ionic-appflow-migration

Ionic Appflow Migration

Replace each Appflow feature the project uses - Live Updates, native cloud builds, store deployment - and remove Appflow only after each replacement is verified.

Context: Ionic stopped selling Appflow in February 2025; existing customers keep access until December 31, 2027 with no new features. Plan the migration well before that date.

When to Use

TRIGGER when:

package.json has @capacitor/live-updates or cordova-plugin-ionic.
capacitor.config.* has plugins.LiveUpdates, or config.xml / Info.plist / strings.xml hold Appflow deploy keys (APP_ID, CHANNEL_NAME, UPDATE_METHOD, IonAppId, IonChannelName).
CI calls ionic deploy, appflow, ionic package build, or the Appflow dashboard triggers builds and store uploads.

Do not use for:

@ionic-enterprise/* plugins -> ionic-enterprise-sdk-migration.
Capawesome Cloud -> capawesome-live-update-migration.
Greenfield Capgo setup -> capgo-live-updates.

Live Project Snapshot

Detected Appflow-related packages and scripts: !node -e "const fs=require('fs');if(!fs.existsSync('package.json'))process.exit(0);const pkg=JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync('package.json','utf8'));const out=[];for(const section of ['dependencies','devDependencies']){for(const [name,version] of Object.entries(pkg[section]||{})){if(name==='@capacitor/live-updates'||name==='cordova-plugin-ionic'||name.includes('appflow')||name==='@ionic/cli'||name==='@capgo/capacitor-updater'||name==='@capacitor/core')out.push(section+'.'+name+'='+version)}}for(const [name,cmd] of Object.entries(pkg.scripts||{})){if(/appflow|ionic deploy|ionic package|live-updates/i.test(cmd))out.push('scripts.'+name+'='+cmd)}console.log(out.join('\n'))"

Possible Appflow config and workflow paths: !find . -maxdepth 4 -not -path '*/node_modules/*' \( -name '.io-config.json' -o -name 'ionic.config.json' -o -name 'config.xml' -o -name 'capacitor.config.json' -o -name 'capacitor.config.ts' -o -name 'capacitor.config.js' -o -path './.github/workflows/*' -o -name '.gitlab-ci.yml' -o -name 'appflow.config.json' \)

Procedure

Step 1: Inventory (report before editing)

rg -n "@capacitor/live-updates|cordova-plugin-ionic|LiveUpdates|IonAppId|IonChannelName|UPDATE_METHOD|CHANNEL_NAME|ionic deploy|appflow|dashboard.ionicframework.com|ionic.io/appflow" \
  -g '!node_modules' .

Record per feature:

Live Updates: SDK in use, Appflow app ID, channels and which binaries point at them, update method (background, none, always-latest on resume, force update), maxVersions, any code calling sync(), download(), extract(), reload().
Native builds: build stack, signing certificates/profiles and keystores stored in Appflow, environment variables, native config overrides.
Store deploys: TestFlight / Play destinations and tracks.

Ask the user to export signing credentials from Appflow (or confirm they have originals) before deleting anything there.

Step 2: Live Updates -> Capgo

npm uninstall @capacitor/live-updates   # or: npm uninstall cordova-plugin-ionic
npm install @capgo/capacitor-updater
npx cap sync

For cordova-plugin-ionic, also remove its <plugin>/<variable> entries from config.xml and any Ion* keys from native files.

