Google Play Will Update Android Apps Automatically – Even When Logged Out of Google

(The AEGIS Alliance) – Users of android phones who do not want to be bothered by updating apps are about to receive some assistance from Google Play. The service is going to automatically update some of the pre-loaded apps, even when users are not logged in to their Google account.

The concept behind it is for Android users to have a more consistent experience across all compatible devices, according to a letter developers received from Google. Although people are typically logged into their Google accounts while using their phones, if they are not, then pre-loaded apps which includes the Google Play store, get cut off from getting updates. Users are able to go into their Androids settings and disable the option for auto updates if they don’t want them.

Google asked its developers to make sure the apps will function “with or without a Google account.” This new update is only going to be applied to phones that use Android Lollipop or more recent generations of the operating system. Google has been working its way through the alphabet by naming each new version of its OS after a dessert. Following the Lollipop OS was Marshmallow, Nougat, Oreo, then the latest Android OS named Pie.

“This new feature will provide users with a more consistent app experience across many devices and will allow them to access the best and newest features provided by developers. This should also help developers reduce overhead costs required to support obsolete app versions,” Google said in the letter to developers, which had first been posted by Android Police.

The Android system is open source and is the most used around the world. In recent weeks this month. Google revealed a huge vulnerability that may have allowed hackers to access a user’s Android device by sending the user a malicious image file. The vulnerability was patched with an update.

Featured Image Credit: CC/Flickr/Bram.Koster

Kyle James Lee – The AEGIS Alliance – This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.