App Release Notes Examples: 20 You Can Copy, Plus a Template

Checked on October 11, 2026. On the App Store, Apple's list of required, localizable and editable properties does not mark What's New as editable without submitting a new version, so proofread before you submit.

• Bug Fix Release

  Fixed a crash that happened when you opened a shared list while offline. Fixed reminders that arrived an hour late after the clock change. Fixed the widget showing yesterday's tasks until you opened the app. Thank you to everyone who sent a report. You made these easy to find. Why it works: each bug is named the way a user would describe it, so the person who hit it knows this update is for them.

• One Big Feature

  New: shared budgets. Invite your partner or a roommate to a budget and you both see every expense the moment it is added. Each person keeps a private budget too. To try it, open any budget, tap Share and send the invite. Also in this version: faster search and a fix for duplicate bank imports. Why it works: one feature gets the first line and the instructions, and the small items wait at the end.

• Several Small Improvements

  Five small things you asked for. 1. Sort notes by the date you last edited them. 2. Pin up to three notes to the top. 3. Export a note as a PDF from the share menu. 4. Larger buttons in the toolbar. 5. Dark mode now follows your phone's schedule. Why it works: a numbered list with one sentence each is quick to scan, and the opening line tells users their requests get read.

• Performance Release

  This one is all about speed. The app now opens in about half the time on older phones. Photo uploads keep going in the background, so you can lock your screen. The download is 30 MB smaller. No new features this time, only a faster app. Why it works: it gives numbers instead of the word faster alone. Only publish figures you measured.

• Redesign

  A new look, the same app. The four tabs are now three: Home, Search and Library. Your downloads moved into Library. Settings moved behind your profile picture in the top right. Nothing was removed, and your playlists are exactly where you left them. Tell us what you think from Settings, Send Feedback. Why it works: it answers the first question after any redesign, which is where a familiar button went.

• Pricing Change

  Two changes to plans. The free plan now includes 3 projects instead of 1. The Pro price for new subscribers changes on March 1. If you already subscribe, your price stays the same. This version also adds project templates and fixes a sync delay on slow connections. Why it works: it says who is affected, who is not and when, with no amount that would be wrong in another country's currency.

• Apology After an Outage

  We got version 4.2 wrong. For about a day some of you could not sign in, and a few people lost drafts that had not synced. This version fixes the sign in error and restores those drafts from our backup the first time you open the app. If something is still missing, write to help@example.com and a person will answer. We are sorry. Why it works: what broke, who was hit, what is fixed and how to get help, with no excuses.

• Removing a Feature

  Heads up: this version removes export to the old CSV format. The newer export has the same columns plus categories, and it opens in the same spreadsheet apps. Exports you already saved are not affected. If your workflow needs the old format, write to us from Settings, Feedback before you update. Why it works: a removal is the change people are angriest to find by themselves, so it goes first and comes with an alternative.

• Security Fix

  This update fixes a security issue in how the app stored your login on your device. We have no sign that anyone's account was accessed. You will be asked to sign in once after updating. We recommend installing this version today. Why it works: Apple allows a generic line for security updates, but explaining the extra sign in heads off a wave of support email.

• First Release of a New App

  Welcome to version 1.0. Track your runs with GPS, see pace and distance on one screen, and save every route to a private history. No account needed. This is our first release, so we read every message. Use Settings, Contact Us to tell us what to build next. Why it works: a first version has no changes to list, so it says what the app does in three verbs and opens a line for feedback. Use it on Google Play. The App Store has no What's New field for a first version.

• Seasonal Update

  Winter update. New: a holiday gift list you can share with family, with a checkbox that hides what is already bought. New: three winter themes for your home screen widget. The gift list stays in the app all year under Lists. Also fixed: prices now show in your local currency after you change region. Why it works: seasonal features raise the question of what disappears in January, and the note answers it.

• New Version of a Game

  Season 5 is live. Explore the Frozen Harbor, a new region with 20 levels and a boss you fight on moving ice. New weapon: the harpoon, earned at level 8. Daily quests now pay double coins on weekends. Balance: the shield cooldown goes from 6 to 8 seconds. Fixed invites that expired after one minute. Why it works: players read notes for new content first, then balance changes with exact numbers, then fixes.

• Subscription App

  New for subscribers: download workouts to use without a connection, and a weekly plan that adapts when you skip a day. Free for everyone: a stretching library with 12 short routines. Subscribers get the new features automatically. Nothing changes about your billing. Why it works: it separates what paying members get from what is free, and it calms the worry every subscriber has when an update mentions plans.

