Mac App Store - how does it check for updates

[netnothing]

Does anyone know whether the Mac App Store will check for updates on it's own? Like Software update does? Or do I have to launch the app to have it check?

Also, does the dock icon get a badge? Running or not?

I really don't want to have to launch the store all the time to just check for updates.

Thanks!

-Kevin

 

[miles01110]

It checks for updates, as evinced by the "Updates" pane. However, I imagine most of the major apps still have a built-in check for updates from the developer.

 

[netnothing]

It checks for updates, as evinced by the "Updates" pane. However, I imagine most of the major apps still have a built-in check for updates from the developer.

Right, I get the Updates tab....but I don't want to have to launch the app to check for updates. And from what I understand, if you sell and app on the app store, all updates are done through that.....not through the apps themselves.

I'm guessing that if it requires the App store to be running now, that when Lion comes out....it'll be built in like Software Update now.

-Kevin

 

[roadbloc]

I'd say it was a background service. The same one that installs the Apps, as you don't need the App Store running to install Apps.

 

[taptapdev]

Does anyone know whether the Mac App Store will check for updates on it's own? Like Software update does? Or do I have to launch the app to have it check?

Also, does the dock icon get a badge? Running or not?

I really don't want to have to launch the store all the time to just check for updates.

Thanks!

-Kevin

It does get a badge. But not sure about the not running part. I keep it running all the time.

 

[Tyler23]

You need to launch the App Store to install updates. As of now, it is not incorporated with OS X's Software Update option, and as of yet we do not know whether or not this feature will be implemented with Lion.

 

[netnothing]

Interesting. Will be curious to see how the manage Apple software updates. For example, will Apple apps not be updated through Software Update anymore....like iLife and Aperture?

My guess is this all gets consolidated in Lion.....until then, we deal with a bit of a disconnect.

-Kevin

 

[Queso]

According to Little Snitch there's both an App Store program and a StoreAgent daemon. At a guess I would suggest this daemon checks the version information contained in the MAS-installed packages you've downloaded, then compares against the version offered by the Store so it can present you with the update information when you start the App Store program.

 

[netnothing]

Finally got my first update to an app (Twitter) that I knew was coming from reading about it. I keep the App store closed.....and I kept it closed all day yesterday and all night. When I woke up this morning, as I expected, there was nothing notifying me of the update. I had to launch the App store to see the badge icon and the update from within the app.

I sure hope either Apple fixes this with Snow Leopard, or incorporates it with Lion so we don't have to keep the store open (or even in the Dock). No reason they can't have a process run like Software Updates does to do the check and notify people.

-Kevin

 

[RedRaven571]

The app store icon in my dock had a little red circle with a '1' in it yesterday (the app itself was not open); when I right-click on the icon, above 'options' it had 'swackett'. When I launched the app store and checked updates there was an update available for swackett.

 

[netnothing]

The app store icon in my dock had a little red circle with a '1' in it yesterday (the app itself was not open); when I right-click on the icon, above 'options' it had 'swackett'. When I launched the app store and checked updates there was an update available for swackett.

Interesting. I know based on news blogs, that twitter was updated last night. I didn't have the App store open at all yesterday or last night. When I came down this morning, the app was still closed, but no badge was on it.

Wonder if it does check periodically.

-Kevin

 

[roadbloc]

Wonder if it does check periodically.

Yes. Just like iTunes and your iOS device does. Doesn't take a genius to work out that it works exactly like the iOS app store. The integration is messy atm, as now we have two update programs, Software Update and App Store. This should be fixed with Lion.

 

[netnothing]

Yes. Just like iTunes and your iOS device does. Doesn't take a genius to work out that it works exactly like the iOS app store. The integration is messy atm, as now we have two update programs, Software Update and App Store. This should be fixed with Lion.

Thanks Genius. I mean c'mon....just because it's called an App store I'm supposed to assume that Apple is going to make it be just like iOS devices? Why? It's not running on iOS is it?

Don't know about you.....but generally on my iPod Touch, iPhone, iPad......the App store icon NEVER shows updates unless I launch it.

I can go weeks on my iPad where I don't sync back to iTunes and I don't open the app store on the device it self....that I won't ever be shown that there are updates available.

-Kevin

 

[strang]

On my iPhone 4 the App Store does update with a badge but it's generally much later.

 

[netnothing]

On my iPhone 4 the App Store does update with a badge but it's generally much later.

This sometimes happens to me, but generally very rarely. In fact, my Mom who has an iPad has complained that it doesn't prompt her to do updates. She very rarely syncs with iTunes.......so she goes weeks without opening the App store on the device top check....and when she does, she has tons of them.

-Kevin

 

[richard.mac]

i cant remember if the update Dock notification showed for me when not open or right after launching, but after updating Twitter i now continuously get a notification now in the Dock and the Update page whether open or not?

tried updating Twitter again and deleting the plist, but no avail.

 

[july1962]

I have the little red circle appearing on the App Store icon in my doc. However when I open the program it says that there are no updates for anything. I've opened and closed it several times now and it's still there.