diff --git a/upgrading.md b/upgrading.md
index f8bb619890d..b5210e5656d 100644
--- a/upgrading.md
+++ b/upgrading.md
@@ -9,7 +9,8 @@ We recommend that you
 keep your app updated to our `alpha` branch, as we update as frequently
 as every week.
 
-To update, use the `flutter upgrade`
+## Upgrading Flutter channel and your packages
+To update both the Flutter SDK and your packages, use the `flutter upgrade`
 command from the root of your app (the same directory that contains the
 `pubspec.yaml` file):
 
@@ -17,7 +18,16 @@ command from the root of your app (the same directory that contains the
 $ flutter upgrade
 ```
 
+## Upgrading your packages
+If you've modified your `pubspec.yaml` file, or you want to only update
+the packages your app depends upon instead of both the packages and
+Flutter itself, then use the following commands:
+* `flutter packages get` to get all the dependencies listed
+in the `pubspec.yaml` file, or
+* `flutter packages upgrade` to get the latest versions
+of all the dependencies listed in the `pubspec.yaml` file
+
 We publish breaking change announcements to our
 [mailing list](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/flutter-dev). We
 strongly recommend that you subscribe to get announcements from us.
-Plus, we'd love to hear from you!
\ No newline at end of file
+Plus, we'd love to hear from you!