Browser Automatic Update

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Small wonder people are confused. I always thought I was suppose to wait to update my browsers until Susan gave the all clear to update Windows. Then several people advised on AskWoody that I am suppose to update the browser daily. So I thought both Chrome and Edge were updating automatically until I went today to About Edge and About Chrome and they started updating. So then I looked for a setting to make them auto update, but no such setting on either my Win 10 Home or Win 8.1 home. I Goggled to see how to change the setting to auto, and it said go to About Google Chrome and then click Automatically Update, but that option is no where to be seen.  Goggle says for Edge just click About Microsoft Edge and it will check, so if I just go into Edge without first clicking About it could be out of date.

I found and do have on Edge “Download Automatically since Metered Connection on” turned on. However, if I use Edge first and then check About Edge it would seem I should always get Up to Date, but instead it starts updating with percentage monitor. Same with Chrome, if I use it before doing About it should be updating so when I then do About it should show up to date but instead updates showing percentage progress. So what gives here???

My Chrome version is 90.0.4430.72

My Edge version is 90.0.818.41

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I was about to say that your Chrome and Edge were both up-to-date, but their updates have been unusually frequent during March and April (six and seven updates, as opposed to a more normal four each month.) So today the latest Edge is 90.0.818.42, but you have the latest Chrome.

Both Chrome and Edge are set by default to update automatically. For Edge, a check is performed approximately every 10 hours. For Chrome, it’s somewhere between 5 and 24 hours. But with the millions of updates being delivered worldwide for each browser, they are sometimes staggered or “throttled”.

You will get automatic updates even if you never visit their About pages, but doing so initiates an immediate check (similar to “Check for updates” at Windows Update). Current browsers, including Firefox and others, display a percentage while downloading an update and then require a browser restart to complete the installation.

You shouldn’t need to be too concerned about the automatic updates. I only ever visit About pages of Chrome, Edge and Firefox when I’ve heard that an important security update or interesting feature update is available. At other times you will be notified that the browsers require a restart to complete an update which has already been downloaded.

How to Update Google Chrome

How to Update the New Edge Browser

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J9438

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b wrote:

Both Chrome and Edge are set by default to update automatically.

Chrome updates automatically on my system (20H2).
Edge never updated automatically and there is no setting for On/Off.
Just checked and Edge has been manually updated to Version 90.0.818.42 (Official build) (64-bit).

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J9438

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Metered connection?

Microsoft Edge update settings

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J9438

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No.

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J9438

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b wrote:

At other times you will be notified that the browsers require a restart to complete an update which has already been downloaded. How to Update Google Chrome

On that link above that you gave me I saw an interesting situation that said, “Because some people keep Chrome open for days—maybe even weeks—the update could be idly waiting to install, putting your computer at risk.” I always close my Browser at each session but looks like not a good idea to keep it open!

b wrote:

So today the latest Edge is 90.0.818.42

Yep, I am showing .42 today and when I clicked About it was already there so maybe it has just been a coincidence that between me using edge and then later clicking About a new update came out in the interim (especially since b says updates are so frequent now).

b wrote:

Metered connection?

The Metered does not seem to be a problem for mine because there is an option that says,

“Download Updates over metered connections

Automatically download updates over metered networks (for example, cellular network) and apply them on browser restart. Charges may apply.”  with a on/off button.

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J9438 wrote:

On that link above that you gave me I saw an interesting situation that said, “Because some people keep Chrome open for days—maybe even weeks—the update could be idly waiting to install, putting your computer at risk.” I always close my Browser at each session but looks like not a good idea to keep it open!

Chrome will let you know after a few days if an update hasn’t been applied:

Get a Chrome update when available

Normally updates happen in the background when you close and reopen your computer’s browser. But if you haven’t closed your browser in a while, you might see a pending update:

On your computer, open Chrome.
At the top right, look at More menu
If an update is pending, the icon will be colored:
Green: An update was released less than 2 days ago.
Orange: An update was released about 4 days ago.
Red: An update was released at least a week ago.

Update Google Chrome

Edge does something similar, but uses an Info icon on the menu instead of colors.

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J9438

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Both browsers are updated by their own automatic updater app that is run by a scheduled task that is independent of Windows Update. You can find them in the task scheduler library if you are inclined.

--Joe

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J9438

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not only that with their scheduled update tasks but also with their respective update “services” (aka. Google Update Service, Microsoft Edge Elevation Service, Microsoft Edge Update Service, etc.) in services.msc

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J9438

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EP wrote:

not only that with their scheduled update tasks but also with their respective update “services” (aka. Google Update Service, Microsoft Edge Elevation Service, Microsoft Edge Update Service, etc.) in services.msc

On my 20H2 Edge update service is manual by default.
I never got Edge to auto-update.

