Iphone apps - why the constant updates?!

Iphone apps - why the constant updates?!

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Discussion

Mound Dawg

1,915 posts

173 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
Not just iPhones



loudlashadjuster

5,082 posts

183 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
As I said... I install all security updates. smile
But like I said, how do you know that the innocuous 'bug fix' in the update log wasn't actually a security fix? Answer: You don't.

Besides, *any* bug has the potential to increase the attack surface, even if this isn't appreciated at the time or by those fixing it.

A simple form field configuration oversight? Might allow SQL injection or buffer overflow allowing arbitrary code execution.

A poorly-implemented library? Yes, it might cause authentication issues for some users (which would be the purpose of the 'bug fix') but it might equally leave gaping holes in the system for people to exploit. This might not even be realised by the developer.

Not trying to be an arse, but I've spent long enough in IT to know that in almost all circumstances my bread is better buttered by being up to date.

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
loudlashadjuster said:
But like I said, how do you know that the innocuous 'bug fix' in the update log wasn't actually a security fix? Answer: You don't.

Besides, *any* bug has the potential to increase the attack surface, even if this isn't appreciated at the time or by those fixing it.

A simple form field configuration oversight? Might allow SQL injection or buffer overflow allowing arbitrary code execution.

A poorly-implemented library? Yes, it might cause authentication issues for some users (which would be the purpose of the 'bug fix') but it might equally leave gaping holes in the system for people to exploit. This might not even be realised by the developer.

Not trying to be an arse, but I've spent long enough in IT to know that in almost all circumstances my bread is better buttered by being up to date.
Well all I can say is I've been using Macs for over 30 years (yes I was there at the start.. coding as well), and have never had a problem. Why on earth would I create one?

..and 30+ years of experience tells me not to keep buttering bread that is perfectly sound! smile

Edited by GetCarter on Friday 12th May 17:57

ambuletz

10,690 posts

180 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
I use android but even with loads of apps i rarely update them, maybe once a month or so at most. stuff like instagram, spotify whatsapp i will only update if they have a feature that might be interesting.

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
LeoSayer said:
loudlashadjuster said:
I try and pay for apps wherever I can, rather avoids this kind of thing smile
I prefer being tight and whinging
So is there an IOS, paid for Spotify or Youtube app, which differs from eg the 'standard premium' Spotify app?... no there isnt smile

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 12th May 18:11

loudlashadjuster

5,082 posts

183 months

Friday 12th May 2017
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
..and 30+ years of experience tells me not to keep buttering bread that is perfectly sound! smile
Yup...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39901382

GetCarter

29,358 posts

278 months

Saturday 13th May 2017
quotequote all
loudlashadjuster said:
GetCarter said:
..and 30+ years of experience tells me not to keep buttering bread that is perfectly sound! smile
Yup...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-39901382
Indeed. (Yet another reason not to use a Windoze platform!)

anonymous-user

Original Poster:

53 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
Jimboka said:
As the title says really.
Every few days the apps have updates.
Spotify seems to be one of the worse. The latest update is 'Never Miss a festival / improvement.....' or some nonsense
No doubt the view will have changed & has been pointlessly altered.
Youtube is almost unusable,with stupid non-intuitive menu etc
Why are the apps so poorly thought out that they always need updating?
Employment generation I guess in most cases
It would be nice if they got the apps right & left them alone!
Another pointless update from youtube. From the description, even they are bored with it:-

RobDickinson

31,343 posts

253 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
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I've switched off updates on my android phone now. So many and more often than not the updated version of the app either performs poorly or detrimentally changes UI or features.

I update what I want when I want when its worth it.

NoIP

559 posts

83 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
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I use what is now an old S4 Mini and have updates turned off for pretty much all the reasons the OP mentions. However googlemaps is a complete arse whenever there's an update. Of course, unless you've already downloaded the map section you want in advance, you need to be connected to the internet to use the maps. So I turn on my mobile data and find that the maps aren't loading, or part of it will load but the rest won't and neither will streetview. I used to think it was a bad connection or the phone needed a reboot but I soon came to realise the problem was that the app needed updating. I would normally have no issue with that, but when you're in the middle of nowhere with a crappy data connection and required to download a sizeable file on a limited data allowance it does irk me somewhat. As the new release has not yet been downloaded then why can't I use my existing version until I'm back at home to do the update?

Like the guy with Mac above, I'm the same when it comes to updates. I never do updates unless there's no way round them because it's absolutely true what he says about something else breaking in the process which then needs updating, but new drivers aren't out for that one yet or there is some other issue. It's an endless cycle of hassle. On my current PC I was having some problems with CPU fan speed drone so enabled the bios app to control it manually. Never used it before and when I ran it of course it needed an update. OK, let's do it. Downloaded and installed the latest release but it won't install properly. Deleted, tried again, no luck. Spent hours reading forums trying to find the solution - lots of threads with people asking and some replies saying "it might be this, or it might be that" but no solution to be found anywhere. Hours wasted on this and when I reinstalled the original version the smart fan controller app works perfectly fine, even if it is 2.5 years out of date. It's the same with everything else : if it's working fine right now, leave it be and ignore "software updates". That's worked perfectly fine for me for the past 20 years and no Russian or Nigerian teenagers have emptied my bank accounts or distributed my ID and personal details all around the world.

PC games are by far the worst for it. Quick hour playing World of Tanks? Sure, why not. Nope. 15 GB software update to download and install first. It's the same on every device, doesn't matter what it is. As soon as you switch your PC/lappy/tablet/phone on and connect to the internet there will be yet another software update waiting to download and install before you can use it again.

ashleyman

6,962 posts

98 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
I'm probably one of the few that wants to know what changes are being made to an app on my phone when I update.

