47% of people in the US that use smartphones claim that they couldn’t live without their device.
Do you feel the same way? When your phone isn’t working, is lagging, or has something else off with it, do you feel like you’re missing a piece of yourself?
If you do, you’re not alone.
While smartphones are finicky devices at times, one proven way to keep your phone running smoothly is regularly installing phone updates.
New updates come out all the time, so what’s really the benefit of installing them? Read on to learn some of the benefits of installing the latest updates and why this practice should be part of your regular routine.
1. Keeps Your Security in Place
Whether you have one of the Android devices or an iPhone, installing updates when they’re available helps to keep your phone secure.
Updates often include patches that help smooth over any weak points in the operating system that make it easy for your phone to be hacked. No one wants their valuable information to end up in the wrong hands, which is why updating your phone is crucial.
The sooner that you install updates when they become available, the sooner that your phone will be protected as well as it can be.
2. Fixes Bugs
Technology is complicated, so it’s not surprising that things can go wrong.
When minor things are messed up, they’re called bugs.
Some examples of bugs that might plague your phone are:
- Performance issues
- Network connection problems
- Slow response time
- Permission issues
- Function issues
- Memory problems
This essentially means that when your phone camera won’t work right, it’s because of a software bug. Or, if your service seems to be poor or your phone disconnects from wifi often, it might be a bug.
Even something like your phone freezing or running slower than usual could potentially be a bug.
If you want to avoid these problems and get them fixed whenever they arise, consider keeping your phone’s software up to date.
3. New Features
Many people think that they need to buy a new phone to get new features, but software updates often include new features for your phone.
These new features might help your phone to run more smoothly, patch up bugs as we mentioned earlier, or provide you with totally new tools to make use of.
Here are some examples of new features that people who install iOS 15 will experience:
- Redesigned notifications
- New FaceTime features
- Additional privacy
- Several app redesigns
- Message updates
If you have an iPhone and didn’t install the latest update, you would be missing out on all of these features and more that we didn’t mention.
This shows how falling several updates behind can take a toll on your device and ruin your experience.
Are There Drawbacks of Updating?
Now that we’ve gone over three of the significant benefits of installing phone updates, you might be wondering if there are any negatives to doing so.
The only thing is that you might begin installing an update, and it never finishes. In this case, is your iPhone stuck on an update?
Well, it’s possible. Thankfully this can be fixed easily, and you will still be able to resume the update and enjoy all of the new features it will bring.
Aside from this, installing updates when they become available can only bring positive changes to your phone. Even if you aren’t immediately in love with something that they redesigned or changed, you will get used to it eventually.
What Can Happen if I Don’t Update My Phone?
If you choose not to update your phone, while you will lose out on new features, as we mentioned earlier, there are some other potential issues as well.
Let’s review a few.
Poor Battery Life
If your phone is running old software that had issues they needed to fix, it might be draining your battery life.
Not only this, but often, updates include features that help improve battery life. So, your battery could be suffering from all fronts.
Eventually, you might need to replace your battery because of this.
Your Phone Might Get Hacked
When people imagine their phone getting hacked, it’s often an obvious thing.
Typically hacking is anything but obvious. If you don’t install updates that help block potential avenues of hackers, someone could be stealing information from your phone without you knowing it.
Many people keep sensitive information on their phones, and things like passwords, banking information, and features of your identity could be stolen through your phone if you aren’t careful.
Performance Issues
It’s not uncommon to rely on your phone for personal and business use.
If you don’t update your phone, you could deal with connectivity issues and a slew of other problems that impact how you can use your phone.
Phones aren’t cheap, so why would you want to pay for something that isn’t working correctly? To avoid these common pitfalls, installing updates is necessary.
Some Apps Might Not Work
As updates are released, apps are updated to work best on the new software.
If you continuously put off updating your devices, certain apps might stop working altogether.
Phone Updates Are Crucial
As you can see, phone updates are essential. Not only do you risk dealing with drawbacks if you don’t update, but you will also miss out on the benefits and new features that come from updating.
Stop putting off your phone updates and instead install them as soon as they come out so that you can enjoy a smooth experience on your device.
If you enjoyed this article and you’d like to learn more tech tips and information, please look at some of the other articles available on our site!
