Lifecycle Policy

Overview

The feature set of Bitmovin Player naturally evolves over time, with new features, fixes and performance improvements to enhance viewer experiences. When new major versions are released, it’s possible to upgrade as soon as the new version is available.

When the major version you are currently using moves to SUPPORTED, you could upgrade (we encourage upgrading) to the latest major version to get the latest fixes and features. When the version you’re currently using is DEPRECATED, you should upgrade to a newer version to ensure you have access to the latest fixes or features. If the version you’re using is UNSUPPORTED then you must upgrade to receive any fixes or features.

Player Major Version Lifecycle

A major release of Bitmovin Player will follow the lifecycle stages described in this table. Note that some releases will not necessarily go through each stage.

Version Status	Schedule	Description
RECOMMENDED (Recommended)	Begins when the major version is released.	The most recent RECOMMENDED version contains our latest bug fixes and new features.
SUPPORTED	When a new major version is released the previous major version will be in SUPPORTED for 6 months.	A SUPPORTED major version was RECOMMENDED but has been replaced by the next major version. Select features and fixes may be added to SUPPORTED versions. If you're using a SUPPORTED version, we recommend you upgrade to the RECOMMENDED version, as SUPPORTED versions will ultimately be deprecated.
DEPRECATED	When a new major version is released the previous major version will be DEPRECATED 6 months later.	A DEPRECATED major version is outdated and will not be updated with new features. Only critical fixes will be added to DEPRECATED versions. We do not recommend using DEPRECATED versions in production environments. If you're using a DEPRECATED version, you should upgrade to the RECOMMENDED version.
UNSUPPORTED	When a new major version is released, the previous major version will be UNSUPPORTED 12 months later.	An UNSUPPORTED major version will not receive any fixes and should be upgraded to a RECOMMENDED version.

What is a major version?

A major version is denoted by the first number in the Player version number, following this convention:

[major].[minor].[patch]

For example, version 8.11.0 is major version 8, minor version 11, patch 0.

Which Player Version should I use?

The Bitmovin team recommends using the RECOMMENDED version in most cases. Using this version ensures that your viewers are always benefiting from the latest features, fixes, and performance improvements.

What happens if I use an `Unsupported` player version?

It is possible to continue using Player versions which are UNSUPPORTED and we do not prevent this. However, you will not be able to receive new fixes and features for these versions.

If you have Long Term Support for Bitmovin Player, please check your agreement for the terms of your support.

Does the same policy apply to minor versions?

Minor versions do not follow the same release lifecycle as major versions. When features and fixes are added to Bitmovin Player, new minor versions are released but the major version number will not change.

Additionally, features and fixes are not routinely back-ported to previous minor versions.

For example, if the latest release is version 8.11.0 and a fix is required, this will be released as version 8.12.0.

How does this policy apply to the latest major release of Bitmovin’s iOS & Android Player SDKs?

The following timeline shows how the lifecycle policy applies to Bitmovin’s version 3 major release of iOS & Android SDKs, and the status of version 2:

May 1st, 2021: Major version 3 is released and becomes RECOMMENDED. Major version 2 moves to SUPPORTED

May 1st, 2021 to October 31st, 2021: All new features and fixes are added to major version 3. Select features and fixes are also added to major version 2.

November 1st, 2021: Major version 2 moves to DEPRECATED.

November 1st, 2021 to April 30th, 2022: All new features and fixes are added to major version 3. Critical fixes are added to major version 2.

May 1st, 2022: Major version 2 moves to UNSUPPORTED.

May 1st, 2022 and onwards: No features or fixes are added to major version 2.

Updated about 1 year ago