Are there Automatic Updates for Apps?

[abourne]

For quite some time before getting my Android phone, I was using the iPod Touch, which would automatically tell me when there were updates for my Apps, and I would simply click "update" to update and install the latest versions.

Recently, Facebook updated its App.

I would not have known about this unless I read an article and went to the Android Market to find the Facebook App.

It appears there are no automatic updates for Apps. Is this correct?


Question

Are there automatic updates for Apps?

 

[LLWesMan]

I'd love to know the answer to this - and have it be yes!

 

[ThermalGuy]

All of my apps notify me when an update is available. just click on it to install the update.

 

[kabbie_mcfeely]

You should get a notification, saying there are ___# of apps with updates.

If you are not getting the update notification, goto to market and check your settings.

 

[LLWesMan]

You should get a notification, saying there are ___# of apps with updates.

If you are not getting the update notification, goto to market and check your settings.

how do you get to market settings? nothing comes up when pressing menu.

 

[kabbie_mcfeely]

market-downloads-menu

 

[LLWesMan]

market-downloads-menu

All that those notifications do is let you know that you've installed a new app. They don't notify you when there are updates.

 

[kabbie_mcfeely]

All that those notifications do is let you know that you've installed a new app. They don't notify you when there are updates.

Mine says ...

notify when items are updated
&
do not notify me

 

[LLWesMan]

Mine says ...

notify when items are updated
&
do not notify me

That's what I just said - it tells you when they are updated - as in "you have installed yadada update". It does NOT inform you when there are new updates that need to be installed.

 

[MarkHirt]

Actually it will place the app that has an available update on top of the list with the words "Update available" in the area where it normally says "Installed"

Android Market Help - Upgrades

When one of your installed apps moves to the top of the list and the words "Update available" are shown, press on the app and you will be given the option to Update it.

 

[LLWesMan]

Actually it will place the app that has an available update on top of the list with the words "Update available" in the area where it normally says "Installed"

Android Market Help - Upgrades

When one of you apps moves to the top of the list and the words "Update available" are shown, press on the app and you will be given the option to Update it.

Right - what we were trying to find out in this thread is whether there was a way to get the phone to either automatically update or to have a popup notification saying that a certain program needed to be updated. Without going into the "my downloads" part of the marketplace there is no way to know.

 

[MarkHirt]

I was adding this to my post when you replied

As for "Automatic" updates... if you know anything about computers/software you should also know that allowing automatic updates is never a great idea

 

[abourne]

It does NOT inform you when there are new updates that need to be installed.

Yes, I think that answers a key question.

This is a key difference with my iPod Touch (and for iPhone users) where there's a badger number on the "App Store" icone (1, 2, 3, etc...) indicating the number of Apps that have updates available.

On my HTC Hero, I have to do the following manually.

1) Tap on the "Android Market" icon

2) Select "My Downloads"

3) A list of my Apps will appear noting either

a) Update Available

b) Installed

I have to do this manually.

There is no notification that alerts me that an update is available, not even an email notification to subscribe to updates, for example.

Am I correct with my understanding and summary here?

.

 

[abourne]

As for "Automatic" updates... if you know anything about computers/software you should also know that allowing automatic updates is never a great idea

That may a good point and have merit worth sharing.

However, this thread is about:

Alerting us that an update is available, prompting us to then update it.

Not about automatically updating it.

Even with an alert, the user is on control of actually performing the update.

It appears, based on my previous post, that there are no such alerts.

One must manually, and periodically, check:

Market --> My Downloads --> See list of Apps for "Update Avail" or "Installed"

.

 

[MarkHirt]

Market --> My Downloads --> See list of Apps for "Update Avail" or "Installed".

Yep that is currently the only way, it really does not take very long.

15 seconds if your real slow.

 

[cbarth3]

Am i incorrect in thinking that the item under my downloads menu that says notifications is to actually pop up a notification in the pull down area?

My friend has a moment and he informed me his phone will tell him when an app has an update. (this could be incorrect info but who knows)

Would like the feature of giving me a notification for an app update that is for sure. I have atrackdog but that is a manual thing also

 

[ToxicToastKatz]

Am i incorrect in thinking that the item under my downloads menu that says notifications is to actually pop up a notification in the pull down area?

My friend has a moment and he informed me his phone will tell him when an app has an update. (this could be incorrect info but who knows)

Would like the feature of giving me a notification for an app update that is for sure. I have atrackdog but that is a manual thing also

I've seen this discussed in other forums. I believe that the notification popup in the top bar is intended to provide an alert for app updates, however, on the Hero, they don't work.

Personally, I don't know if it's more of an annoyance to see the notification or to not have it work. I typically just go into My Downloads as the first thing I do when I go into the Market to see if I need to update anything. Doesn't take too long.