How Do I Update Apps On My Kindle Fire

There is no denying smartphones and tablets are playing a bigger part in our lives by the second. This is why the market is full of them and why new contenders come and go, as everyone wants their own piece of the pie.

How To Update Apps on the Kindle Fire

This brings us to Amazon. Almost everything that Amazon touched has turned to gold – the Fire phone is one of the few exceptions. But if you add Fire to Kindle, by far the world's most popular e-reader, everything has got to be golden, right? Right?

Well, you'd know this better than us since you probably own one if you're reading this article. We're just going to explain how to update apps on a Kindle Fire. But before that, let's go over one thing.

How to update app on kindle fire — *Image source: Amazon.com*

Why Even Update Apps?

Frequent updates are required in order to fix bugs. No amount of testing by the developer can beat actual usage by people all over the world. Many of them report bugs that they encounter, and the developer fixes them for future updates.

In addition, to keep things interesting, developers introduce new features once in a while. Needless to say, you'll have to update to be able to access them. Some app developers even make their app obsolete such that users would not be able to use the app until he updates it.

Ways to Update Apps

There are two main ways to update apps on a Kindle Fire: automatic and manual. Both of these options have their strengths and weaknesses, which we'll explain in the following.

Automatic

The Automatic option can be a real timesaver, as it updates apps as soon as new versions become available. This is great if you are annoyed by all those notifications telling you there is an update available.

However, updating your apps automatically may use up battery and mobile data. This can be especially troublesome if you travel a lot. If you have a lot of apps, this also might not be the best idea, as newer versions usually take up more and more space.

In any event, automatic updates should be enabled by default. But here's what you can do to check if that's the case, or if you want to disable this option:

Go to "Settings."
Find and tap the "Apps and Games" button.
Tap the "Amazon Application Settings" button.
After that, tap the "App Store" button.
Next, tap "Automatic Updates."
Finally, see if the option called "Enable Automatic Updates" is turned on. If it is, keep it that way and your apps will update automatically, or turn it off if you want to update manually.

Manual

Manual updates might require more work, but it is a pretty handy option as you get to choose which apps to update and not update. This means that you don't have to update an app if you don't want to. Some users prefer to stick with an older version of an app that they've gotten used to. It's also possible for a new version to not work as well on their device.

update apps on kindle fire — *Image source: Amazon.com*

Here's how to search for and install updates the old-fashioned way:

Find the "Apps" tab on top of the screen.
Tap the "Store" button so you can access Amazon's app store.
Open the "Store" menu by pressing the button on the mid-bottom part of the screen.
In the pop-up menu that follows, tap "App Updates."
Wait until your Kindle finishes looking for apps that need updating. This may take a short while.
If the list stays empty, this means that all of your applications are up to date. Otherwise, find the app that you want to update in the list and tap the "Update" button next to it.
Repeat for all other apps that you'd like to update.

Note: In rare cases, you may have to manually uninstall the older version first.

Frequently Asked Questions

I updated my app and now it isn't working. What's going on?

Sometimes, the newest version of an application isn't compatible with the current software you're running. If you successfully updated an app and it won't open or load properly, this is usually the cause.

Your best bet is to update your tablet's software. But, if that isn't possible (especially if you have an older device) delete the app entirely and reinstall it. An option should appear asking if you'd like to install an older version.

How do I update my Kindle Software?

Sometimes, app updates aren't enough to fix an issue. You'll need to update your Kindle software as well. First, make sure that your device is plugged into its power supply and connected to Wi-Fi.

Now, go to the Settings on your Kindle tablet and tap on 'Device Options.' From here, tap on 'System Updates.' Tap on the option to 'Check Now.' This will scan for any available updates. If one is available it should appear and you can follow the steps to perform the update.

Things to Keep an Eye Out for

You might not notice the importance of app updates right away since a lot of times an update may not include any aesthetic changes. Even if there's a bug fix, it may not necessarily apply to you. The old bug may have only affected certain devices or versions of Android.

It's generally a good idea to keep your apps updated. However, note that you won't be able to pause an update once initiated. It's either successful or it isn't.

Let us know if you'd like to learn anything else about the Kindle Fire. Scroll down and you'll see the comments section.