Your brand new gadget’s apps will age as well. Manufacturers release patches daily to keep systems running smoothly. However, such patches would be useless if you fail to install them.
Gadget upgrades solve a variety of issues, but security may be their most significant application. When disasters occur, they mostly strike hardware that is running old tech. To avoid this, vendors can release critical updates daily to secure laptops, tablets, and other devices from the new attacks.
Bugs and consistency problems are also addressed in the updates. If your device’s battery life is low, it won’t attach to Wi-Fi properly, or it keeps showing odd characters on the screen, a software update can help.
Updates will sometimes add new functionality to your computers. This kind of big Update will boost your gadget’s connectivity with modern gear and programs in addition to offering it all the latest bells and whistles.
Fortunately, developers recognize the value of downloading upgrades and making the process easy. While it can be inconvenient to disturb your job, it is worthwhile to search for and update the most recent apps.
How to keep phone up to date
If you have a mobile, you’ve already seen many notifications telling you to upgrade it. Apple launches a new version of iOS every year, giving iPhones cool new features, and Google upgrades Android regularly as well—though the latest version may take a while to hit your smartphone unless you have a Pixel phone.
Many of us put off downloading these upgrades because they need our phones to reset. Then we completely forget about them. If you have a habit of ignoring upgrade requests, you will see if you’ve skipped a critical fix.
Go to Settings > System > Advanced > System upgrade on Android. A notice should appear stating that the machine is up to date. If you want to make sure, click the Search for Update button.
In the land of iPhones and iPads, go to Settings > General > Software Update to see any new changes. You can tap Download and Install if a new version of iOS or iPadOS is open. Otherwise, a note will appear stating that it is up to date.
Apple has included an Automatic Updates option on the Software Update screen since iOS 12. If you activate it, the phone will automatically install patches when the unit is turned off, plugged in, and wired to a Wi-Fi network.
How to keep your computer up to date
Who doesn’t recall macOS Mojave? David Nield is a British actor.
Updates for Windows, macOS, and Chrome OS will add various new features to your screen. The most recent macOS Big Sur update, for example, lets Apple’s machines sound more like iPads. However, because of this, these upgrades can be extensive, making them take longer to load. All of us ignore download prompts, even though the operation could happen automatically. Now is good time to double-check if you’re up to date.
Go to Update & Security > Windows Update in Windows Settings (open the Start menu and then press the cog icon). You can set unique times when Windows is allowed to install patches automatically when you’re in this menu: Simply choose Change active hours from the drop-down menu. This stops a download from starting when you’re using the phone.
If you’re using an Apple machine, go to the menu bar at the top of the screen and choose Apple > About This Mac > Software Update. We suggest that you check the box labeled “Automatically keep my Mac up to date” on this screen. As a result, while the device is idle, it will automatically install updates. To fine-tune the way this works, go to Advanced and change the settings.
If you have a Chromebook, the operating system should constantly download upgrades once you shut it down or restart it. Pick the time in the lower right, press Settings, and then About Chrome OS to see which version of Chrome OS you’re using. From there, you can look for updates.
How to keep intelligent home systems up to date
Software upgrades are needed for all intelligent devices. Fortunately, a new brilliant home setup should be able to take care of itself in most cases. The majority of smart home systems, such as Nest surveillance cameras, will automatically upgrade themselves over the internet. They do, though, depending on their companion applications to notify you if a bug arises—for example, if an upgrade fails or a weak internet link stops it from downloading.
So, in general, what you have to do is download the companion software for all of your smart home gadgets and keep them updated. Set the smart-home software to download automatically, if possible. Open Google Play Store app on an Android smartphone, tap your profile picture (top right of the screen), and then go to Settings > General > Auto-update applications. Set Apps to immediately download in Settings > App Store on iOS or iPadOS.
Amazon Echo and Google Home intelligent speakers make life much better for their human users. These computers get new updates from the cloud, but you don’t have to do anything to support them.
Other devices, such as Philips Hue bright lights, require you to monitor your alerts via the app. The software will give you a notification when a patch is available. The software will provide you with a message when a patch is available. Since your lights (or other devices) would be unresponsive until their onboard software is updated, the app allows you to schedule the upgrade.
How do you keep your wearables up to date?
On your tablet, updating an Apple Watch might look like this. Apple Inc.
Many wearables, including intelligent home systems, rely on applications for updates. So, to keep those apps up to date, follow the above instructions. The app will notify you when new apps for your devices become available.
Take the Apple Watch as an example. When new version is available to download, you can get an email, but you can also search for yourself. Open the Settings app on your wrist, then tap General > Software Update if your watch has WatchOS 6 or older. If you see a new patch, install it right away. You’ll need your phone if it’s an older wearable: Click My Watch > General > Software Update in the Watch app.
Fitbit devices go through a similar procedure. On your mobile, open the Fitbit app, go to the Today page, then your profile photo, and finally the image of your watch. Then look for the button that says Update. If it doesn’t appear, the wearable device is current; if it does, click it to update the latest patch.
Updates for Wear OS smartwatches exist in the app, but they can also be accessed directly from the wearables. To check for new features, go to Settings > System > About > System changes.
How to keep TVs and other electronic devices up to date
Manufacturers are getting better at integrating automated downloads into their devices’ apps around the board.
Updating the onboard program on a wireless router, for example, used to be a complicated process. On the other hand, almost any new router will upgrade itself in the background, and you won’t even notice. If you want to check status of the router, go to the manufacturer’s website to look for new changes.
Similarly, manually installing drivers for computer peripherals such as the mouse and display was once a confusing and challenging process. Nowadays, Windows and macOS take care of everything for you: Patches for computer-support hardware would be included in those as mentioned above general operating-system updates.
Streaming tv devices may be the case. While most smaller streaming systems, such as Roku and Chromecast, will update themselves in the background, some larger TV boxes will take some extra effort.
Go to the front screen of your Apple TV and select Settings > System > Software Updates. Turn the Automatically Update function to On on this computer. Now the television will immediately load new apps in the meantime, so you won’t have to do anything else. If you need more power, you can disable this switch and manually download updates from the software update screen.
When a new update is available for Android TV users, a warning should appear on the phone. You may also do a manual check: Go to Status & Diagnostics > System device upgrade from the main gui.
