diff --git a/app/main.js b/app/main.js
index 07aed14d0..eb867a2d7 100644
--- a/app/main.js
+++ b/app/main.js
@@ -1,11 +1,18 @@
 const {app, BrowserWindow, ipcMain} = require('electron');
+const url = require('url');
 const path = require('path');
 const jayson = require('jayson');
+const semver = require('semver');
+const https = require('https');
 // tree-kill has better cross-platform handling of
 // killing a process.  child-process.kill was unreliable
 const kill = require('tree-kill');
 const child_process = require('child_process');
 const assert = require('assert');
+const {version: localVersion} = require(app.getAppPath() + '/package.json');
+
+const VERSION_CHECK_INTERVAL = 30 * 60 * 1000;
+const LATEST_RELEASE_API_URL = 'https://api.github.com/repos/lbryio/lbry-app/releases/latest';
 
 
 let client = jayson.client.http('http://localhost:5279/lbryapi');
@@ -23,6 +30,46 @@ let daemonStopRequested = false;
 // this is set to true and app.quit() is called again to quit for real.
 let readyToQuit = false;
 
+function checkForNewVersion(callback) {
+  function formatRc(ver) {
+    // Adds dash if needed to make RC suffix semver friendly
+    return ver.replace(/([^-])rc/, '$1-rc');
+  }
+
+  let result = '';
+  const opts = {
+    headers: {
+      'User-Agent': `LBRY/${localVersion}`,
+    }
+  };
+  const req = https.get(Object.assign(opts, url.parse(LATEST_RELEASE_API_URL)), (res) => {
+    res.on('data', (data) => {
+      result += data;
+    });
+    res.on('end', () => {
+      console.log('Local version:', localVersion);
+      const tagName = JSON.parse(result).tag_name;
+      const [_, remoteVersion] = tagName.match(/^v([\d.]+(?:-?rc\d+)?)$/);
+      if (!remoteVersion) {
+        console.log('Malformed remote version string:', tagName);
+        win.webContents.send('version-info-received', null);
+      } else {
+        console.log('Remote version:', remoteVersion);
+        const upgradeAvailable = semver.gt(formatRc(remoteVersion), formatRc(localVersion));
+        console.log(upgradeAvailable ? 'Upgrade available' : 'No upgrade available');
+        win.webContents.send('version-info-received', {remoteVersion, localVersion, upgradeAvailable});
+      }
+    })
+  });
+
+  req.on('error', (err) => {
+    console.log('Failed to get current version from GitHub. Error:', err);
+    win.webContents.send('version-info-received', null);
+  });
+}
+
+ipcMain.on('version-info-requested', checkForNewVersion);
+
 /*
  * Replacement for Electron's shell.openItem. The Electron version doesn't
  * reliably work from the main process, and we need to be able to run it
diff --git a/app/package.json b/app/package.json
index a2b1a644d..0e7151bce 100644
--- a/app/package.json
+++ b/app/package.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
     "install": "^0.8.7",
     "jayson": "^2.0.2",
     "npm": "^4.2.0",
+    "semver": "^5.3.0",
     "tree-kill": "^1.1.0"
   }
 }
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index f342a1e52..45142bbaa 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -42,5 +42,6 @@
   "devDependencies": {
     "electron": "^1.4.15",
     "electron-builder": "^11.7.0"
-  }
+  },
+  "dependencies": {}
 }
diff --git a/ui/js/app.js b/ui/js/app.js
index 9cfb43137..1f686d07d 100644
--- a/ui/js/app.js
+++ b/ui/js/app.js
@@ -115,17 +115,13 @@ var App = React.createClass({
     });
 
     if (!sessionStorage.getItem('upgradeSkipped')) {
-      lbry.checkNewVersionAvailable(({isAvailable}) => {
-        if (!isAvailable) {
-          return;
-        }
-
-        lbry.getVersionInfo((versionInfo) => {
-          this._version = versionInfo.lbrynet_version;
+      lbry.getVersionInfo().then(({remoteVersion, upgradeAvailable}) => {
+        if (upgradeAvailable) {
+          this._version = remoteVersion;
           this.setState({
             modal: 'upgrade',
           });
-        });
+        }
       });
     }
   },
diff --git a/ui/js/lbry.js b/ui/js/lbry.js
index 999f192c2..e2807090a 100644
--- a/ui/js/lbry.js
+++ b/ui/js/lbry.js
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ import jsonrpc from './jsonrpc.js';
 import lbryuri from './lbryuri.js';
 import {getLocal, getSession, setSession, setLocal} from './utils.js';
 
-const {remote} = require('electron');
+const {remote, ipcRenderer} = require('electron');
 const menu = remote.require('./menu/main-menu');
 
 /**
@@ -361,44 +361,6 @@ lbry.publish = function(params, fileListedCallback, publishedCallback, errorCall
   //});
 }
 
-lbry.getVersionInfo = function(callback) {
-  lbry.call('version', {}, callback);
-};
-
-lbry.checkNewVersionAvailable = function(callback) {
-  lbry.call('version', {}, function(versionInfo) {
-    var ver = versionInfo.lbrynet_version.split('.');
-
-    var maj = parseInt(ver[0]),
-        min = parseInt(ver[1]),
-        patch = parseInt(ver[2]);
-
-    var remoteVer = versionInfo.remote_lbrynet.split('.');
-    var remoteMaj = parseInt(remoteVer[0]),
-        remoteMin = parseInt(remoteVer[1]),
-        remotePatch = parseInt(remoteVer[2]);
-
-    if (maj < remoteMaj) {
-      var newVersionAvailable = true;
-    } else if (maj == remoteMaj) {
-      if (min < remoteMin) {
-        var newVersionAvailable = true;
-      } else if (min == remoteMin) {
-        var newVersionAvailable = (patch < remotePatch);
-      } else {
-        var newVersionAvailable = false;
-      }
-    } else {
-      var newVersionAvailable = false;
-    }
-    callback(newVersionAvailable);
-  }, function(err) {
-    if (err.fault == 'NoSuchFunction') {
-      // Really old daemon that can't report a version
-      callback(true);
-    }
-  });
-}
 
 lbry.getClientSettings = function() {
   var outSettings = {};
@@ -608,6 +570,14 @@ lbry.showMenuIfNeeded = function() {
   sessionStorage.setItem('menuShown', chosenMenu);
 };
 
+lbry.getVersionInfo = function() {
+  return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
+    ipcRenderer.once('version-info-received', (event, versionInfo) => { resolve(versionInfo) });
+    ipcRenderer.send('version-info-requested');
+  });
+}
+
+
 /**
  * Wrappers for API methods to simulate missing or future behavior. Unlike the old-style stubs,
  * these are designed to be transparent wrappers around the corresponding API methods.