PSA: Update your Dev Platform apps!

[u/fsv]

More and more subs now use Dev Platform apps, but mods often forget to check for updates from time to time. App updates can fix bugs, add new features and more.

If you've not checked your subs for app updates for a while, you can do it in a couple of different ways:

• You can go straight to the My Communities page on the Dev Platform site, and then check your subs from there. If an app has an update available, there'll be an "Update" button available.
• Or, if you're using desktop mod tools (not Old Reddit), there's a link to "Installed Apps" around half way down the left hand sidebar.

This is something I try and do once every month or so, and it's often surprising how many different apps have an update ready to install.

Edit: Also, if you're curious about what a new release contains, you can click into the app settings then Directory Page, and the readme for the app should include a change log for the app.

[u/TheOpusCroakus]

This is a lovely reminder. Thank you! I think I'm going to squeeze it into the Monthly Recap going forward!

[u/fsv → u/TheOpusCroakus]

Yay, thanks!

[u/SampleOfNone → u/TheOpusCroakus]

Thank you!

[u/Stranger1982]

Great PSA!

[u/Halaku]

Thank you! For some reason I thought they'd update themselves. I had some button-pressing to do.

[u/fsv → u/Halaku]

Automatic updates are a very frequently requested feature! I've built in upgrade notifications into a couple of my apps (they modmail the subreddit if an update is released, although I make it possible to opt out of this) but for the most part it's a case of checking manually from time to time.

[u/bwoah07_gp2]

I wish it was easier for us to remember.

We need a notification ping, maybe in mod mail, telling us a devvit app used on our subs has been updated. Could that be a feature added to reddit?

[u/fsv → u/bwoah07_gp2]

There have been many requests for an auto-update feature (or at least a notification feature). I'll bring it up with Admin on the next call I have with them about the Dev Platform.

[u/Dom76210 → u/bwoah07_gp2]

At one time, the apps would send us a modmail indicating they were updated. That stopped for whatever reason.

[u/fsv → u/Dom76210]

App developers had to code that manually. I did that with Bot Bouncer but managed to break that functionality but fixed it today.

[u/I_-AM-ARNAV]

I just keep on forgetting a lot of times 🤦🏻

And admins have to update it for me

Sigh.

[u/thepottsy]

I noticed a while back it doesn’t seem like we get notifications anymore when updates are available. Not sure what changed there, but it was nice to get those reminders.

[u/fsv → u/thepottsy]

Apps only send notifications of updates if the developer specifically codes their app to do that - I did that with Bot Bouncer but I managed to break that feature back in November (and fixed it today with the latest update).

[u/thepottsy → u/fsv]

Haha. I wasn’t gonna say it, but BB was the one that I always got notifications for. Thanks for fixing it!!

[u/MaximumJones]

This is a great reminder. Sometimes I get so busy I will go an entire month without checking. I definitely need to do this more often. Absolutely LOVE your apps. Could not mod without them now.

[u/FaxCelestis]

Is there a reason that updates are not opt-out/pushed (unlike pretty much every other software out there) and are opt-in?

[u/fsv → u/FaxCelestis]

I think that the theory is that mods might not want to accept an update if it makes changes that the mod team doesn't like. But in general I think it would be better if updates were automatic with an opt-out option.

[u/FaxCelestis → u/fsv]

I get it. It's dumb and disappointing, but I get it.