Manually reverting app prevented by version code

Question

Right now we are distributing our Android app through apks stored on our server. We had the idea of saving all released apks so that if we put out a new update and then realize there's a major problem, we can switch back to the previous apk version. Quick and easy.

For example

Release 1: Version Name = 1.0.0 and Version Code = 1
Release 2: Version Name = 1.0.1 and Version Code = 2

Say there's a problem with release 2 and it's better to revert back to release 1 instead of waiting for 1.0.2. The problem is, when the user downloads and installs that older apk, it wont install due to the version code being lower.

Is there a better way to handle this than going back to previous versions tag in our svn, re-publishing the application with a higher version code, uploading it to our server, then reverting the apps back using that "new" apk?

Answer 1

This is what version control is for. I'd take a good look at Git and its branching and tagging features as well as its revert and rollback commands.

Key thing to remember: History is immutable.

If you screw up, revert the commits (or better yet - fix them if you can) and then publish a new version.

Answer 2

Two options come to my mind immediately, one of which would be considered good practise and the other that would not be.

1. Using Version Control

If you aren't already using it, version control software such as git or svn could be used to manage your versions and state of the application. Features such as tags within git can allow you to keep track of your released versions. You can also revert back to previous states should you require it.

2. Keep the Version Code the same?

Theoretically, as your server is distributing the app and the Play Store isn't, you could keep the Version Code the same during new releases and only update the version name, which would allow downgrades. However this would be considered extremely bad practise and could cause a number of issues depending on the nature of the application (Should it contain databases that may have changed and can't be downgraded etc).

Overall, I would suggest just releasing bug fixes in updates rather than making users downgrade.