Flightpaths

For organizations that need to streamline a more complex release process, like cross-platform, white labeling, or advanced workflows with multiple instances of 'steps', Flightpaths enables you to configure modular setups to manage branching, multi-step workflows as a single, cohesive release. This can help (for example) to provide a greatly simplified workflow and a clearer understanding of the status of multiple apps that are going through the release process in tandem. Additionally, you'll be able to apply the same settings across all apps within the flightpath, reducing setup time and the risk of forgetting to apply certain settings to multiple apps.

Here are some example scenarios that are ideal use cases for leveraging Flightpaths:

White label: same codebase used to ship multiple variations of the same app.
Multi-platform: the same codebase used to build across multiple platforms, such as iOS and tvOS apps, or Android and wearOS apps.
Multi-store: the same codebase used to build a single APK that is distributed to different app stores, such as Google Play Console and Amazon Appstore.
Cross-platform: same codebase used to build iOS and Android apps that go to their respective app stores.
Mature teams with complex releases: customize Runway to perfectly capture all the different steps and dependencies that exist in your release process. Whether you’re shipping for mobile, TV, wearables, auto or all of the above, you can manage and automate releases exactly how you want to.

Key definitions

Step archetype: these are the different steps along the release management journey. They consist of Kickoff, Feature readiness, Translations, Release candidate, Regression testing, Beta testing, Screenshots, Metadata, Approvals, App submission, App store review, Release, and Rollout.

Runway currently supports multiple instances of Release candidate, Beta testing, Regression testing, Screenshots, Metadata, Approvals, App submission, App store review, App store Release, and Rollout steps within one Flightpaths workflow.

Step configuration: a unique instance of a step (of a specific archetype) within a Flightpaths workflow.
Flightpaths workflow: a collection of step configurations and settings describing your team’s process for releasing one or more apps.

Explaining Flightpaths with examples

White label

Mercury is a white label iOS app with 6 flavors. All apps follow the same release schedule and are built via the same CI workflow, but are released via different apps in the same App Store Connect account. As part of this team's release process, this team has a rollout step pointing to the beta build, and a separate rollout step pointing to the production build.

Step archetype

Step configuration

Kickoff

1 step for 6 iOS apps

Feature readiness

1 step for 6 iOS apps

Translations

1 step for 6 iOS apps

Release candidate

1 step for 6 iOS apps

Regression testing

1 step for 6 iOS apps

Beta testing

6 steps

Unique steps for each app

Rollout (beta)

6 steps

Unique steps connected to beta build for each app

Screenshots

6 steps

Unique steps for each app

Metadata

6 steps

Unique steps for each app

Approvals

1 step for 6 apps

App submission

6 steps

Unique steps connected to each app in App Store Connect

App store review

6 steps

Unique steps connected to each app in App Store Connect

Release

6 steps

Unique steps connected to each app in App Store Connect

Rollout (production)

6 steps

Unique steps connected to App Store Connect build for each app

Cross-platform

Gemini is a cross-platform, React Native app that builds both an iOS and Android app. Both apps follow the same release schedule so that they’re released to users as close to the same time as possible. Gemini leverages the same CI workflow to build its release candidates. During beta testing, Gemini typically goes through both alpha and beta testing before the apps progress to the next step in the release process.

In this scenario, Gemini would have the following Flightpaths workflow setup:

Step archetype

Step configuration

Kickoff

1 step for iOS & Android apps

Feature readiness

1 step for iOS & Android apps

Translations

1 step for iOS & Android apps

Release candidate

1 step for iOS & Android apps

Regression testing

1 step for iOS & Android apps

Beta testing

4 steps

Alpha - 2 steps to test iOS & Android apps
Beta - 2 steps to test iOS & Android apps

Screenshots

2 steps

iOS app connected to App Store Connect
Android app connected to Google Play Console

Metadata

2 steps

iOS app connected to App Store Connect
Android app connected to Google Play Console

Approvals

1 step for iOS & Android apps

App submission

2 steps

iOS app submits to App Store Connect
Android app submits to Google Play Console

App store review

2 steps

iOS app reviewed in App Store Connect
Android app reviewed in Google Play Console

Release

2 steps

iOS app releases in App Store Connect
Android app releases in Google Play Console

Mature teams requiring flexibility

Appollo is built natively in iOS and Android. Since different teams build each app, both iOs and Android Appollo apps will remain separate within Runway. However, both teams wish to have multiple CI steps and Approval steps throughout their release process. The below example focuses on just the iOS app, but both apps could be configured similarly.

Step archetype

Step configuration

Kickoff

1 step for 1 iOS app

Feature readiness

1 step for 1 iOS app

Translations

1 step for 1 iOS app

Release candidate

1 step for 1 iOS app

Regression testing

1 step for 1 iOS app

CI step (triggers CI workflow once regression testing step is Passed)

1 step for 1 iOS app

Beta testing

1 step for 1 iOS app

Screenshots