diff --git a/docs/USER-DOCUMENTATION.md b/docs/USER-DOCUMENTATION.md
index 47b9f3c4..6e9084d7 100644
--- a/docs/USER-DOCUMENTATION.md
+++ b/docs/USER-DOCUMENTATION.md
@@ -218,3 +218,11 @@ macOS 10.10 (Yosemite) and newer versions][electron-supported-platforms].
 [unetbootin]: https://unetbootin.github.io
 [windows-iot-dashboard]: https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/iot/downloads
 [woeusb]: https://github.com/slacka/WoeUSB
+
+How can I simulate an update alert?
+-----------------------------
+You can set the ETCHER_FAKE_S3_LATEST_VERSION environment variable to a valid semver version (greater than the current version) to trick the application into thinking that what you put there is the latest available version, therefore causing the update notification dialog to be presented at startup.
+
+Note that the value of the variable will be ignored if it doesn't match the release type of the current application version. For example, setting the variable to a production version (e.g. ETCHER_FAKE_S3_LATEST_VERSION=2.0.0) will be ignored if you're running a snapshot build, and vice-versa.
+
+See [PUBLISHING](/docs/PUBLISHING.md) for more details about release types.
\ No newline at end of file