Updates

DroneField automatically checks the DroneField server for new releases. A banner at the top of the application alerts you to a new version — and a couple of clicks updates everything.

The app updates itself

Current versions of DroneField perform the update in place: the new build downloads in the background, you click Install…, and the application restarts automatically. No manual installer steps are needed — the sections below describe the details and the manual fallback.

Automatic background polling

The app calls GET /v1/version/check on the DroneField API every 4 hours. This is an unauthenticated call — it works even while signed out.

The poll is tiny — about 1 KB per call. Invisible on mobile internet.

New version banner

When a new version is available, a banner appears at the top of the main screen:

New DroneField version available: 27.1      [What's new?]  [Download]
Current: 27.0

• What’s new? — shows the release notes.
• Download — downloads the new build in the background. The download is verified (SHA-256) before it can be installed.
• Install… — appears when the download is ready. DroneField mounts the new build, replaces the application and relaunches automatically.

If the automatic install fails for any reason, DroneField opens the downloaded installer in Finder instead — drag the new DroneField onto Applications (macOS), then start it again.

The update preserves:

• The signed-in session (Keychain token survives)
• Your projects
• Your settings
• Installed plug-ins / templates (if any)

Manual check

Settings → Update → Check for updates queries immediately. Useful when:

• You know a hotfix was just released (Slack / newsletter)
• You filed a bug and were asked to test a fix
• You just want to verify

Suppressing the banner

The banner cannot be dismissed — we feel updates are too important to ignore. It disappears once you have installed the new version.

Manual update

If the in-app updater can’t work (firewall, etc.), download manually:

1. Sign in to my.dronefield.app
2. Downloads menu
3. Get the latest stable installer
4. Install per Installation

Rolling back to an older version

If a new release has a problem (e.g. specific drone model):

1. Portal → Downloads → scroll to Older versions
2. Pick the version you want
3. Download and install over the current
4. Report the issue to us so we can fix the new build

Beta channel

If you want to try beta builds:

• Portal → Downloads → channel selector (Stable / Beta) at the top
• Choose Beta
• The latest beta installer appears in the list

The beta channel is not the default — you must opt in.

What does the version mean?

DroneField uses year-based versioning:

27.0
 │  │
 │  └─ minor   — new feature or significant fix
 └──── major   — release year (2027 → 27)

Each release (e.g. 27.0, 27.1, …) adds new features and fixes. All updates are safe to apply — your projects remain compatible.

Release notes

Every new release has release notes — reach them via the banner’s What’s new? button or the portal Downloads page. Worth a quick scan to see what’s new.