• Accessibility Update

  Better support for VoiceOver and larger text. Every button on the player now has a spoken label. Text follows your system size setting up to the largest option without being cut off. Charts have a text summary that can be read aloud. Color is no longer the only way to tell income from spending. If something is still hard to use, please tell us. Why it works: it names the exact settings people rely on, so they can tell whether the app works for them now.

• Same Day Hotfix

  Version 2.8.1 fixes a problem in yesterday's update: the camera button did nothing on some phones. If scanning stopped working for you, it works again now. No receipts were lost, because nothing was saved while the button was broken. Sorry for the lost day. Why it works: it names the version that broke things, says who was affected and answers the data question before anyone has to ask.

• Feature Marked as Beta

  New, in beta: voice notes. Hold the microphone button to record, and the app writes a transcript under the audio. It works in English for now and can mishear names. Turn it on under Settings, Beta Features, and tell us where it gets things wrong. Also fixed: tags with spaces now save. Why it works: the feature is in this build and the user switches it on, so the note is accurate, and its limits are stated up front.

• Update That Needs Something From the User

  Important: the first time you open this version, the app moves your library to a new format. That takes up to a minute for a large library. Keep the app open until the progress bar finishes. Nothing is deleted, and the old copy stays on your phone for 30 days. After that, search is about three times faster. Why it works: the instruction comes first, the fear of losing data is answered, and the payoff closes the note.

• Now on a Bigger Screen

  Now built for iPad. In landscape you get two columns: notebooks on the left, the page on the right. Drag a photo in from another app. Works with a keyboard, including shortcuts for new page, search and bold. Your notes sync from your phone the first time you sign in. Why it works: a new device is a feature, and the note says what is different on it instead of only that it exists.

• Content Update With No New Features

  40 new recipes for autumn, including 12 that take under 20 minutes. New collection: one pot dinners. We also corrected the cooking time on the lentil soup (35 minutes, not 15) after three of you wrote in. No changes to how the app works. Why it works: in an app people open for its content, the content is the release, and it deserves numbers too.

• TestFlight Beta Notes

  What to test in build 412: the new checkout. 1. Add two items and pay with the test card. 2. Close the app in the middle of payment and open it again. 3. Try a discount code. Known issue: the receipt email is not sent yet. To send feedback, take a screenshot in the app. Why it works: testers get tasks, where store users get a changelog. Apple's TestFlight overview says test information can include an explanation of the features to test, and that testers can send feedback by taking a screenshot in the beta app.

The New, Changed, Removed and Fixed labels follow the types of changes used by Keep a Changelog, a published convention for writing changelogs.

When a release fits two rows, use both: a feature release that also fixes a security issue leads with the feature and still states the fix plainly.

1. Step 1

   List Everything That Shipped

   Copy the merged changes for the version out of your tracker. This list is for you, and none of its wording survives to the store.

2. Step 2

   Cross Out What No User Can Notice

   Refactors, dependency updates and build changes go. What remains is new things, changed things and fixes for bugs somebody could have hit.

3. Step 3

   Sort by Importance and Rewrite in the User's Words

   Put the biggest change first, the order Apple's product page guidance recommends for What's New. For each line, write what the person can now do or what has stopped going wrong.

4. Step 4

   Cut a Google Play Version

   Trim to 500 characters on purpose and keep the first line whole. Count it before you paste it into Play Console.

5. Step 5

   Proofread Twice

   What's New is not on Apple's list of fields you can edit without a new version, so a typo stays on your product page until the next release.

1. Step 1

   Create the New Version

   In Apps, select the app, click the add button next to the platform and enter the new version number. Apple's page on creating a new version adds that the current version must be Ready for Distribution before you can start the next one, and that the roles allowed to do it are Account Holder, Admin, App Manager and Marketing. So whoever writes the notes may not be the person who uploads the build.

2. Step 2

   Read Every Field the New Version Inherited

   The same page says metadata from the current version is transferred to the new version automatically. Go through the version page field by field before you save, What's New included, so that nothing from the last release is submitted again by accident.

3. Step 3

   Write What's New for Each Language

   What's New is a localizable field of up to 4,000 characters, per Apple's platform version information. Switch languages in the menu on the version page and paste each translation into its own box. A language you skip shows the primary language's notes.

