Auto-Update

Nothing Browser checks for updates automatically and installs them in-app — no terminal required.

Overview

Feature	Description
Check frequency	On launch + every 6 hours
Update source	GitHub Releases API
Download method	In-app streaming
Install method	Automatic binary swap
User interaction	Two clicks (DOWNLOAD → INSTALL)

How It Works

The update checker polls the GitHub Releases API:

https://api.github.com/repos/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser/releases/latest

Check Timing

Event	When
First check	3 seconds after launch
Periodic checks	Every 6 hours
Manual check	Click CHECK NOW in TECH HOUSE tab

What It Checks

Field	Compared
`tag_name`	Against current version
`assets`	Downloads for your platform
`body`	Changelog content

Update Notification

When a newer version is found:

Tab Label Change

The TECH HOUSE tab label updates to show the new version:

🔔 TECH HOUSE [v0.1.4 ready]

Bell Icon

The notification bell in the top-right of the tab bar turns amber:

State	Bell	Tab Label
Up to date	⚪ Gray	`TECH HOUSE`
Update available	🟠 Amber	`🔔 TECH HOUSE [v0.1.4 ready]`
Downloading	🔵 Blue	`🔔 TECH HOUSE [downloading...]`
Ready to install	🟢 Green	`🔔 TECH HOUSE [install ready]`

Downloading and Installing

Step-by-Step

Step 1: Go to TECH HOUSE tab
              │
              ▼
Step 2: Click ↓ DOWNLOAD UPDATE
              │
              ▼
Step 3: Watch progress bar
              │
              ▼
Step 4: Click ⚡ INSTALL & RESTART
              │
              ▼
Step 5: App closes, swaps binary, restarts

Progress Bar

During download, you'll see:

Downloading: [████████░░░░░░░░░░░░] 45% (2.3 MB / 5.1 MB)
Speed: 1.2 MB/s · Time remaining: 2 seconds

After Download

The INSTALL & RESTART button becomes active. Click it to:

Save current session (auto-save)
Close the application
Replace the binary
Restart the browser

No terminal. No sudo (with tar.gz release).

Platform Differences

Linux (tar.gz) — Recommended

Aspect	Details
Binary location	Anywhere (user-writable)
Update requires	No password
Update method	Direct binary swap
Experience	Seamless

Linux (.deb)

Aspect	Details
Binary location	`/usr/bin` (system)
Update requires	`pkexec` or `sudo`
Update method	Password prompt
Experience	One password entry

bash

# .deb users will see:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  Authentication Required                │
│                                         │
│  [sudo] password for user:             │
│  ┌─────────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │                                 │   │
│  └─────────────────────────────────┘   │
│                                         │
│  [Cancel]  [OK]                        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Windows

Aspect	Details
Binary location	Anywhere (user-writable)
Update requires	No admin (if writable)
Update method	Direct binary swap

macOS

Aspect	Details
Binary location	`/Applications` (may need password)
Update requires	Password for system install
Update method	App bundle replacement

Update Flow Diagram

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                           AUTO-UPDATE FLOW                                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│                                                                             │
│  ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐              │
│  │  Launch  │───►│  Check   │───►│ Available│───►│ Notify   │              │
│  │ Browser  │    │ GitHub   │    │   ?      │    │  User    │              │
│  └──────────┘    └──────────┘    └────┬─────┘    └────┬─────┘              │
│                                       │               │                    │
│                          No ──────────┘               │ Yes                │
│                          │                            │                    │
│                          ▼                            ▼                    │
│                    ┌──────────┐              ┌──────────────┐              │
│                    │  Wait 6  │              │   User       │              │
│                    │  Hours   │              │   Downloads  │              │
│                    └──────────┘              └──────┬───────┘              │
│                                                      │                      │
│                                                      ▼                      │
│                                               ┌──────────────┐             │
│                                               │   User       │             │
│                                               │   Installs   │             │
│                                               └──────┬───────┘             │
│                                                      │                      │
│                                                      ▼                      │
│                                               ┌──────────────┐             │
│                                               │   Browser    │             │
│                                               │   Restarts   │             │
│                                               │   Updated!   │             │
│                                               └──────────────┘             │
│                                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Manual Update

If auto-update fails or you prefer manual:

Linux (.deb)

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade nothing-browser

Linux (tar.gz)

bash

# Download new version
wget https://github.com/BunElysiaReact/nothing-browser/releases/download/v0.1.4/nothing-browser-0.1.4-linux-x86_64.tar.gz

# Extract
tar -xzf nothing-browser-*.tar.gz

# Replace old binary
mv nothing-browser-*/nothing-browser ./nothing-browser
chmod +x nothing-browser

Windows

Download new .zip from Releases
Extract
Replace old .exe

macOS

Download new .dmg from Releases
Drag to Applications
Replace old version

Disabling Auto-Update

Auto-update is always enabled in the UI version. To disable:

Option 1: Use offline version

Download the binary and disconnect from network.

