How to Check If Apps Need an Update on iPhone and Android

Hundreds of new apps appear on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store every month. That’s why we hand-picked a few apps of the month. To compete with newer apps and to provide better functionality, app developers regularly push updates. But how do you know that it’s time to update your favorite apps? In this post, we will tell you how to check if an app needs updating on your iPhone or Android.

Often times, you may find an app behaving or crashing erratically. Now you don’t have to uninstall apps and then reinstall them to get those new features or fix bugs. That’s where app updates come in. You need to press a button to update existing (installed) apps from the respective app stores on Android and iOS.

See how to check for available app updates. We’ve also included some FAQs about updates at the bottom of the post.

What happens when you update the app

App updates add new features and fix problems (if any) in an existing version. Once the update is downloaded, the system unpacks and replaces the updated files with those installed on the phone’s memory. In the background, the system updates the installed files and gives the impression that you are reinstalling it.

That said, all your existing data from the app remains untouched. For instance, if you update WhatsApp, then all your chats will remain on your phone and nothing will be deleted.

So your data like pictures, videos, etc and preferences from currently installed apps will be saved and carried over to the next version.

Now that you know what happens after an app update, let’s see how to check if an update is available.

How to know if an app update is available on Android

For that, open the Google Play Store on your phone. Then, tap the three-bar icon in the upper left. Select My Apps & Games from there.

You should see available app updates listed under Updates.

Note

Alternatively, on phones running Android 7.1 Nougat or later, you can press and hold the Google Play Store icon. Then tap My Apps to see available updates directly.

On the latest Android versions, the app prompts you for an available update whenever you open it. Google introduced that new functionality with the help of an in-app update feature. All you need to do is hit the Update button when displayed. The app will then automatically update in the background. You don’t have to do anything — not even open the Play Store. After the update, you can continue to use it normally.

How to update apps on Android

There are four ways to update apps on Android phones:

Method 1: Update apps from Play Store

The method is the same as the one we used to check for available updates, i.e. open the Play Store and access My Apps & Games from the three-bar (hamburger) icon.

Tap Update next to the app you want to update.

Tip:

Method 2: Update all apps

The above method allows you to update individual apps. To update all apps without pressing the Update button more than once, tap Update all. Then sit back and relax. All apps will be updated in the background.

Method 3: Update apps automatically

In case you don’t want to go through the hassle of updating apps manually, you can enable automatic updates. That way, apps will automatically update when new updates are available. So they won’t show up in Updates Available in My Apps & Games.

To enable automatic updates for apps on Android, follow these steps:

Step 1: Open the Play Store and tap the three-bar (hamburger) icon. Select Settings from the menu.

Step 2: Tap Auto-update apps. Then choose your preference. You can choose to update only on Wi-Fi or use any network.

Method 4: Update apps without Play Store

You can update apps without Play Store on Android by using their APK. You need to download the APK file from a trusted source like APKMirror.com or the official developer website. Once downloaded, open it. You will be asked for permission to install apps outside of the Play Store. Licensing. The application will automatically update.

Since apps don’t go through the Play Store’s Play Protect security check, it’s not recommended that you use this method often. Update apps using this method if you want to check for new apps and your phone is not getting the update. You can use this method to go back and install a previous version of your app if there’s a problem with the current version.

Tip: Check out our nifty guide on how to install multiple apps at once

How to Check Recently Updated Apps on Android

To do that, open the Play Store and go to My Apps & Games. Scroll down in the Updates tab. You will see Recent Updates.

How to restore an earlier version of an app

While there’s no direct way to undo an update on your phone, you can rollback to a previous version on Android.

To do that, you must first uninstall the app from your phone. Then follow method 4 to install the app as mentioned above — using the APK file. Find the previous version of the app and install it.

How to know if an app update is available on iPhone or iPad

To do that, you will need the help of the App Store. If automatic updates are turned off, you’ll see a notification badge on the Apple Store icon with an image showing the number of available updates.

To check for available updates, open the App Store. On devices running iOS 12 and below, tap the Updates tab at the bottom. You will see available updates.

On devices running iOS 13 or later, tap the Today tab. Then, tap your profile picture icon at the top. Scroll down. You will find available updates.

How to update apps on iOS

You can update apps on iPhone and iPad in three ways:

Method 1: Update apps from the App Store

For that, follow the steps mentioned in the above to check for available update. Then, tap the Update button next to the app.

Method 2: Update all apps

To update all apps in one go, tap the Update All button displayed above available updates.

Method 3: Automatic update

To do that, open Settings on your phone and go to iTunes & App Store. Turn on the switch next to Updates in Automatic Downloads.

Tip: Check out other methods

How to Check Recently Updated Apps on iOS

To do that, open the App Store screen where you can see available updates. Then scroll down and you will find the Recently Updated section.

Interesting things to know about app updates

Here are some interesting queries regarding app updates:

Why apps constantly need to be updated

We need to check for app updates regularly for two reasons. First, to fix various bugs and errors in the application. Sometimes, there is a serious problem with the application and the application stops working or does not work properly. The only way to fix it is to update the app. Similarly, there are minor bugs that keep getting fixed in the background as you update your apps.

Second, app updates, as mentioned above, bring in new features. Now, who doesn’t like new things? If the app is not updated, the new features will not work on your phone. So updating the apps is mandatory.

Do apps take up more space with each update

Not really. The new update is not installed as a separate app. It is installed on top of your existing application. Unless the developer has changed the size of the app by adding a big feature, no more space will be taken up. To be more clear, updating the app does not increase the previous size of the app.

However, over time, apps inevitably start to take up more space due to cached files. You can free up memory by clearing cache. But it has nothing to do with app updates. Sometimes app updates even reduce app size. You’ll see the app size listed under the app name in the Updates section.

Which is better — Uninstall the previous version and install the new version or update the application

Sure, update the app. That’s because you will lose data and preferences when you uninstall apps. Why go through all that trouble when you can simply update apps?

Update your apps regularly

You will lose nothing by not updating the application. However, you won’t gain anything too. You can skip updating apps that you haven’t used in a while to save on data charges. But you should keep your apps up to date because apps are constantly improving even if you don’t see any major changes in UI design or functionality.

Next up: Do you own both Android and iOS devices? Here is a convenient guide on how to transfer files between them from the link given below.

Categories: How to
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