Depending on how many apps you have installed on your device, notifications for app updates can be frequent and annoying.
Perhaps you have stopped trying to keep up with the constant request to update these apps, or you may have been burnt by updates that have removed some of your favourite features or diminished their usability.
You may think that it is safer to stick with the functionality you have become used to rather than risk change, but you couldn’t be further from the truth.
The fact is, if you don’t update your apps, you are putting your device at risk.
When an application receives an update, you can head to the ‘What’s New’ section of the Windows Phone Store, App Store, or Google Play and look up the reason for the update before installing it.
You will find that on most occasions, there are very good reasons for updates. These can include:
- bug fixes
- stability improvements
- reliability
The most important reason not to delay app updates is security. Developers, security experts and hackers work tirelessly to find security weaknesses in your applications. With any luck, the guys on your side are able to find these chinks in the armour first and introduce a fix. Ignoring that update leaves you extremely vulnerable because the hackers won’t be too far away from discovering the hole in your security.
What’s at risk?
If a hacker finds a way behind your security defences, you become susceptible to malware, to having your personal information or data stolen, or to having your computer or device used for malicious purposes.
To avoid this, and to keep your applications running at peak efficiency, the best advice we can give is to configure your computer or device to automatically update.
Do you automatically install updates or are you worried they will change things for the worse?
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