Intro 

This page describes the release process from Spencer.
It will answer the questions:

  • When can I expect a new release from Spencer?
  • How will the new Spencer release be provided?
  • Until which version does Spencer provide support?
  • What should I do as the responsible person for Spencer inside my company?


When can I expect a new release from Spencer? 

Frequency

Spencer release cadence works on a Monthly basis. 

Every 2nd week of the month, we'll ship a new version of Spencer. The release will contain fixes (logged from previous version) and new features. 

Naming/versioning

We don't name our release after a cat species (Apple) or candy (Google Android).
Our release carry the name of the month it get's released in .. simple right?!
So in April, we'll release the April release...

In the app, the version will be displayed as followe year - month - build number.
Example - 20.04.1235

Schedule of 2021

Below the scheduled releases till the end of the current year (2020):

  • January release - Tuesday (19/01)
  • February release - Tuesday (16/02)
  • March release - Tuesday (16/03)
  • April release - Tuesday (20/04)
  • May release - Tuesday (18/05)
  • June release - Tuesday (15/06)
  • July relase - Tuesday (13/07)
  • August release - Tuesday (09/08)
  • September release - Tuesday (21/09)
  • Ocotober release - Tuesday (19/10)
  • November release - Tuesday (16/11)
  • December release - Tuesday (14/12)

How will the new Spencer release be provided?

Release email

As a customer you'll receive an e-mail with the announcement of the new release and the features/fixes or improvements.

Update Backoffice and Backend

The backoffice and backend are automatically updated by Spencer, you won't notice anything specific unless some new features or improvements.

Updating the stores

If your company opted to have Spencer inside the App and Play Store, Spencer will take care of the upload and the roll out. After 2 or 3 days after the release you can expect an updated version inside the App(*) or Play store.

* Depends on the speed of the approval process from Apple. 

Update MDM solutions & Desktop clients  

If your company opted to have Spencer distributed through an MDM solution or if the client is a desktop you'll receive an automatic e-mail that a new release file is uploaded to a company specific Google Drive folder. 

The customer is responsible of wrapping* the file and distribute it through the choosen MDM solution of the company or distribute the desktop client.

An example of the e-mail shown below.
title - New Release file has been uploaded
sender - customersuccess@spencer.co

*Spencer will deliver a "naked" file as our build pipeline is streamlined towards multiple client delivery and this will give the customer the flexibility to pick any MDM software.

Until which version does Spencer provide support?

How many versions?

Spencer supports to 2 client* versions below the current version.
As an example,lets say the current version is June. That would mean Spencer provides support for the March  and May release.

If you're more than 2 versions behind, you won't receive support from support@spencer.co anymore.
So it is important to follow the release cadence.

*Spencer will automatically updated backend and back-office to the most recent version. For the clients (Apple/Android/desktop), the customer can decide to skip a release. 

What should I do as the person responsible for Spencer inside my company?

  • Check the agreement with Spencer towards supported clients & distribution
  • Communicate to customersuccess@spencer.co if you want to skip a version 1 week upfront. 
  • Communicate to customersuccess@spencer.co at startup if you want to rollout every month, every 2 months.

Q&A

  • Q: Do I as a customer need to rollout every release?
  • A: No, Spencer allows you to skip 2 versions before you current version becomes unsupported. Mail to customersuccess@spencer.co if you have questions towards your current release cycle or if you want to skip a version.