Updates and versions

You install the agent once. After that it updates itself, so your computers stay on a version that works with the studio.

How the agent updates

• It checks for a new version when it starts and every few hours.
• Every update is checked before it's installed: if the download doesn't match what Tether Studio signed, it isn't used.
• It never updates in the middle of a run. It waits until the computer's phones are idle, swaps in the new version and restarts itself. Its phones show Offline for a few seconds, then come back.
• Nothing to click: you don't need to run the installer again.

What you'll see in the studio

Agent updates show up in the notices at the top of the studio:

• Updating agent: "Updating Tether on {computer}…". The agent is switching to the new version. It waits until no run is in progress, then reconnects by itself.
• Agent updated: "Updated to {version} on {computer}." Shown for a day after an update.
• Agent update available: "Agent {version} is out." Most computers pick it up by themselves. You only need to act when the notice says so: - If the agent on that computer runs from a copy of the code, the notice shows a command to run there. - If automatic updates are off on that computer, click Open the Install page and download the new agent there, or turn updates back on.

Stable or Beta

Each studio picks one Update channel for all its computers, on Settings → Computers → Install the agent:

• Stable: tested releases, rolled out gradually. Right for most studios.
• Beta: new agent versions first. They can have rough edges.

Only owners and admins can change the channel.

See which version you run

Settings → Computers shows your studio's channel (Stable channel or Beta channel) and, for each connected computer, its agent version (for example v0.3.0) and its update status:

• Up to date: it runs the newest version on your channel.
• Updating to {version}…: it's switching now.
• Update available: {version}: a newer version is out and hasn't been installed yet.

What's new

After the studio is updated, a What's new notice appears once per release. It links to What's new, which lists what changed in each release, newest first.

When a computer needs an agent update

Very old agents can't connect to the studio. When that happens, the studio shows a notice that a computer needs an agent update, with the computer's name and the oldest version that still works.

To fix it, start the agent again on that computer (on a Mac or Linux ~/.tether/bin/tether-agent, on Windows & "$HOME\.tether\bin\tether-agent.exe"). It checks for an update before it connects, installs it and restarts. If that doesn't help, get a new install command from Settings → Computers → Install the agent and run it on that computer.

Not updating? Check that the computer is online and the agent is running: Phone shows Offline.