HotUpdate explained: update an app without waiting for store review

What HotUpdate is

When the app starts, it asks the update server whether a newer content version exists. If it does, it downloads only what changed, checks it and starts using it.

Users never visit the store; the next time they open the app, they see the new version of the content.

What it can update

Anything the app downloads while it runs:

• Levels, images and sounds
• Configuration and texts
• Script code, depending on the engine (JavaScript in Cocos Creator, C# logic in Unity with the HotUpdate edition)

Releasing safely

Every update can go to a separate test channel first, so you check it on real devices before production.

If a release breaks something, roll it back instantly and users return to the stable version. Update packages are signed and integrity-checked before they are applied, so they cannot be altered on the way.

The limits

Changes to the app's native shell — new permissions, a new SDK, a new app icon — still need a regular store release. HotUpdate covers the content and code the app loads at runtime.