When is it important to get an update for an application

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Google notifies Android users whenever updates are available for certain applications. However, this is mainly for users who have enabled the auto-update feature. It is, therefore, important for users to know when your application has a new update available.

Suppose a user has your application installed on their mobile phone. Yet, you have added new critical features or fixed a bug to the app. The only way the user can access these functionalities is by updating the application.

Some users lack the interest or time to open the Google Play store and update their applications. This means that they will take time before switching to the latest version. The API introduces an update UI within your application to notify users to update to the newly available application version. Users do not have to open the Google Play store to initiate the update.

We will discuss the two methods to implement in-app updates: immediate and flexible. The immediate update introduces a blocking full-screen UI. The app will automatically restart when the update is completed. This method is preferred when the update introduces critical functionalities. A flexible update allows users to interact with the application while the update occurs in the background. Once the update is downloaded, the app will prompt the user to restart the application.

The application will then install the update and open the app to the foreground. This guide assumes you have prior knowledge of Android application development using Android Studio and Java.

At the time of writing this guide, the Google Play Core version was 1. It is recommended to have the latest version. Check for the latest version here. Setting the in-app update is simple. A user does not have to activate auto-updates in the Google Play store.

The API will handle the update flow in any application that has implemented this in-app update concept. Before handling the update type, either flexible or immediate, you should understand how the API works. To check if there is an update available in the Google Play store, we have to create an instance of appUpdateManager.

It communicates with the AppUpdateInfo object. Pictures helped. Didn't match my screen. Incorrect instructions. Too technical.

Not enough information. Not enough pictures. Any additional feedback? Submit feedback. This is because every update will include new feature releases that provide a smooth user experience. The updating of apps has the considerable advantage of a marketing tool for its owners. Consumer awareness of your product or brand is the key here. Publishing frequent updates serves as a reminder because it turns up with notifications on the App Store or Google Play store list.

You can build a trail of loyal users from your app updates. That is if the they contain bug fixes and new features that users may have requested. The frequent updates reflects your commitment to meet user needs. Overall, the satisfaction and loyalty of your current users directly reflect on their engagement with your app and brand.

Furthermore, happy users attract more new users to your app. This is another marketing advantage. A mobile app update is what a developer and the user base can communicate through.

Although release notes are often ignored by most users, some nerds and geeks always read them carefully, and it benefits them. Just check out the reviews on the app store. Unlike the release notes, ratings and reviews are frequently viewed by all users. Thus, a good update can attract more new mobile app users.

Also, consider that updates can be used to renew your user terms and conditions. The aim of an update might be to fix bugs, but new features and bug fixes can be released together. The usual practice is to pay more attention to updates that keep the app more stable.

No wonder why do leading apps with large user base have bug fixing updates so often. These mainstream apps are frequent with improving and stabilizing user experiences. Commonly, app updates with the occurrence of once a week or every fortnight are mostly bug fixing. To keep away the feeling that the app has been dumped by its developers, it must be constantly maintained by regular updates.

This might also keep them away from migrating to other competing solutions. New features allow apps to have new capabilities after every major mobile OS release.

Each time Android and iOS put up a new feature, apps generally need to be updated in order to catch up. An update will help your mobile app to have access to the new software and hardware feature sets introduced by the manufacturers.

Not too long ago, the two tech giants had words for mobile app owners. They are trying to make all apps compliant with the latest versions of OS and usable hardware.

It was an emphasis on building up-to-date APIs that ensure a high-trust level of security and better performance. Keep your apps up-to-date and make sure you phase out any deprecated features, frameworks, or technologies that will no longer be supported in future versions of an OS.

Google required new apps to support at least Android 8. From November 1, , this applies to all app updates too. They also show some apps to the door. In recent times both the App Store and Google Play have been weeding out inactive, non-updated and non-compliant applications that have been lagging behind for a long time.

This is to keep the app market sane and well regulated. Google Play was not left out of the gig too as it is focused on making its apps comply with its latest privacy policy.