their main release. The challenges thereby were:

• The app installation should have the look & feel of their company.

• It was not known what devices the beta users (well over 1000) would use.

• They needed the approximate response rate (number of clicks in the installation mail, number of downloads) for marketing purposes.

Now we have the solution for these challenges back in Updraft: You can select two apps from two operating systems in the distribution options, add release notes, select your testers and groups and Updraft will send your beta testers a generic app install link that recognizes the OS of your beta tester's device and displays only that app for installation. 

In the Enterprise Plan, you can also bring the download process into your layout with our help. You can read all about the details here.

 

Security first

In the summer of 2021 we made a major release, mainly with features related to security. As you know, all data (.apks, .ipa, .aab, screenshots and feedbacks) are hosted encrypted on servers in Switzerland and are subject to the Swiss Data Protection Act. We are proud that many companies have chosen to use Updraft for this very reason. We have developed the following features in relation to security and they are also available in the free plan:

• Security: Set if an app is private or public

• Security: Two-factor authentication

 

App mobile version history

As a result of numerous feedbacks, we have now also made it possible for you to access all app versions you have already uploaded with the help of the web app. So you can always install an old version on your device and be ready for regression testing.

 

Change an already uploaded app version

The need for this feature arose because iOS certificates expire after two years. To have a constant app version history that matches the code state and chronology, we developed this feature. You can replace an already uploaded app version at any time - for example you can re-sign your old app version and add it again chronologically to the version history without moving the already newer apps in the chronology. The request for this feature came from a customer who needs to have a long version history and still needs to be able to install the old versions. We’re glad we could help!

 

Usermanagement for Owners

We have completely renewed user management in Updraft version 2.0 back in 2019 and have drastically simplified according to the philosophy: less is more and transparency goes above all. 

Nevertheless we wanted the owner of an organization to have the possibility to manage all users of his or her organization. With the introduction of  Two-factor authentication in 2022, owners can now also see if their users have 2FA enabled and can enforce 2FA in the organization if they wish.

 

App Release Notes

App release notes are important for your QAs and for your testers. They explain what has been improved or fixed and what is new. Not only can you provide release notes, but you can also customize them if your developers did not provide them yet when uploading a new app.

 

Microsoft Teams for app distribution

Updraft now also offers an integration for Microsoft Teams via Webhooks, in addition to the Slack integration, so you can easily notify a channel automatically when a new feedback or app version is available. You can always control which people should be notified about what. Learn more here.

 

 

Android App Bundles aka AAB

The file format .aab is the new, official publishing format for Android with which your end-users can install your apps even more efficiently and user-friendly. Updraft supports the AAB file format. You can upload your AAB files anytime and Updraft will convert them with your keys into an APK. In the app version history you can download the .APK but also the original AAB file at any given time.

 

App Icon

What a pain, all those app icons 😉. For each development environment there is a different app icon, which one do we show in the dashboard?

We have received this exact question countless times. We have now developed the possibility to specify in the dashboard on desktop and in the mobile dashboard on the web app, which app icon is displayed for which app when an app project has multiple apps with different icons.  Soon we can also announce a new feature in this area… 👀

 

App landing page improvements

In the past, we only displayed the QR code to redirect the user directly to the mobile view - now we also show all the app information so that everyone understands what happens when the QR code is scanned. In addition, the app file can also be downloaded, which is a plus for many QAs, as they can import the file directly into their simulators and emulators. All the details about the downloadpage for desktop browsers are here.

 

Working for more than one organization?

You develop apps for several companies or other organizations? No problem, you can be a member of multiple organizations as an Updraft user. To do so, someone from another organization simply has to invite you. You can see all the organizations you have access to in your account settings and you can easily switch the organization or select the new default organization. Working for multiple companies and strictly separating app versions is now even easier. 

 

Expiration of your app enterprise certificate?

You try to install a new app and want to open it but an error message appears that you do not immediately understand? Apple Hieroglyphics! We have already written an often visited blog about this which you can find here.

But of course it would be far better if you would not have to google to find out what the issue is! That's why we have developed features that check in the background, whether, for example, the App Enterprise certificate has expired, even before the app can be installed. 

Also, Updraft verifies if the minimum OS of your app matches the OS of the end user and if not, the end user will see a message before even downloading the app. App testing has never been easier!

 

Roadmap 2022

What's next for Updraft? Is the effort of constantly developing Updraft worth it in the jungle of many competitive app distribution platforms? Yes! We want to be able to offer a secure and stable alternative, not just for ourselves as app developers, but for everyone.

That's why we are currently sharpening the 2022 roadmap and planning new features with the goal of helping you with your app development process and app distribution on a daily basis.

 

Stay Tuned!