How to update your Android apps (quickly and correctly)

2022-10-17

Apps are the functionality for which the smartphone is purchased. They are divided into:

built-in (supplied with Android),
installed by the owner of the gadget (from Google Play or other sources).

From time to time the applications require to be updated and downloaded automatically or by the user. With this instruction we would like to explain how to perform program updates and how to set up auto-update on Android.

Contents :

Why to update apps on your phone
Updating apps through Play Market
1. Step-by-step video instruction
2. Updating selected apps
3. Updating all apps at once
4. Updating without Google Play
To enable Android automatic update
Find out the current Android version
Update Android

Need to update applications

Many users do not take the time to update applications and refuse to do so. This is often due to the fact that the updates may consume more storage space or have a different interface than usually used.

As a matter of fact, it is highly desirable to update the Android operating system. There are several reasons for this:

Security . New versions of applications eliminate the critical vulnerabilities that allow viruses and spyware to access.
All software is not perfect. This is especially true for new applications which inexperienced developers try to publish as quickly as possible. These products often contain many software bugs . Updates allow a significant improvement in this situation.
Many applications even continue running without updates to a newer version of Android.
Updates improve the performance and functionality of an application resulting in a very smooth operation.

Video Tutorial

How to update an application through Google Play

Any update is possible to download through Play Market. All that is needed is a Google Account linked to the current android device, free space in the gadget's memory and an Internet connection (preferably wifi if your mobile traffic is expensive).

Selective update of installed applications

To update applications (individually or in batch mode) a few simple steps must be followed:

Go to Play Market .
In the search bar you must click on the 3 bars icon.
In the drop down menu select " My apps & games " and then "My apps". We will need the tab " Installed ".
The window opened will display all installed applications and the list of available updates.
Select the desired applications to update.
Click the button " Update ". As soon as the process has been finished the button " Open " appears. There you can test the functionality of the updated software by clicking on it.

Updating all the applications

It is possible to update all the available software on the Android at once. This requires:

Go to the tab "Installed"
Click on "Update All".

This will download and install all the available updates for the installed programs. Please note that this process may take quite some time.

Updating applications without Google Play

For some users the way to update applications via Google Play is not possible due to software errors: for example Google services cannot be loaded, the account is unavailable or the Play Market application crashes.

What should I do? An alternative solution is a small apkgrabber utility, that checks for updates via apkmirror.com.

How to use apkgrabber:

1. Through your phone, download the latest version of apkgrabber.

2. Install apkgrabber on the phone and run.

3. Go to Updates and press the button Update at the bottom of the screen.

4. The available updates will be displayed. Tap on the application of interest, APKMIRROR button.

5. Tap on See available apks .

6. Choose the latest version of the software, click on the date of installation by clicking on the active link.

7. Click on Download Apk , agree to the download.

8. Tap on Open > Install .

9. We proceed in the same way for the other applications for which we have updates.

This way of obtaining updates is not fast, but if there are some problems on the Android which you cannot fix without a hard reset, apkgrabber is a kind of working "crutch".

Setting the automatic update

To avoid to update applications manually all the time, you can set the automatic update in the Google Play settings. This function is also convenient because when the memory is not sufficient to install all the updates, the device will automatically detect the program to be updated first. Keep in mind however that the automatic update may fill up your device memory too quickly.

In order to set up the automatic update of all Android applications you should:

Log in to your PlayMarket personal area.
Click the three icons
Find the "Enable auto update" option.
Select one of the available options:

Allways. Any available network or mobile data traffic will be used to download new versions of apps.
Wi-Fi only. Updates will be downloaded only if the Wi-Fi network is available.

To install updates for specific applications you should:

Log in to the Play Store.
Click the 3 bars icon and then open the tab "My apps and games".
Select the application you require.
Click the "more" button.
Check the "auto update" box.

New versions will be automatically downloaded each time they become available. You may disable this feature by removing the checkmark.

How to save the mobile data traffic when auto-updating

The automatic update of the applications is important to control the web traffic because its limit may be reached quickly and unexpectedly. To avoid wasting mobile traffic on updates, it is convenient to use a Wi-Fi connection. To activate the necessary settings you must:

Log in to the Play Store.
Open the "Settings" menu item.
Select the "Automatic update of applications" tab.
Select the "Only via Wi-Fi" option.

How to know the current version of Android

In order to find out the current version of the Android operating system you need:

Go to "Settings". This tab can be found in the device menu or on the home screen in the form of an icon.
In the opened list find the item "About phone".
The OS version will be displayed in the corresponding line.
On some android devices you will need to go to the additional subsection "Software Information".

Firmware Update

Firmware update requires to connect to the wifi and follow the following simple steps:

Go to the "Settings" section.
From the list go to "About phone" and then to "System update" or "Software update" (depending on the device).
If "Download" appears then the new OS version is available for installation.
Then click on "Download".
Wait until the download process is completed.
Click "Restart and Install".
After the device has been restarted, the Android OS Update will continue and will be completed within some minutes.