Version information is documented or accessible
Why it matters
Version history documentation serves two concrete functions: it lets users understand what changed in an update before installing (reducing negative reviews from unexpected behavior changes), and it gives future maintainers a reliable source of truth for which version introduced which behavior. App stores surface "What's New" text in update prompts — an empty or generic "Bug fixes and improvements" entry significantly reduces update adoption rates, which matters for security patches that need broad uptake. ISO 25010:2011 maintainability quality attributes include changeability and testability, both of which depend on accurate version documentation. Without a CHANGELOG, diagnosing regressions across version boundaries requires git archaeology instead of a changelog lookup.
Severity rationale
Info because missing version documentation doesn't cause rejection but measurably reduces update adoption and increases future maintenance cost for regression triage.
Remediation
Create CHANGELOG.md at the project root using Keep a Changelog format and tag releases in git to link the changelog to deployable artifacts.
# Changelog
## [1.1.0] - 2026-03-15
### Added
- Push notifications for order status updates
- Dark mode support
### Fixed
- Login timeout on slow connections
## [1.0.0] - 2026-02-01
- Initial release
# Tag each release in git
git tag -a v1.1.0 -m "Order notifications + dark mode"
git push origin v1.1.0
Paste a condensed version of the current section into the App Store Connect "What's New" field and Google Play Console release notes field at submission time. Keep notes user-facing ("Fixed login timeout") not implementation-focused ("Refactored auth token refresh logic").
Detection
- ID:
version-documented - Severity:
info - What to look for: Check for a CHANGELOG.md or similar version history file. Count the number of version entries documented. Look for version tags in git or release notes in the app store listing. Verify that current app version (
app.jsonversionfield) is documented with release notes explaining what changed. - Pass criteria: A CHANGELOG or release notes exist documenting the current version and what changed. At least 1 version entry must be present with at least 2 bullet points describing changes. Version is referenced consistently between app.json and documentation.
- Fail criteria: No changelog or release notes found, or current version is undocumented. Changelog exists but has fewer than 2 entries or descriptions.
- Skip (N/A) when: First release of the app (changelog can start with this version).
- Detail on fail:
"No CHANGELOG.md found"or"Current version 1.1.0 is not documented in release notes" - Remediation: Document version changes to help users and future developers. Create:
- CHANGELOG.md:
# Changelog ## [1.0.0] - 2026-02-21 - Initial release - User authentication - Core features ## [1.0.1] - 2026-03-01 - Fixed login bug - Improved performance - Tag releases in git:
git tag -a v1.0.0 -m "Initial release" git push origin v1.0.0 - Add release notes to app store:
- App Store Connect: Release Notes field in app info
- Google Play Console: Release notes field in release section
- Keep notes concise and user-focused (what changed, not technical details)
- CHANGELOG.md:
External references
- iso-25010:2011 · maintainability — ISO 25010 — Maintainability
Taxons
History
- 2026-04-18·v1.0.0·Initial import from mobile-store-readiness·automated