Complete guide to implementing live updates in Capacitor apps using Capgo. Covers account creation, plugin installation, configuration, update strategies, and CI/CD integration. Use this skill when users want to deploy updates without app store review.

Capgo Live Updates for Capacitor Deploy updates to your Capacitor app instantly without waiting for app store review. When to Use This Skill User wants live/OTA updates User asks about Capgo User wants to skip app store review User needs to push hotfixes quickly User wants A/B testing or staged rollouts What is Capgo? Capgo is a live update service for Capacitor apps that lets you: Push JavaScript/HTML/CSS updates instantly Skip app store review for web layer changes Roll back bad updates automatically A/B test features with channels Monitor update analytics Note : Native code changes (Swift/Kotlin/Java) still require app store submission. Getting Started Step 1: Create a Capgo Account 1. Go to https://capgo.app 2. Click "Sign Up" or "Get Started" 3. Sign up with GitHub, Google, or email 4. Choose a plan: Free : 1 app, 500 updates/month Solo : $14/mo, unlimited updates Team : $49/mo, team features Enterprise : Custom pricing Step 2: Install the CLI Step 3: Login to Capgo Or use API key: Step 4: Initialize Your App This will: Create app in Capgo dashboard Add @capgo/capacitor updater to your project Configure capacitor.config.ts Set up your first channel Step 5: Install the Plugin If not installed automatically: Configuration Basic Configuration Advanced Configuration Implementing Updates Automatic Updates (Recommended) With autoUpdate: true , updates are automatic: Important : Always call notifyAppReady() . If not called within 10 seconds, Capgo assumes the update failed and rolls back. Manual Updates For more control: Update with User Prompt Listen for Update Events Deploying Updates Deploy via CLI Deploy via CI/CD GitHub Actions GitLab CI Channels and Staged Rollouts Create Channels Deploy to Channels Staged Rollout In Capgo dashboard: 1. Go to Channels production 2. Set rollout percentage (e.g., 10%) 3. Monitor analytics 4. Increase to 50%, then 100% Device Specific Channels Rollback and Version Management Automatic Rollback If notifyAppReady() isn't called within 10 seconds, Capgo automatically rolls back to the previous working version. Manual Rollback In App Rollback Self Hosted Option For enterprise or privacy requirements: Configure app to use self hosted: Security Encrypted Updates For sensitive apps, enable encryption: Configure in app: Code Signing Verify updates are from trusted source: Monitoring and Analytics Dashboard Metrics In Capgo dashboard, view: Active devices Update success rate Rollback rate Version distribution Error logs Custom Analytics Troubleshooting Issue: Updates Not Applying 1. Check notifyAppReady() is called 2. Verify app ID matches Capgo dashboard 3. Check channel assignment 4. Review Capgo dashboard logs Issue: Rollback Loop 1. App crashes before notifyAppReady() 2. Fix: Ensure notifyAppReady() is called early 3. Temporarily disable updates to debug Issue: Slow Downloads 1. Enable delta updates (automatic) 2. Optimize bundle size 3. Use CDN (enterprise) Best Practices 1. Always call notifyAppReady() First thing after app initializes 2. Test updates on beta channel first Never push untested to production 3. Use semantic versioning Makes rollback easier 4. Monitor rollback rate High rate indicates quality issues 5. Implement error boundary Catch crashes before rollback 6. Keep native code stable Native changes need app store Resources Capgo Documentation: https://capgo.app/docs Capgo Dashboard: https://web.capgo.app Plugin GitHub: https://github.com/Cap go/capacitor updater Discord Community: https://discord.gg/capgo

capgo-live-updates