How To Version(ise/ize) Android App Properly?

I am working on an Android app and I have put it on playstore for beta testing. So I can officially test my app in different countries as I have friends overseas. So my question is

Solution 1:

versionCode can (should? personal choice really) be updated with each build, or at the start of each day you work on the code. A number that simply keeps increasing is all this needs to be. Start at 1 and keep going. Google Play Store requires an increase between updates.

versionName is for the Google Play Store or when you have built a stable version that is ready for testing with the intention of release. The format of this string is really up to you. Formats are often read like so:

• 1.2.3 : 1 major version, major changes, 2 minor version, minor changes, 3 bug fixes.

• 1.2 : 1 major version, major changes, 2 any changes.

You can (I think) even use a string like UltraLight or MegaUpdate for the versionName - it is up to you. It is used to differentiate between releases for the public.

Solution 2:

There are 2 things which are seen during versioning:

1. Version Code
2. Version Name

Now you can consider version code as your age, which is incremented whenever you celebrate your birthday, that is, version code is to be incremented, whenever you make a new build for Play store or you are sending the app via mail or drive. One reason for this is, in play store, it helps the google servers to differentiate between old and current release and in testing point of view you can filter the crashes in crashlytics based on this version code.

But when we talk about version name, its like your name, people might call you chhotu, chintu, etc. when you are young, they call you Viral when you are teen, they call you mr. Joshi when you are working, but it doesnt make a difference as its your age that exactly defines you.

In short, version code is to be changed after every build you make for testing, but version name is your choice. In general version name is changed when you make major bug fixes or UI changes. For small fixes you dont change version name in beta version. But when it is released completely, you can change the last digit of version name too after every release.