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Installation

Eric Griffin edited this page Jun 16, 2026 · 2 revisions

Installation

Submersion runs on iOS, Android, macOS, Windows, and Linux — download it from your platform's store or from GitHub Releases, then open it and dive in.

iOS

Install Submersion from the App Store:

Submersion Dive Log on the App Store

Requires iOS 14 or later. Once installed, the App Store keeps Submersion up to date automatically.

Android

Download the latest APK from GitHub Releases.

Requires Android 8.0 (API 26) or later.

Note

Because the APK comes from outside the Play Store, Android will ask you to allow installation from unknown sources when you open the file. This is normal for sideloaded apps. Submersion's built-in updater will notify you when a new version is available so you can download and install it the same way.

macOS

Download the latest DMG from GitHub Releases (Submersion-vX.Y.Z-macOS.dmg).

Requires macOS 11 Big Sur or later.

Open the DMG, drag Submersion to your Applications folder, and launch it.

Note

Gatekeeper on first open: Because Submersion is distributed outside the Mac App Store, macOS Gatekeeper may block the first launch. If you see an "app can't be opened" message, right-click (or Control-click) the app icon and choose Open, then click Open in the dialog. You only need to do this once.

Submersion checks for updates automatically in the background using Sparkle. You can also trigger a check manually from the Submersion menu > Check for Updates… at any time.

Windows

Download the latest installer from GitHub Releases (Submersion-vX.Y.Z-Windows-Setup.exe).

Requires Windows 10 or later (64-bit).

Run the installer — it creates a Start Menu shortcut and registers an uninstaller in Add/Remove Programs. No manual extraction required.

Note

Windows SmartScreen: Because the installer is not code-signed, Windows SmartScreen may show an "unrecognized app" warning the first time you run it. Click More info, then Run anyway to proceed.

Submersion checks for updates automatically in the background using WinSparkle. You can also trigger a check from the window's system menu (Alt+Space > Check for Updates...) or from Settings > About > Check for Updates.

Linux

Download the latest tar.gz archive from GitHub Releases (Submersion-vX.Y.Z-Linux.tar.gz).

Extract the archive and run the submersion executable inside the bundle folder. No system-wide installation is required, though you can add a launcher shortcut manually.

Tip

If you get a "permission denied" error, make the binary executable first: chmod +x submersion

Submersion checks GitHub Releases for updates and shows a banner inside the app when a new version is available.

Keeping the app up to date

How updates reach you depends on the platform:

Platform Update mechanism
iOS App Store handles updates automatically
Android Submersion checks GitHub Releases; a banner appears in-app when a new version is ready to download
macOS Sparkle checks on launch and every few hours; a dialog prompts you to install and restart
Windows WinSparkle checks on launch and every few hours; an installer runs automatically on restart
Linux Submersion checks GitHub Releases; a banner appears in-app when a new version is ready to download

On all desktop platforms you can check immediately via Settings > About > Check for Updates (or the platform menu item on macOS and Windows). The automatic check runs with a short delay after launch so it does not slow startup.

Building from source

If you want to build Submersion yourself — to test a patch, contribute a fix, or audit the code — the full build instructions are in the repository README and CONTRIBUTING.md. In short, you need Flutter 3.5 or later, then:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/submersion-app/submersion.git
cd submersion
flutter pub get
dart run build_runner build --delete-conflicting-outputs
flutter run -d macos   # or: windows, linux, ios, android

Build-from-source instructions are developer-focused and not needed for normal use.

See also

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