Use an immediate in-app update when an SDK fix is critical to core function or safety, and a flexible one when users can keep working while it downloads. Both come from Google Play's in-app updates feature, which needs Android 5.0 (API level 21) or higher.
The two flows
| Flexible | Immediate | |
|---|---|---|
| Experience | Downloads and installs in the background while the user keeps using the app | Fullscreen flow; the user must update and restart to continue |
| Google's suggested use | Updates not critical to core functionality | Updates critical to core functionality |
| Who handles install | Handled in the background after download | Google Play handles install and restart |
Requirements from Google's page: Android 5.0 (API 21) or higher, supported on Android phones, tablets and ChromeOS, and not compatible with apps that use APK expansion files (.obb). The feature is part of Play Core libraries and subject to its terms.
How to choose for an SDK fix
Ask what the broken version can do to users.
- Crash on launch or data exposure. Immediate. Waiting costs more than interrupting.
- Performance or minor bug. Flexible.
- Security fix with no known exploitation. Flexible first, then escalate if people have not moved.
Google's developer guide exposes how many days an update has been available and a priority value you set in Play Console from 0 to 5. Those are the inputs for escalation: flexible for the first days, immediate once the update is stale and the priority is high. Check the API names in Google's Kotlin and Java guide before coding, since the overview page does not list them.
A rule set you can write down
- Priority 5 and a security problem: immediate on next launch.
- Priority 3 or 4: flexible, with an in-app prompt.
- After a set number of days without installing: switch to immediate.
- Always test the flow on a real device, with an update waiting in an internal test track.
Pair it with a server side check
In-app updates only reach people who open the app and have Play. They are not a block. If an old version must stop talking to your backend, add a minimum version check on the server too. See the post on forced updates and minimum versions.
Try it yourself
Click through it at your own pace, or open it full screen. Watch how severity and exposure shape urgency, then map that to your priority value.
Safeguard offers zero-day discovery and reachability analysis, which help judge whether a new SDK advisory is critical to your app. A free scan is available.
Quick check
Can the immediate flow be skipped by the user?
Google describes it as a fullscreen flow where the user must update and restart before continuing.
Does it work on iOS?
No. It is a Google Play feature. On iOS you rely on App Store updates and a server side minimum version.
Sources
Last reviewed: 19 October 2026.
