Over-the-Air Updates

ELI5 — The Vibe Check

OTA updates let you push JavaScript changes directly to users' phones without going through the App Store review process. It's like being able to fix your app in production while Apple isn't looking. Just don't change native code — that still needs a store update.

Real Talk

A mobile app update mechanism that delivers JavaScript bundle changes directly to users' devices without requiring a new app store submission. Expo Updates and CodePush enable this by downloading updated JS bundles at app launch. OTA updates can only change JavaScript code, not native modules.

When You'll Hear This

"We pushed the bug fix as an OTA update and users got it within minutes — no App Store review needed." / "Only JS changes can go OTA — if you changed native code, you need a full store release."