Application version release management

• US 9,087,156 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Patton, Brian, Fortescue, Nicolas, Swigon, Piotr Krzysztof, Ayres, John, Ruppaner, Maximilian, Powers, Elizabeth Ireland, Lamm, Eva-Lotta, Stokes, Alan Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): HEBERT, THEODORE E
• Application Number:
  US14/081,071
• Publication Number:
  US 20150143345A1
• Time in Patent Office: 613 Days
• Field of Search: 717/131
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/30 Monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/34 Recording or statistical evaluation of computer activity, e.g. of down time, of input/output operation ; Recording or statistical evaluation of user activity, e.g. usability assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3409 for performance assessment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3688 for test execution, e.g. scheduling of test suites
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/71 Version control security arrangements therefor G06F21/57; Configuration management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

Implementations of the disclosed subject matter provide systems and methods for providing one or more versions of an application to one or more subsets of users based on measured performance of the one or more versions of the application. A method may include providing a first version of an application to a first subset of users of the application. Next, performance of the first version of the application may be measured and a second subset of users of the application may be selected based on the performance of the first version of the application. As a result, a second version of the application may be provided to the second subset of users of the application.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving from an application developer, by an application provider, a first version of an application that is distributed by the application provider, wherein the application provider comprises a device that provides a plurality of applications for digital distribution over a network to client devices associated with a plurality of users;

providing, by the application provider, the first version of the application to a first subset of client devices wherein each client device is associated with at least one user of the application, wherein the first subset of client devices is less than an entirety of client devices available to the application provider to receive the first version of the application;

measuring performance of the first version of the application;

detecting a performance issue for a particular type of device in the first subset of client devices;

selecting, by the application provider, a second subset of client devices of users of the application, comprising devices matching the particular type of device, to receive a second version of the application based on the performance of the first version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is distinct from the first version of the application;

providing the second version of the application to the second subset of client devices of users of the application;

measuring performance of the second version of the application;

selecting a third subset of client devices of users of the application based on the performance of the second version of the application, wherein the third subset of client devices includes the first subset of client devices; and

providing a third version of the application to the third subset of client devices of users of the application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of client devices of users is randomly selected from among users of the application.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein second subset of client devices of users is randomly selected from among users of the application excluding those users in the first subset of client devices.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of client devices of users is larger than the first subset of client devices of users.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first subset of client devices of users is larger than the second subset of client devices of users.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein measuring performance of the first version of the application is based on at least one performance criteria selected from the group consisting of:

server stability based on the first subset of client devices of users, crash reports, activity not responding reports, performance testing reports, battery reports, running services reports, user initiated feedback reports, network reports, and any other criteria indicating the performance of the first version of the application.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the second subset of client devices of users is selected to include only users in the first subset of client devices for which the performance issue was detected.

8. The method of claim 1, the second subset of client devices of users overlaps with at least a portion of the first subset of client devices of users.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the second subset of client devices or the third subset of client devices is randomly selected.

9. A system comprising:

a processor of an application provider, wherein the application provider comprises a device that provides a plurality of applications for digital distribution over a network to client devices associated with a plurality of users, the processor configured to;

receive, from an application developer, a first version of an application that is distributed by the application provider;

provide the first version of the application to a first subset of client devices wherein each client device is associated with at least one user of the application, wherein the first subset of client devices is less than an entirety of client devices available to the application provider to receive the first version of the application;

measure performance of the first version of the application;

detect a performance issue for a particular type of device in the first subset of client devices;

select a second subset of client devices of users of the application, comprising devices matching the particular type of device, to receive a second version of the application based on the performance of the first version of the application, wherein the second version of the application is distinct from the first version of the application;

provide the second version of the application to the second subset of client devices of users of the application;

measure performance of the second version of the application;

select a third subset of client devices of users of the application based on the performance of the second version of the application, wherein the third subset of client devices includes the first subset of client devices; and

provide a third version of the application to the third subset of client devices of users of the application.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first subset of client devices of users is randomly selected from among the users of the application.

11. The system of claim 10, second subset of client devices of users is randomly selected from among users of the application excluding those users in the first subset of client devices.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein measuring performance of the first version of the application is based on at least one performance criteria selected from the group consisting of:

server stability based on the first subset of client devices of users, crash reports, activity not responding reports, performance testing reports, battery reports, running services reports, user initiated feedback reports, network reports, and any other criteria indicating the performance of the first version of the application.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the second subset of client devices of users is selected to include only users in the first subset of client devices for which the performance issue was detected.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the second subset of client devices of users is smaller than the first subset of client devices of users.