diff --git a/src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog.tsx b/src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog.tsx
index a33b2413ee..ae3c157c78 100644
--- a/src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog.tsx
+++ b/src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog.tsx
@@ -15,8 +15,8 @@ import Spinner from "../elements/Spinner";
 import Heading from "../typography/Heading";
 
 interface IProps {
-    newVersion: string;
-    version: string;
+    newVersion: DevelopVersionString;
+    version: DevelopVersionString;
     onFinished: (success: boolean) => void;
 }
 
@@ -32,6 +32,28 @@ interface Commit {
 
 const REPOS = ["element-hq/element-web", "matrix-org/matrix-js-sdk"] as const;
 
+export type DevelopVersionString = string & { _developVersionString: never };
+
+/*
+ * Parse a version string is compatible with the Changelog dialog ([element-version]-js-[js-sdk-version])
+ */
+export function parseVersion(version: string): Record<(typeof REPOS)[number], string> | null {
+    const parts = version.split("-");
+    if (parts.length === 3 && parts[1] === "js") {
+        const obj: Record<string, string> = {};
+        for (let i = 0; i < REPOS.length; i++) {
+            const commit = parts[2 * i];
+            obj[REPOS[i]] = commit;
+        }
+        return obj;
+    }
+    return null;
+}
+
+export function checkVersion(version: string): version is DevelopVersionString {
+    return parseVersion(version) !== null;
+}
+
 export default class ChangelogDialog extends React.Component<IProps, State> {
     public constructor(props: IProps) {
         super(props);
@@ -58,14 +80,11 @@ export default class ChangelogDialog extends React.Component<IProps, State> {
     }
 
     public componentDidMount(): void {
-        const version = this.props.newVersion.split("-");
-        const version2 = this.props.version.split("-");
-        if (version == null || version2 == null) return;
-        // parse versions of form: [vectorversion]-react-[react-sdk-version]-js-[js-sdk-version]
-        for (let i = 0; i < REPOS.length; i++) {
-            const oldVersion = version2[2 * i];
-            const newVersion = version[2 * i];
-            this.fetchChanges(REPOS[i], oldVersion, newVersion);
+        const commits = parseVersion(this.props.version)!;
+        const newCommits = parseVersion(this.props.newVersion)!;
+
+        for (const repo of REPOS) {
+            this.fetchChanges(repo, commits[repo], newCommits[repo]);
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/toasts/UpdateToast.tsx b/src/toasts/UpdateToast.tsx
index a0ee6b8089..786b626317 100644
--- a/src/toasts/UpdateToast.tsx
+++ b/src/toasts/UpdateToast.tsx
@@ -13,21 +13,12 @@ import SdkConfig from "../SdkConfig";
 import GenericToast from "../components/views/toasts/GenericToast";
 import ToastStore from "../stores/ToastStore";
 import QuestionDialog from "../components/views/dialogs/QuestionDialog";
-import ChangelogDialog from "../components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog";
+import ChangelogDialog, { checkVersion } from "../components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog";
 import PlatformPeg from "../PlatformPeg";
 import Modal from "../Modal";
 
 const TOAST_KEY = "update";
 
-/*
- * Check a version string is compatible with the Changelog
- * dialog ([element-version]-react-[react-sdk-version]-js-[js-sdk-version])
- */
-function checkVersion(ver: string): boolean {
-    const parts = ver.split("-");
-    return parts.length === 5 && parts[1] === "react" && parts[3] === "js";
-}
-
 function installUpdate(): void {
     PlatformPeg.get()?.installUpdate();
 }
diff --git a/test/unit-tests/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog-test.tsx b/test/unit-tests/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog-test.tsx
index e16abb0e83..547534d207 100644
--- a/test/unit-tests/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog-test.tsx
+++ b/test/unit-tests/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog-test.tsx
@@ -10,7 +10,10 @@ import React from "react";
 import fetchMock from "fetch-mock-jest";
 import { render, screen, waitForElementToBeRemoved } from "jest-matrix-react";
 
-import ChangelogDialog from "../../../../../src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog";
+import ChangelogDialog, {
+    DevelopVersionString,
+    parseVersion,
+} from "../../../../../src/components/views/dialogs/ChangelogDialog";
 
 describe("<ChangelogDialog />", () => {
     it("should fetch github proxy url for each repo with old and new version strings", async () => {
@@ -64,8 +67,8 @@ describe("<ChangelogDialog />", () => {
             files: [],
         });
 
-        const newVersion = "newsha1-js-newsha3";
-        const oldVersion = "oldsha1-js-oldsha3";
+        const newVersion = "newsha1-js-newsha3" as DevelopVersionString;
+        const oldVersion = "oldsha1-js-oldsha3" as DevelopVersionString;
         const { asFragment } = render(
             <ChangelogDialog newVersion={newVersion} version={oldVersion} onFinished={jest.fn()} />,
         );
@@ -78,3 +81,24 @@ describe("<ChangelogDialog />", () => {
         expect(asFragment()).toMatchSnapshot();
     });
 });
+
+describe("parseVersion", () => {
+    it("should return null for old-style version strings", () => {
+        expect(parseVersion("aaaabbbb-react-ccccdddd-js-eeeeffff")).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("should return null for invalid version strings", () => {
+        expect(parseVersion("aaaabbbb-react-ccccdddd")).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("should return null for release version strings", () => {
+        expect(parseVersion("v1.22.33")).toBeNull();
+    });
+
+    it("should return mapping for develop version string", () => {
+        expect(parseVersion("aaaabbbb-js-eeeeffff")).toEqual({
+            "element-hq/element-web": "aaaabbbb",
+            "matrix-org/matrix-js-sdk": "eeeeffff",
+        });
+    });
+});