Keep your apps updated for maximum productivity and security; however, updates can cause numerous issues that range from battery drain to loss of user data.
Android app updates can provide critical fixes for dangerous vulnerabilities while adding useful new features, but they may also cause your phone to become unstable and slow down significantly.
Check for Updates
Google Play notifies users when an update for an application they own is available and gives them the choice between downloading and installing it instantly or setting their app to automatically update in future.
To do this, open the Play Store and tap your profile icon in the top-right corner. From the pop-up menu that appears, select “Manage Apps & Device.” On this next screen you’ll see an overview of your apps with their current statuses: up-to-date apps will have green “Updated” labels while those needing updating will have “Update All.” To update individual apps at a time, tap them individually then choose either “Update” or “See Details.”
If your apps are configured to auto-update, the same screen allows you to manage their settings. Furthermore, individual apps may opt-out of automatic updates at their discretion.
Additionally, you have the option to set your network preferences either over Wi-Fi only or all networks – the former would be suitable if your mobile data plan offers unlimited usage; with regard to app updates, selecting any network is beneficial as you can control when and how they download updates.
Install Updates
Once updates are available, they can be installed directly from Google Play Store. Manual updates can be made using Manage apps & Device under Profile Image or automated updates can be enabled automatically.
Keep your apps updated to take advantage of new features and bug fixes, while apps that have not been upgraded may become unstable or stop functioning altogether.
To update an individual app, simply select it from your list and tap Update. This will install the latest version of that app; some updates require restarting for complete installation; you will be informed of any permission changes and asked to confirm them before continuing with the installation process.
Updates only work properly if the original APK has been downloaded from Google Play and stored locally on your device’s filesystem. If that APK doesn’t exist in your files yet, third-party APK installers such as F-Droid or Aurora Store offer updates via download/installation services that make things simpler for you.
From the Settings menu, you can configure your app for auto-updating. Choose whether to have it update over any network, Wi-Fi only or mobile data only – Over Wi-Fi only may help save mobile data charges and you can view its detail page in Google Play Store to check for available updates.
Disable Updates
Android applications need regular maintenance in order to function optimally, with updates addressing security concerns, adding features, fixing bugs, or improving the user experience and productivity. While some apps can run without being updated for an extended period of time, most will eventually stop functioning properly without regular updates being applied.
Android device users have the power to customize their network preferences to control when and how their applications update. They can choose either “Over All Networks” for automatic app updates using mobile data (which could incur charges from their wireless carrier), or just Over Wi-Fi only to avoid unnecessary data consumption and battery consumption.
Updates can usually be downloaded via Google Play Store; however, administrators can also push them out using MDM solutions to devices. Depending on network and MDM settings, updates may take some time to install.
Sometimes it may be necessary to temporarily disable updates for certain Android apps when they don’t comply with specific versions of OS or don’t perform well on other devices. You can easily do this through Google Play Store by tapping your profile image in the top right corner. A menu will open with options for managing apps and devices before selecting “Auto-update” to stop future updates from taking effect.
Restart
Some applications can cause issues that require restarting them, most commonly when running in the background and using too many system resources which exceed your device’s hardware specs and cause it to crash or reboot.
Flexible updates are background downloads with graceful app state monitoring that allow users to continue working during an update process. They provide the ideal solution when users accept an immediate update but want to continue using their application while it installs and restarts.
Immediate updates are fullscreen UX flows that prompt users to approve the installation and restart of a newly released version, making this method of update installation the optimal choice for apps where this update requires user action in order to function optimally.
