Need to check for updates in the Play Store and notice there’s no “check for updates” button any more?
In the past to check for updates you could go to Manage Apps and Devices in the Play Store and there would be an option of check for updates under the “all apps up to date” notification. I had an app that had been updated this morning, I needed the update. I noticed that 1) it claimed all apps were up to date, and 2) there was no longer a check for updates option there.
As I don’t keep screenshots of the inner workings of the Play Store from week to week I do not know when that disappeared, but I needed an update and it was not bothering to check for one. Anyway, Google didn’t remove it, just moved it to a different location.
The way (at least as of this writing,) if it’s not under the “all apps up to date” notification on the Overview tab is to either tap the Manage tab, or tap “see recent updates”, then tap “Updates available” and then you’ll see the check for updates button. Tap that, you’ll see, or not, any updates that are available that it hasn’t checked.
So the full method to check for updates when there don’t appear to be any and Google hasn’t auto-updated them in a reasonable timeframe is:
- Open Play Store on your phone
- Tap your picture in the top right
- Choose Manage apps & device
- Click either “see recent updates” or the Manage tab (both take you to the same location)
- Click the Check for updates button
I suspect the moving the button around is to prevent people from hitting it repeatedly looking for an update as it probably does take a small chunk of Google’s processing power to take a list of 500 or so apps and versions you just sent and check it against what the current versions are, but sometimes you need that update.
Meh… bad change to the Play Store but easily surmountable. Now if they’d just make a way to actually check all apps on the device and not just the ones that had been opened in the past bit. I seriously have quit using some apps because of bugs that may be fixed now and I might open one of them up and find the bug is still there but it’s been fixed and Google didn’t download it (and now will.)
