Re: Are Playstore app updates tested before release?

Jeff Layman wrote on Sun, 14 Jul 2024 09:20:25 +0100 :

It's such a seamless update, the vast majority of Android owners don't even
know it's happening every month that their phone core packages are updated.
  <https://www.androidheadlines.com/2022/01/google-monthly-changelog-play-system-updates.html>

 
That's an interesting page.

Since Android 10, Google has been steadily increasing the number of
packages which are updated monthly forever for all Android phones.

Firstly, I assume the phone user "pays" for the update in terms of MB or
GB downloaded. If the user is on a very limited contract (5GB/month or
perhaps even less for a very low-usage contract), then the update might
amount to a large fraction of the allowance. I wonder what happens if
the allowance runs out halfway through an update? The user might also
find something critical they want to use is denied (eg deactivate a
stolen credit card via a bank app) because all the allowance has been
used the previous day without their knowledge!

Good question. I don't have a Google Play Store client app on my unrootable
Android in my user partition but there might be a WiFi-only setting maybe?

I see that the update goes unnoticed, but the installation is only
completed when the user reboots the device. I wonder how many actually
do that, or is the phone effectively deactivated until the user reboots
it?

I don't know but it's commonly accepted you should reboot every once in a
while. I generally reboot about weekly but I do it only as I think of it.

Is there some sort of message displayed to that effect? I ask
because with my Xiaomi, automatic system updates are turned off. I get a
notice that a system update is available (or I used to as I'm now out of
the MIUI update period. The OS is MIUI 14.0.5 based on Android 13, and
from what I've read MIUI is now defunct as it's been superseded by
Xiaomi's HyperOS). From what I remember these updates could be in the
1GB+ range.

I don't think you get a message when Project Mainline (since renamed by
Google) has updated but we discussed this in the past so I'd have to look.

Does the update come through the Play Store? Although it's an update to
the Google Play System, it doesn't state explicitly that it comes via
the Play Store. Or does it come through the OEM?

Good question. I'd ask Andy or Arno. I never thought of where the updated
packages come from (as there are more than two dozen in Android 14).

Like you, I have all automatic updates turned off, whether system or
otherwise. In fact, a lot of the bloatware crap which came with the
phone has never been updated. Other than with adb, most of the junk is
uninstallable anyway, but I just ignore it.

Yeah, I try not to update unless I know what I want updated, but the
Project Mainline stuff updates whether or not you ask it to, I think.

I see that this is where the latest update info is provided:
<https://support.google.com/product-documentation/answer/14343500>

I think that link answers one of your questions, which is how you know
you've been updated. I would guess you have the version they say there.