App version follows semantic versioning

Non-semver strings like 1.0, v1.0.0-beta, or 01.00.00 break downstream tooling that parses app.json — EAS Update channels, Sentry release matching, crash-report grouping, and CI/CD diff-comparison scripts all assume the MAJOR.MINOR.PATCH contract. When the format drifts, release notes collapse into a single bucket, regression bisects miss the breaking commit, and users cannot tell a feature release from a hotfix. Semantic versioning is also the communication channel App Store Connect and Play Console use to render "What's New" prompts correctly.

Set the version field in app.json to three non-negative integers separated by dots and strip any prefixes or pre-release labels — those belong in buildNumber or a separate channel identifier. Automate the constraint in CI so a malformed value fails the pipeline before it reaches a store submission.

// app.json
{
  "expo": {
    "version": "1.0.3",
    "ios": { "buildNumber": "12" },
    "android": { "versionCode": 12 }
  }
}

• ID: mobile-store-readiness.version-management.version-semver
• Severity: low
• What to look for: Check app.json for version field. Count the number of dot-separated segments in the version string. Should follow semantic versioning: major.minor.patch (e.g., 1.0.0, 2.3.1). No leading zeros (e.g., 01.02.03 is incorrect), no extra labels like alpha or beta in the version field itself.
• Pass criteria: Version is in semver format: X.Y.Z where X, Y, Z are non-negative integers with exactly 3 segments separated by dots. No extra labels or leading zeros. Before evaluating, extract and quote the exact version string found in app.json.
• Fail criteria: Version uses unusual format like 1.0 (missing patch — fewer than 3 segments), v1.0.0 (includes 'v' prefix), 1.0.0-beta (includes label), or 01.00.00 (leading zeros). Do NOT pass when the version field is missing entirely.
• Skip (N/A) when: Never — version format should always be standardized.
• Detail on fail: "App version is '1.0' — should be '1.0.0' with explicit patch version" or "Version has label 'v1.0.0-beta' — label should be separate from version field"
• Remediation: Semantic versioning clarifies release importance. Use the format:
  1. In app.json:

     "version": "1.0.3"
     

  2. Format: major.minor.patch
     • major: Incremented for breaking changes
     • minor: Incremented for new features (backwards compatible)
     • patch: Incremented for bug fixes
  3. Examples:
     • 1.0.0 — initial release
     • 1.1.0 — added new feature
     • 1.1.1 — bug fix
     • 2.0.0 — breaking change
  4. If you need to indicate pre-release status (alpha, beta), use buildNumber instead of modifying the version field