Facebook It's on Version 98.0. Since Version 75.0 the Release Notes have been the following:

Thanks for using Facebook! To make our app better for you, we bring updates to the App Store regularly.

Every update of our Facebook app includes improvements for speed and reliability. As new features become available, we’ll highlight those for you in the app.

That's a load of rubbish and doesn't tell me what's changed.

eBay It's on Version 5.11.0.

They've started saying:

• Bug fixes and performance improvements

Your feedback is important to us. Please contact us by tweeting @askebay or visiting www.ebay.com/iOS

But they used to actually tell you what they were doing.

Pinterest They just update every 2 weeks.


I'm part of a group of Beta testers for an app and they actually tell you whats new, removed or improved in the version notes.


Craikeybaby

10,369 posts

224 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
I also like to know what is changing.

Strava is the one that annoys me at the moment, they have gone from point releases for bugfixes etc to a major releases each time. Probably because each time they do this it resets their review rating on the app store.

bitchstewie

50,767 posts

209 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
  • Bugfixes
  • Vulnerability Fixes
  • Other Security Fixes
  • Feature Updates
I work in IT and I get that updates are annoying, but you're almost always better off with them than without them.

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
* Bugfixes
  • Vulnerability Fixes
  • Other Security Fixes
  • Feature Updates
I work in IT and I get that updates are annoying, but you're almost always better off with them than without them.
I agree, and I've been very lenient on my updates and AV software for over 8 years without any issues, but it's simply a numbers game.

Other than that, I do agree with the sentiment. My phone is set to update when Connected to the Power AND to Wifi, so basically when I plug it in at night.

It seems like it does about 15 apps every night, often the same reoccurring where you know "now they're just doing this to have their name pop up."

I've been avoiding apps as well, I really have no need for a Facebook app, I can just go to the website.
This is the case with a lot of apps, if you don't need, for example, notifications or caching, I really don't see the point in them.

ecs

1,222 posts

169 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
Spotify is developed on a weekly release cycle - new features are constantly developed and added into the codebase, then when the feature is ready for release it is enabled using a feature flag. Lots of companies use continuous or periodic (weekly or fortnightly) release cycles because it lowers the risk of something going wrong when a new feature is set loose. If they were to wait for 6 months (for example) worth of change to build up and then release it into the wild, the chance of one of those new features going wrong is huge.

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
GetCarter said:
Indeed. (Yet another reason not to use a Windoze platform!)
rofl
Reading fail.

article said:
A patch for the vulnerability was released by Microsoft in March, which would have automatically protected those computers with Windows Update enabled.
Microsoft said on Friday it would roll out the update to users of older operating systems "that no longer receive mainstream support", such Windows XP (which the NHS still largely uses),

bitchstewie

50,767 posts

209 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
ZesPak said:
I agree, and I've been very lenient on my updates and AV software for over 8 years without any issues, but it's simply a numbers game.

Other than that, I do agree with the sentiment. My phone is set to update when Connected to the Power AND to Wifi, so basically when I plug it in at night.

It seems like it does about 15 apps every night, often the same reoccurring where you know "now they're just doing this to have their name pop up."

I've been avoiding apps as well, I really have no need for a Facebook app, I can just go to the website.
This is the case with a lot of apps, if you don't need, for example, notifications or caching, I really don't see the point in them.
Tbh I've kind of read the thread with a bit of bewilderment.

Look on the news, new malware thing doing the rounds, same thing all day every day.

Set your phone to auto, with the relevant preferences about whether to wait for a wi-fi connection etc. as you say, but not installing updates is, broadly speaking, daft.

TameRacingDriver

18,047 posts

271 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
ashleyman said:
I'm probably one of the few that wants to know what changes are being made to an app on my phone when I update.

Facebook It's on Version 98.0. Since Version 75.0 the Release Notes have been the following:

Thanks for using Facebook! To make our app better for you, we bring updates to the App Store regularly.

Every update of our Facebook app includes improvements for speed and reliability. As new features become available, we’ll highlight those for you in the app.

That's a load of rubbish and doesn't tell me what's changed.
The facebook app is monumentally st on android. Every time there's an update, there's a new bug, or new "feature" that I didn't ask for. The most irritating of which is the long-press menu constantly appearing when scrolling through comments. So much so, I've almost completely abandoned it and use "Friendly" instead.

ZesPak

24,421 posts

195 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
bhstewie said:
Tbh I've kind of read the thread with a bit of bewilderment.

Look on the news, new malware thing doing the rounds, same thing all day every day.

Set your phone to auto, with the relevant preferences about whether to wait for a wi-fi connection etc. as you say, but not installing updates is, broadly speaking, daft.
Sorry, I ment I did it in the past with computers, but not now, as you say.

mikef

4,821 posts

250 months

Tuesday 27th June 2017
quotequote all
My 2c as an iOS app developer

We don't push out updates for fun - it can take several days for Apple to check and approve an update, and it gives them an opportunity to decide that they don't like your app for some reason, so only done when really needed

Reasons for updates
- user has reported a bug. That doesn't mean the app isn't tested, it may mean for instance that they have a regional setting that we didn't anticipate (for instance, user selecting 12-hour clock with local strings for AM/PM that are several characters in length; didn't test for that...)
- changes and added features in new iOS releases
- deprecation (obsolescence) of features in old iOS releases
- changes in Apple developer guidelines (there were a bunch this May)
- new hardware features and screen sizes
- new versions of the Swift programming language

I maybe update an app in the App Store every couple of months; for most of our users it's an automatic download and pretty much goes unnoticed; however if you have dozens of apps and insist on manual updates, there is always going to be a backlog of outstanding updates