Replace the config block:

// capacitor.config.ts
plugins: {
  // remove LiveUpdates: { appId, channel, autoUpdateMethod, maxVersions }
  CapacitorUpdater: {
    autoUpdate: true,
    autoDeletePrevious: true,
  },
},

Appflow	Capgo
`appId`	Capgo app created with `npx @capgo/cli@latest init` (uses `appId` from `capacitor.config`)
`channel`	Capgo channel (dashboard/CLI); set default channel server-side, or `defaultChannel` in config for per-build overrides
`autoUpdateMethod: 'background'`	`autoUpdate: true` (default behaviour: download in background, apply on next start)
`autoUpdateMethod: 'none'` + manual `sync()`	Keep `autoUpdate: true` unless the product needs custom timing; otherwise `autoUpdate: false` + manual API
`maxVersions`	`autoDeletePrevious: true` plus server-side bundle retention
Binary-version targeting	Channel per native major, or `--min-update-version` / metadata strategy (`capgo-release-workflows`)
Force update	Mark bundle/channel behaviour in Capgo and listen for `majorAvailable` or use `directUpdate`

Add the one required hook once the app shell renders:

import { CapacitorUpdater } from '@capgo/capacitor-updater';
void CapacitorUpdater.notifyAppReady();

Without it Capgo treats the bundle as broken and rolls back.

API mapping (keep manual calls only if the product needs custom UI or timing):

Appflow (`@capacitor/live-updates`)	Capgo
`LiveUpdates.sync()`	Not needed with `autoUpdate: true`; manual: `CapacitorUpdater.getLatest()` + `download()`
`LiveUpdates.reload()`	`CapacitorUpdater.set({ id })` (applies and reloads) or `reload()`
resume listener calling `sync()`	Remove; auto-update checks on resume
`SplashScreen.hide()` after sync	Plain `SplashScreen.hide()` after app boot; optional `appReady` listener

Upload the first bundle to a test channel:

npm run build
npx @capgo/cli@latest bundle upload --channel development

Step 3: Native cloud builds

Two replacements; ask which the user prefers:

Capgo Cloud Build: npx @capgo/cli@latest build credentials save --platform ios|android ..., then npx @capgo/cli@latest build request <appId> --platform ios|android. Details in capgo-native-builds.
Repo-owned CI (GitHub Actions, GitLab, Fastlane): capacitor-ci-cd.

Carry over environment variables, build-time config, and signing inputs exactly; change one thing at a time.

Step 4: Store publishing

Capgo Cloud Build can upload to TestFlight / Play when store credentials are saved; otherwise use CI upload steps (capacitor-ci-cd) or manual submission (capacitor-app-store). Keep bundle IDs, Play tracks, and credentials unchanged.

Step 5: Cut over and clean up

Ship a native build containing @capgo/capacitor-updater to the stores. Devices on older binaries keep pulling from Appflow until they update - keep Appflow channels live until adoption is high enough.
Publish web updates to both systems during the overlap, or freeze Appflow at the last bundle shipped with the new binary.
Remove Appflow packages, plugins.LiveUpdates, .io-config.json references, Appflow CI jobs, and secrets once no supported binary depends on them.

Verification

rg -n "@capacitor/live-updates|cordova-plugin-ionic|LiveUpdates\\." -g '!node_modules' . returns nothing (after cleanup).
Fresh install of the new binary: logs show notifyAppReady called; Capgo dashboard shows the device.
Upload a test bundle to a non-production channel; device downloads and applies it on next start.
Upload a deliberately broken bundle (no notifyAppReady) to the test channel; device rolls back.
New native build pipeline produces signed IPA/AAB with the same bundle ID and a higher build number.

Error Handling

Problem	Fix
App rolls back every update	`notifyAppReady()` not reached (called too late, behind login, or code path throws); call it right after the shell renders
`Cannot find API key in local folder or global, please login first` from the Capgo CLI	`npx @capgo/cli@latest login <apikey>` locally, or `CAPGO_TOKEN` in CI
Updates never arrive	Device on a channel without the bundle, or bundle incompatible with native version; check channel and `npx @capgo/cli@latest bundle compatibility`
Old Appflow update overwrote Capgo bundle	Old SDK still installed in the binary; confirm `@capacitor/live-updates` / `cordova-plugin-ionic` removed and `npx cap sync` run before building
Build fails after removing Appflow	Appflow injected env vars or native config; recreate them in CI or Capgo Cloud Build environment