Test cases for app updates, forced and flexible

1. Log in on an older build.
2. Raise the minimum supported version above that build in the test environment.
3. Close and reopen the app, then tap Update on the forced update screen.
4. Install the update and open the app.

Expected: A full-screen message explains that an update is needed, and Update opens this app's store page. After updating, the app opens to the logged-in home screen.

1. On an Android phone with an older build from the Play testing track, open the app.
2. Accept the update prompt.
3. Keep browsing and adding items while the download runs.
4. Tap Restart or Install when the app says the update is ready.

Expected: The app stays usable during the download and shows a prompt when it is ready. After the restart, the new version opens with the user still logged in.

1. On an iPhone with an older build, open the app.
2. Read the update prompt, then tap Later.
3. Reopen the app and tap Update on the prompt.

Expected: Later closes the prompt and the app keeps working. Update opens this app's page in the App Store, not a browser or another app.

Why a real phone: The App Store app is not available in the iOS Simulator

1. Log in on the current release build.
2. Update to the new build from the store.
3. Open the app and go to the account and orders screens.

Expected: The app opens to the logged-in home screen without asking for OTP or password. Account details and order history show as before.

1. On the old build, set the language, dark theme and notification preferences.
2. Save an address, add items to the cart and mark favourites.
3. Update the app and check each of these.

Expected: Every setting, saved address, cart item and favourite is unchanged after the update.

1. Update to a build with a What's new screen and open the app.
2. Close the screen.
3. Close and reopen the app twice.

Expected: The screen appears once after the update and not on later launches.

1. Open a build below the minimum version so the forced update screen appears.
2. Press the Back button and use the back gesture.
3. Swipe the app away from recent apps and reopen it.
4. On Android, start the update and press Back on the Play update screen.

Expected: Each time, the app returns to the forced update screen or closes. No other screen of the app can be reached.

1. Open an older build that offers a flexible update.
2. Tap No thanks or close the prompt.
3. Use the app, then close and reopen it three times.

Expected: The app works normally after declining. The prompt does not reappear on every launch, only as often as the team designed.

1. Use a phone that the store has not yet offered the new version.
2. Check that the app's store page shows Open, not Update.
3. Set the minimum version to the new version in the test environment.
4. Open the app and follow the forced update screen.

Expected: The user is never left on a forced update screen while the store offers no update. Either the screen does not appear, or Update leads to a store page that offers the new version.

1. Fill the phone's storage until less space is free than the update needs.
2. Start the update from the store or the app's prompt.
3. When the store reports the space problem, open the app without updating.
4. Free up space and update again.

Expected: The old version still opens with the user logged in and data intact. After space is freed, the update installs and the app opens logged in.

1. Open a build below the minimum version so the forced update screen appears.
2. Turn on airplane mode and tap Update.
3. Turn airplane mode off and tap Update again.

Expected: Offline, the app or the store shows a no-internet message and the app does not crash. Once online, Update opens the store page.

1. Open an older build and see the update prompt.
2. Update from the store without tapping the prompt.
3. Open the app several times over a day.

Expected: No update prompt or forced update screen appears on the latest version.

1. Install a build several releases old and log in.
2. Save addresses, set the language and leave items in the cart.
3. Update straight to the new build without installing the releases in between.
4. Open the app and check the data.

Expected: The app opens without crashing, still logged in, with addresses, language and cart unchanged. No screen shows missing or garbled data.

1. Start a review, support message or long form and leave it unsent.
2. Update the app from the store.
3. Open the app and go back to the draft.

Expected: The draft text is still there, or the app clearly says it could not be kept. Nothing is sent without the user tapping Send.

1. Log in to one account on phone A, old build, and phone B, new build.
2. On phone B, save data using a new-version feature, such as a new address field.
3. Open and edit the same data on phone A, then check phone B.

Expected: Phone A shows the data without crashing, even if it ignores the new field. Phone A's edit does not erase what phone B saved.

1. Open the old build and leave it on the home screen.
2. Raise the minimum version above it in the test environment.
3. In the app, open a new screen or submit an action.

Expected: The app shows the forced update screen or an update-required message, not a generic error or crash. A half-finished action is either completed or clearly reported as not done.

1. With notifications working on the old build, update the app from the store.
2. Do not open the app after the update.
3. Trigger an order or transaction alert for the account.

Expected: The alert arrives even before the app is opened after the update. After opening, each later alert arrives only once.

Why a real phone: Delivery depends on the phone's live push connection and token after the update

1. Add the app's home screen shortcuts or widget, such as Scan QR or Track order.
2. Update the app.
3. Tap each shortcut and look at the widget.

Expected: Each shortcut opens the right screen and the widget shows current data. A shortcut for a removed feature shows a clear message instead of crashing.

1. Turn Wi-Fi off so only Jio, Airtel or Vi mobile data is on.
2. Note the Play Store's app download preference setting.
3. Accept the app's update prompt.
4. Watch whether the store asks before using mobile data.

Expected: The store or the app shows the update size and asks before downloading over mobile data, as the user's setting requires. If the user declines, the old version keeps working.

