Update Your Everything

Tank
4 min readMar 31, 2020

“Security Updates” aren’t just your device manufacturer’s way of having fun: they’re important. They send updates in response to security issues they find in their software, and even sometimes to send software fixes for problems with hardware.

Updates are sometimes set to run by themselves. You should still check to see if you have updates that need to be installed. Set a calendar notification for a time to check for updates every month; on work computers try Fridays before you leave the office, and for home computers try Sunday before you go to bed.

Every device needs to be updated: your computer, your phone, and probably even your smart fridge. It’s often the things you don’t think about very often that are the most vulnerable. Devices like printers, Internet-Of-Things devices, and even some kid’s toys are vulnerable locations in your homes, and updating them (or the apps that you use to control them) can patch up those soft spots and keep you more secure.

Backups

Before you run updates, make sure you have your device properly backed up.

Any update process runs the risk of problems, which might cause you to lose your data, potentially permanently. Here is my article on backing up your devices. Seriously, please don’t continue here if you haven’t already completed that step.

How to update Windows computers

Windows 10 (Which you should be using) installs updates automatically. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always go the way it should. See this WikiHow article on how to run updates on Windows 10, and see this Microsoft FAQ page if you run into issues with the updates you install.

How to update Linux devices

Here’s an article by Linux.com about updating the OS.

Ubuntu Updates icon

To update apps, select the “Software” icon (shown to the right is the Ubuntu Software icon) and then select “Updates” from the top options tab. If you have available updates, they’ll be shown there.

How to update your iPad/iPhone/iPod Touch

This Apple support page is a good resource for updating your iOS (the operating system that runs the device).

This is a good article by How-To-Geek about updating the apps you have installed. You will need to update your apps more often than your iOS. Set a reminder for every week to check your app updates.

How to update your Android phone

Here is a good WikiHow article on updating your Android.

Here is the article by Google Play Store about updating your android apps. You will need to update your apps more often than your operating system. Set a reminder for every week to check your app updates.

Smart Fridge? Smart Toys for Kids? Smart-And-Also-Not-Evil Furby?

If there’s anything else you have connected to the internet in your house, you will have to do a little work to find out how to update it.
1: Get the brand name and model of your device.
2: Go to DuckDuckGo (or, if you must, Google) and search for “(Brand Name) (Model) how to update”.
3: Look for resources on the manufacturer’s website first, then by other trusted sources. If you can only find instructions on a website you’ve never heard of before, do some research on the website before you follow their instructions.

Installing updates can be considered one of the basics of good “digital hygiene”. It doesn’t have to take long and you can make it a simple, regular habit. Most of the time you can continue using your device while the updates download and install: you won’t even know that your device is doing something in the background until you get a notification saying “Update complete”.

If you want to support me, please support yourself by downloading Brave Browser (←Affiliate Link) and installing it on your computer and phone. See this article for my how-to on installing Brave.

If you already have Brave, head on over to my website and tip me a few BAT. Thanks!

Top image provided via Unsplash by Florian Klauer and edited by me.

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