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J9438

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My 20H2 settings are the same. Both production and dev channel versions update automatically. Have you disabled the update task in task scheduler?

--Joe

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J9438

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Haven’t touched Edge update settings as I don’t use Edge (I use Chrome, Firefox ESR).

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J9438

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If you don’t use Edge, how do you know that it never auto-updates?

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J9438, Microfix

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Because I check after receiving notifications mail for new Edge updates from Microsoft.

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J9438

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So clearly you never leave it long enough to get an automatic update.

(Automatic updates are by no means an instant rollout.)

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J9438

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Daily browser updates are not necessary nor do they occur except in rare situations.  There are plenty of Chromium forks and all FF’s where auto-updates can be disabled.  Security updates are important but I want to know what a so called quality update does before I install it; some are nonsense.

I doubt a metered connection will have any effect on truly needed security updates.  It’s to prevent users with low data limits or easy to trigger over charges from having a larger than expected internet bill.  The fact that turning it on can reduce what’s downloaded from MS or spread it out over time says something about how important receiving every update is.

A lot of it’s data scraping, nothing to do with OS integrity.  Phones do the same thing, hundreds of MB’s of data transferred 2-3 times a day on schedule if, e.g., you leave the Google Play Store turned on.  No functional reason exists for that behavior; it’s ad serving data.

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J9438

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The field-released version of Edge gets a significant update on the same cycle as Chrome. It was just switched to monthly. There may be minor updates released in between but that is unusual.

--Joe

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J9438

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anonymous wrote:

Daily browser updates are not necessary

That is what I use to think but in asking that question on AskWoody in the past many, many replies said that Browser updates are quite different from Windows updates and needed as soon as update comes out for security.

anonymous wrote:

The fact that turning it on can reduce what’s downloaded from MS

The updates ask if you still want to download past the limit so it really does not stop an update. I use it because when I first got Win 10 it was using it’s “delivery optimization” to download updates to other PC’s using my bandwidth (how wrong that is! What an insult to privacy!). Anyway I think after many complaints on AskWoody and Communities I don’t think MS is doing that anymore, but I keep metered on just in case. Without it in the past my network monitor was going crazy.

Alex5723 wrote:

Attachments:

I clicked that EdgeUpd.png and something is downloading to my PC that asked if I wanted to keep downloading when I tried to close the browser. What does that do?? Now I am getting a MalwareByte warning that I need to restart as an update is pending and it is not windows because I am paused. How do I delete that update?

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J9438 wrote:

I use it because when I first got Win 10 it was using it’s “delivery optimization” to download updates to other PC’s using my bandwidth (how wrong that is! What an insult to privacy!). Anyway I think after many complaints on AskWoody and Communities I don’t think MS is doing that anymore, but I keep metered on just in case. Without it in the past my network monitor was going crazy.

Windows 10 has always had settings to configure or turn off Delivery Optimization:

Choose How Windows and Store App Updates are Downloaded in Windows 10

J9438 wrote:

I clicked that EdgeUpd.png and something is downloading to my PC that asked if I wanted to keep downloading when I tried to close the browser. What does that do?? Now I am getting a MalwareByte warning that I need to restart as an update is pending and it is not windows because I am paused. How do I delete that update?

If you click the attachment image, you can view it without downloading. But if you click on the attachment filename, it’s assumed that you want to download the file. Just cancel it in browser downloads if not required. My guess is that the MalwareBytes warning is separate.

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J9438

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b wrote:

Windows 10 has always had settings to configure or turn off Delivery Optimization

That was when I first got Win 10 and it was like trying to find something in a jungle. I eventually ran across that setting but frankly it did not seem to work at the time but maybe I was just confused as to how many GB’s these Win 10 updates take as opposed to my old Win 8.1.

b wrote:

If you click the attachment image, you can view it without downloading. But if you click on the attachment filename, it’s assumed that you want to download the file.

“b” you are fantastic. Thank you so much. I never realized the 2 different click locations and the result. I do have the 3 Edge services with the middle one showing automatic start. My browser download section after clicking the … is empty so I guess the download was discarded when I closed the browser. Not sure why the malwarebyte notice but might be for the malware byte browser extension just added a few days ago.

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b

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Alex5723 wrote:

On my 20H2 Edge update service is manual by default. I never got Edge to auto-update.

Thank you Alex for the image. I noticed on the second line on my system services if I expand the name it has in parenthesis (edgeupdate) and then shows “automatic after delayed start” under status. Maybe this is the one that actually is doing the Edge update?? Perhaps the “delayed start” is why I sometimes use Edge and it does not update until I do About later.

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b wrote:

My guess is that the MalwareBytes warning is separate.

Yes. I did the restart and it was the MalwareBytes Browser Guard extension.

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b

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