Why a real phone: Downloading over a carrier network with a data pack needs a real SIM

1. Start a flexible update download on Wi-Fi.
2. Walk out of Wi-Fi range, or step into a lift, partway through.
3. Keep using the app, then return to Wi-Fi.

Expected: The app stays usable while the download pauses. The download resumes or the prompt can be accepted again, and the update installs without a crash.

Why a real phone: Real Wi-Fi to mobile handover and dead zones need physical hardware and a SIM

1. Accept a flexible update, then press Home while it downloads.
2. Use other apps for a few minutes.
3. Return to the app from recent apps.

Expected: A prompt such as Update ready, Restart appears on return. Tapping it installs the update and reopens the app logged in.

1. Start a payment that hands over to a UPI app, and stop at the PIN screen.
2. Open the Play Store and update the app being tested.
3. Complete the payment in the UPI app and return.

Expected: The updated app opens and shows the payment's final status without starting a second payment. If the status is not known yet, it shows Pending.

Why a real phone: Needs a real UPI app handover and return on a physical phone

1. Update from an old build to the new one.
2. Open the app and press Home straight away while it loads.
3. Swipe it away from recent apps, then open it again.

Expected: The app opens normally on the next launch with data intact. It does not crash, loop on the splash screen or ask for login again.

1. On a budget phone with 3–4 GB RAM and little free storage, install the old build.
2. Log in and use the main features so local data builds up.
3. Update, then open the app and time the first launch.

Expected: The first launch completes without a crash or App not responding dialog, and any data upgrade shows progress. Later launches are as fast as before the update.

Why a real phone: First-launch data upgrades run slowest on budget phones with slow storage and low RAM

1. Install the old build on the oldest supported Android version and iOS version.
2. Update to the new build.
3. Open the app and visit the main screens.

Expected: The app opens and the main screens load without crashing or blank areas.

1. Use a phone on an Android or iOS version the new build no longer supports.
2. Set the minimum version to the new build in the test environment.
3. Open the app and tap Update.

Expected: The app explains that this phone's software version is no longer supported and what the user can do. It does not show an Update button that leads to a store page with no update.

1. On a Xiaomi, Vivo or Oppo phone, allow autostart and remove battery restrictions for the app.
2. Update the app from the store.
3. Check the same settings, then close the app and trigger a notification.

Expected: The settings are unchanged after the update. The notification arrives while the app is closed.

Why a real phone: Autostart and battery settings exist only in these phone makers' Android skins

1. Install an older build from the phone maker's app store, or an APK file your team provides.
2. Open the app when an update is due or the minimum version is above it.
3. Tap Update.

Expected: Update opens a store or download page where this phone can get the new version. It does not fail silently or crash because the Play Store's in-app update feature is unavailable.

Why a real phone: Phone makers' own app stores exist only on those makers' real phones

1. Archive the app on Android, where supported, or offload it on iPhone in Settings.
2. Tap the app icon to download it again.
3. Open the app.

Expected: The app reinstalls at the latest version and opens logged in, with settings and saved data intact.

Why a real phone: Archiving and offloading need a store-installed app on a real phone

1. Open a build below the minimum version so the forced update screen appears.
2. Close the app, then tap one of its notifications.
3. Tap a link that opens the app on a specific screen, such as an order.

Expected: The forced update screen appears in both cases before any other screen. No account data is shown.

1. On the old build, turn on the app's PIN or fingerprint lock.
2. Update the app.
3. Open it from the store's Open button and from the home screen icon.

Expected: The app lock screen appears before any account data in both cases. The lock is still switched on in the app's security settings.

1. On the old build, turn on fingerprint or face login.
2. Update the app and close it.
3. Open the app and log in with the fingerprint or face.

Expected: Biometric login works, or the app asks for the PIN once with a clear reason and then turns biometrics back on. It never logs the user in without either.

Why a real phone: Biometric sensors and secure key storage behave differently on real hardware

1. Register the app with SIM verification, as banking and UPI apps require.
2. Update the app from the store.
3. Open the app and make a test transaction.
4. Remove the registered SIM and reopen the app.

Expected: After the update, the app opens without asking to verify the SIM again and the transaction completes. With the SIM removed, the app asks for re-verification before any transaction.

Why a real phone: SIM binding needs a real SIM and carrier SMS for verification

1. On the old build, allow camera and location, and deny contacts.
2. Update to a build that also uses a new permission.
3. Open the app, then the feature that needs the new permission.

Expected: Camera and location stay allowed and contacts stay denied, with no new prompts on launch. The new permission is asked only when its feature is opened, with a reason shown first.

1. On the old build, set the app language to Hindi or another Indian language.
2. Open the app with an update due and read the update prompt or screen.
3. Update and open the app again.

Expected: The update prompt or screen is in the chosen language, with no English fallback text. After the update, the app still opens in that language.

1. Set the font and display size to the largest and turn on TalkBack or VoiceOver.
2. Open the app when the forced update screen or flexible prompt appears.
3. Move through each element on the screen.

Expected: The message is read in full and Update is announced as a button. All text and the Update button are visible without being cut off.