4. Step 4

   Change Notes While the Version Is in Review

   While a version waits for review or is in review, Apple only lets you edit some of its information. To change everything, remove the submission from review. That is possible from Waiting for Review, In Review, Pending Developer Release and two other statuses, and it sets the version to Developer Rejected. Edit the notes and submit again. Apple notes that the review then starts over, so allow for another round before your release date.

5. Step 5

   Correct Notes After the Version Is Live

   What's New is marked required and localizable but not editable in Apple's list of required, localizable and editable properties, so a live version keeps its notes. Fix the mistake in the next version's notes. Until then, use promotional text, the 170 character line above your description that you can change at any time.

6. Step 6

   Set the Notes From a Script Instead

   Teams that release weekly often never open the form. The App Store Connect API request to modify an app store version localization accepts a whatsNew attribute for each language. The fastlane deliver action reads the notes from a release_notes.txt file in a folder for each language, and can apply one default text to every language that has no file of its own. Either way, the same rules apply: one text per language, written for users.

1. Step 1

   Know What Happens if You Skip It

   On the App Store, What's New can be localized. When you add a language, its properties default to those of your primary language, except for the description and keywords, according to Apple's page on localizing app information. So a German listing with no German notes shows your English ones.

2. Step 2

   Write the Source Text to Be Translated

   Short sentences, one idea each, no idioms and no puns. A line such as "Fixed a crash when opening a shared list offline" translates cleanly. A joke about the bug rarely does.

3. Step 3

   Use the Same Feature Names as the Translated App

   If the button says Teilen in the German interface, the German notes must say Teilen too. Give your translator the interface strings, or the notes will send people looking for a button that has a different name.

4. Step 4

   Leave Room Under the Google Play Limit

   Google Play allows 500 characters for each language, and each language's text goes between its own language tags on separate lines, as Play Console Help shows. A translation can run longer than the English, so keep the English well under 500.

5. Step 5

   Reuse Carefully

   Play Console can copy the notes and translations from a previous release into the box for editing, a feature described on the same Play Console Help page. That saves time on a maintenance release, but check every language before you publish, or last month's feature gets announced again.

• A Social Post

  Pick the two or three points a stranger would care about, lead with the benefit and attach a real screenshot of the feature. Leave out fixes unless the bug was famous. There are worked examples for each network in these app update announcement examples, and a channel by channel plan in how to promote an app on social media.

• A Changelog Page on Your Website

  Paste each version's notes onto one page, newest first, with the release date. Those are the basics Keep a Changelog recommends: an entry for every version, the latest at the top and the date shown. Unlike the store, your own page keeps the full history readable in one place.

• A What's New Screen in the App

  App Store updates install automatically by default, so the first launch after an update is the one moment you can be sure they see the news. Show the top one or two points once, with a button to try the feature, and never block the app behind it.

• Promotional Text and Store Screenshots

  Turn the main point into a line of 170 characters or less for the App Store promotional text, which you can change without a new version. If the release changed how the app looks, update the screenshots in the same submission, using the App Store screenshot sizes reference.

• A Phased Release Needs Patient Wording

  If you release in phases on the App Store, automatic updates reach people over 7 days, starting with 1 percent on day one, as Apple's phased release page describes. Anyone can still update by hand from the App Store, so a post that says "available now" is true, but "everyone has it" is not.

• A Fix Is Always a New Version

  Apple states you cannot revert to a previous version on the App Store. If a release goes wrong, you create a new version, and that version gets notes of its own. Write them like the apology example above, and add the lesson to your app launch checklist.

• Resources

  ChatGPT Prompts for Instagram Carousels

  Twenty five copy ready prompts for hooks, slide outlines, captions and app carousels, with the 2026 Instagram carousel rules.

• Resources

  ChatGPT Prompts for a Content Calendar

  Twenty five copy ready prompts for brand voice, pillars, monthly and weekly plans, each network, a launch month and a calendar table for Sheets or Notion.

• Resources

  Claude Prompts for Social Media

  Thirty copy ready Claude prompts for brand voice, post ideas, captions per network, carousels, hooks, replies, export analysis, a weekly review and an audit.

• Use cases

  Startups

  A launch plan by phase for a new app, and the recurring posts Spreadcast covers once the listing is live.

• Tools

  Instagram Post Generator

  Spreadcast designs a 4:5 Instagram post for each app update, 5 star review and rating milestone, writes the caption and publishes it for you.

• Alternatives

  Hootsuite vs Sprout Social

  Both bill per seat. Hootsuite is cheaper for an inbox and listening, Sprout for approvals and report exports. Every plan, seat sums for 1 to 10 people and the verdict.