How to Update Android Device and Apps
There are many good reasons to keep your phone or tablet software up to date. Using the latest version of Android ensures that you have access to all the latest features available for the operating system and that your device is as safe as possible from hacker attacks.
It’s the same with apps: with rare exceptions, the latest version of an app is usually the most stable and secure. Updates also often provide new features that make the app more useful.
However, if you’re new to Android, figuring out how to make sure your device is up to date can be a little tricky. Here’s how to do it.
Android operating system update
With Android, when and if you can get a completely new version of the operating system depends on your carrier as well as your phone type.
Google Pixel phones get every update first, but after that, updates are slowly rolling out across devices and across different carriers. These updates are based on timetables created by device manufacturers and carriers , not Google. Generally, the newer your device is, the faster you will see the update. If you have an old phone, you may not get the update at all.
In addition to full new versions of the operating system, Google also periodically releases small updates to Android. These updates often contain bug fixes and security issues, so it’s very important to download them.
If you’ve seen news of an operating system update or received a push notification that it’s available for your device, it’s very easy to update it (although the specific navigation may be different for your Android):
- Connect your device to Wi-Fi
- Click on Settings
- Select “System”
- Select “Advanced”.
- Tap “System Update”
- Click Install if it appears.
On the same page, you can also see a button giving your phone permission to automatically download updates over Wi-Fi. I personally prefer to leave this enabled and recommend that you do the same.
Your phone can also use push notification to alert you when an update is available. If you click on that, you can often start the download and install process without having to navigate a ton of menus.
Updating Android Apps
Google offers customization options that give you a choice: to allow all apps on your device to automatically update, to automatically update only a few apps, or to require you to manually select each update. The process is the same for both released versions of apps and beta versions . Here’s how to implement all three options:
Automatically update everything
- Open the Google Play app.
- Tap the hamburger icon (these three lines are on top of each other)
- Tap Settings
- Click on “Auto-update apps”
- Choose if you want to receive updates wirelessly or only when you are connected to Wi-Fi (I suggest choosing the option for Wi-Fi only)
That’s all! Once you set this up, all the apps on your device will automatically update and you can forget about it.
Automatically update multiple apps
If you’ve turned off automatic updating for all of your apps, you can re-enable this feature for each app:
- Open the Google Play app.
- Tap the hamburger icon (three lines on top of each other)
- Tap My Apps & Games
- Click “Installed”
- Select the app you want to update
- Click “More” (three dots in the upper right corner)
- Check the box next to Enable Automatic Updates.
Update each app manually
This is by far the most tedious option, but if you don’t want apps to change unexpectedly, this is potentially the best option.
- Open the Google Play app.
- Tap the hamburger icon (three lines on top of each other)
- Tap My Apps & Games
There will be an Update button next to the names of applications for which there are updates. Click this button for any apps you want to update. You can also manually test your beta apps by going to the beta page here.
Updating your phone or tablet to the latest operating system and the apps you love will help you get the most out of your device.