Option 2: Block GitHub API

bash

# /etc/hosts
127.0.0.1 api.github.com

Option 3: Use tar.gz and don't update

The tar.gz version doesn't force updates.

Shipping a New Release (For Maintainers)

Step 1: Commit Changes

bash

git add .
git commit -m "feat: what changed"

Step 2: Create Tag

bash

git tag v0.1.4
git push origin v0.1.4

Step 3: GitHub Actions Builds

Platform	Build Time	Output
Linux	~10 min	`.deb`, `.tar.gz`
Windows	~15 min	`.zip`, `.exe`
macOS	~20 min	`.dmg`, `.tar.gz`

Step 4: Release Published

GitHub Actions automatically:

Builds all platforms
Creates a GitHub Release
Attaches all assets
Updates the "latest" tag

Step 5: Users Get Notified

Within 6 hours (or on next launch), users see the update notification.

Troubleshooting

Update Check Fails

Error: Failed to check for updates

Solutions:

Check internet connection
GitHub may be blocked in your region
Firewall may block API access

Download Fails

Error: Download stuck or fails

Solutions:

Check disk space
Check write permissions
Retry download
Use manual update

Install Fails (.deb)

Error: Failed to replace binary

Solution: Ensure pkexec is installed:

bash

sudo apt install policykit-1

Install Fails (tar.gz)

Error: Permission denied

Solution: Binary location must be writable:

bash

chmod +w ./nothing-browser
# Or move to writable location

Version Shows Wrong After Update

Solution:

Close browser completely
Restart
Check TECH HOUSE tab again

Update Security

Concern	How It's Addressed
MITM attacks	GitHub API over HTTPS
Corrupted downloads	Checksum verification
Fake releases	GitHub signature verification
Malicious binaries	Only from official GitHub

Next Steps

TECH HOUSE Tab — Update management UI
Installation — First-time setup
Session Management — Save your work before updating

Nothing Ecosystem · Ernest Tech House · Kenya · 2026

Auto-Update ​

Overview ​

How It Works ​

Check Timing ​

What It Checks ​

Update Notification ​

Tab Label Change ​

Bell Icon ​

Downloading and Installing ​

Step-by-Step ​

Progress Bar ​

After Download ​

Platform Differences ​

Linux (tar.gz) — Recommended ​

Linux (.deb) ​

Windows ​

macOS ​

Update Flow Diagram ​

Manual Update ​

Linux (.deb) ​

Linux (tar.gz) ​

Windows ​

macOS ​

Disabling Auto-Update ​

Option 1: Use offline version ​

Option 2: Block GitHub API ​

Option 3: Use tar.gz and don't update ​

Shipping a New Release (For Maintainers) ​

Step 1: Commit Changes ​

Step 2: Create Tag ​

Step 3: GitHub Actions Builds ​

Step 4: Release Published ​

Step 5: Users Get Notified ​

Troubleshooting ​

Update Check Fails ​

Download Fails ​

Install Fails (.deb) ​

Install Fails (tar.gz) ​

Version Shows Wrong After Update ​

Update Security ​

Next Steps ​

Auto-Update

Overview

How It Works

Check Timing

What It Checks

Update Notification

Tab Label Change

Bell Icon

Downloading and Installing

Step-by-Step

Progress Bar

After Download

Platform Differences

Linux (tar.gz) — Recommended

Linux (.deb)

Windows

macOS

Update Flow Diagram

Manual Update

Linux (.deb)

Linux (tar.gz)

Windows

macOS

Disabling Auto-Update

Option 1: Use offline version

Option 2: Block GitHub API

Option 3: Use tar.gz and don't update

Shipping a New Release (For Maintainers)

Step 1: Commit Changes

Step 2: Create Tag

Step 3: GitHub Actions Builds

Step 4: Release Published

Step 5: Users Get Notified

Troubleshooting

Update Check Fails

Download Fails

Install Fails (.deb)

Install Fails (tar.gz)

Version Shows Wrong After Update

Update Security

Next Steps