How to update apps

After taking a look at his friend's phone, he realized that the same apps on his mobile phone they do not offer the same functionality. Well, chances are, you haven't downloaded the latest update available to them. How do you say? Have you already thought about it yourself but have no idea how to do it? No problem, I'll explain it to you. Take about five minutes of free time, get comfortable, and immediately begin to focus on reading this guide at how to update apps.. you will see that in the end you will have perfectly clear ideas about what to do!

In the following lines I will show you in fact, in a simple but detailed way, everything that is necessary to do to be able to update applications in which are the main mobile platforms of the moment - Android, iOS es Windows phone - in a way that allows you to perform this operation without problems and to be able to use the most recent versions of all the applications on your device.

How do you say? You are interested in this, but being impractical in terms of new technology, are you afraid that you are not up to the task? Come on, don't try to make excuses! I repeat, updating applications is a real game of children And I'm sure that even if you don't have high technical skills in this regard, you will be able to perfectly complete "the mission" in no time. Let it be?

Caution: Regardless of the mobile platform used on the device, to update the applications it is essential that it is connected to Internet. Considering that particularly substantial updates involve, as can be easily understood, a high consumption of traffic, I suggest that you perform the update operations over Wi-Fi and not when connected to the data network to avoid additional charges by your telephone operator. mobile (obviously, it all depends on what your plan offers and the amount of GB your operator makes available).

Go directly to ▶ ︎ Update applications on Android | Update applications on iOS | In case of problems

Update apps on Android

By hand

Do you use an Android mobile phone or tablet? So if you want to update the applications, all you have to do is take your device, access the screen where all the applications are grouped, press the icon of Google Play Store (the white bag icon with the "play" symbol in the center), tap the ad icon Burger located in the upper left and verify that your Gmail account is selected in the side menu. In case of problems, please log in with the correct Google account by following the instructions in my tutorial on how to change the Play Store account.

Then select the article My applications and games of the bar that appears laterally. Once this is done, press the icon of the application to update, press the buttons Update es I agree and that is. If you want to update multiple applications that are waiting to be updated at the same time, return to the menu My applications and games de Google Play Store and press the button Update all which is in the upper right.

Once you have started the procedure to update applications on Android, one will be shown next to the reference application or applications. bar indicating the progress of the update download and installation.

Automatically

As I indicated in the previous lines, on Android it is also possible to update applications automatically, without having to lift a finger. You ask me how Simple: all you have to do is go to the Play Store settings and check that the automatic update function of the application is active (and if not, activate it!).

To do this, open Google Play store, press the ad icon Burger located in the upper left and verify that your Gmail account is selected in the side menu. Then select the item configurations from the left sidebar, go up Automatic app update and if you have an Android mobile phone or tablet with SIM support, put the check mark next to the item Automatic update of the application only via Wi-Fi (this way you will not consume data when you are connected in 3G / LTE) or next to the voice Update apps automatically at any time (If you don't have limitations in terms of mobile data traffic erosion, you can also go for this option) and voila.

From now on, all the apps installed on your mobile phone or tablet should update automatically.

Update apps on iOS

By hand

If instead you have a iPhone or iPad and you are interested in knowing how to proceed to update the applications, the first step you must take is to grab your iDevice, access the device's home screen, keep your finger pressed on the icon App Store (the "A" on a blue background) and select the item updates in the menu that opens. Alternatively, you can open the App Store and press little man icon (top right).

If you are using an iOS / iPadOS version earlier than 13, you have to go another way: press the icon App Store (the 'A' on a light blue background), scroll down the screen and make sure you are logged into your Apple account (at the wording Apple ID: you should find your email address or the one used in the account). If this is not the case, correct it immediately by pressing the button Log In and typing your login details. Then select the tab updates located in the lower right.

Now, locate the icon of the application you want to update and tap on the button Update placed on the side to "manually" download the latest version of the application. If there are more apps to update, you can also make the various updates available simultaneously. To do this, simply press the voice Update everything.

Once you have started the procedure by which to update applications in iOS, you will see, corresponding to the reference application or applications, a ring indicating the progress of the update download and installation.

If you don't see the update button next to the app you want to update (and it says Opens ), it means that the latest version of the application is already installed on your device. If, on the contrary, the icon of the application of your interest is completely absent, obviously the application has already been updated or in any case there are no recent updates to report.

Automatically

You do not want to update the applications from time to time and would like to know if it is possible to carry out the different updates available automatically without you having to do anything? Well, in this case I have good, in fact, excellent news to give them: it can be done and how! To do this, you just need to enable the automatic update function of the appropriate application.

So go to the section configurations iOS device (the gear icon on the home screen) and select the item iTunes Store and App Store from the screen that opens. At this point, make sure the levers related to the options Application es App Updates both are active and that's it. If the levers are not active, remove them EN simply pressing it to activate automatic download of application updates.

If you are using an iPhone or iPad in the cellular version, I also suggest that you make sure that, still on the settings screen to update applications, there is no active toggle on the option Use mobile dataOtherwise, your device will download 3G / LTE updates and quickly consume the maximum amount of data traffic that your data plan can provide.

In case of problems

Even if you have strictly followed the instructions for updating older applications, are you having trouble and unable to update your applications? Both to combine try a turn off and on again your smartphone or your tablet, maybe it's just a momentary "trick" that you can solve in this way.

Even on mobile devices, a bit like on computers, it can happen that processes, functions and settings stop performing their task due to some momentary and unknown error giving many headaches that, fortunately, in most cases can be solved simply rebooting the device.

If the situation still does not improve, I suggest you try to solve it by going to delete cache from the related digital store or reference app. As for Android, I have explained how to do it in my guide on how to clear Android cache. In the specific case of iOS, however, you can follow the instructions I gave you in my tutorial on how to clear the iPhone cache and in my post on how to free up space on the iPad.

Other useful tips to consider, but only if you are using a Android device, are those of to update la Google Play Store (maybe you are using a too old-fashioned version of the latter that is no longer able to perfectly fulfill its purpose) and / or perform a new installation. To know how, you can respectively follow the instructions I gave you in my posts on how update Play Store and how install google Play.

As a last resort, you can evaluate a full reboot of the device. As for Android, you can find out how to do it by reading my guide on how reset android. For iOS, find all the information you need in my tutorials on how to reset iPhone and how to reset iPad. In the case of Windows PhoneHowever, you can follow the instructions I gave you in my article on how to reset Windows Phone.