diff --git a/app/channel.js b/app/channel.js
index 39a1ae30bf8..f7411242515 100644
--- a/app/channel.js
+++ b/app/channel.js
@@ -9,8 +9,8 @@ const config = require('../js/constants/buildConfig')
 
 // The current channel is retrieved first from the buildConfig constants file,
 // then the environments and finally defaults to dev
-var channel = config.channel || process.env.CHANNEL || 'dev'
-let channels = new Set(['dev', 'beta', 'stable', 'developer', 'nightly'])
+var channel = config.channel || process.env.CHANNEL || ''
+let channels = new Set(['dev', 'beta', 'stable', 'developer', 'nightly', ''])
 
 if (!channels.has(channel)) {
   throw new Error(`Invalid channel ${channel}`)
diff --git a/app/crash-herald.js b/app/crash-herald.js
index 134c180044c..973d7bd9c08 100644
--- a/app/crash-herald.js
+++ b/app/crash-herald.js
@@ -2,10 +2,10 @@
  * License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this file,
  * You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/. */
 
-const buildConfig = require('../js/constants/buildConfig')
 const Channel = require('./channel')
+const {app} = require('electron')
 
-const version = buildConfig.BROWSER_LAPTOP_REV || 'unknown'
+const version = app.getVersion()
 const channel = Channel.channel()
 
 const crashKeys = {
@@ -15,6 +15,10 @@ const crashKeys = {
 }
 
 const initCrashKeys = () => {
+  // set muon-app-version switch to pass version to renderer processes
+  app.commandLine.appendSwitch('muon-app-version', version)
+  app.commandLine.appendSwitch('muon-app-channel', channel)
+
   for (let key in crashKeys) {
     muon.crashReporter.setCrashKeyValue(key, crashKeys[key])
   }
@@ -22,10 +26,6 @@ const initCrashKeys = () => {
 
 exports.init = (enabled) => {
   initCrashKeys()
-  const {app} = require('electron')
-  // set muon-app-version switch to pass version to renderer processes
-  app.commandLine.appendSwitch('muon-app-version', version)
-  app.commandLine.appendSwitch('muon-app-channel', channel)
   muon.crashReporter.setEnabled(enabled)
   if (enabled) {
     console.log('Crash reporting enabled')