Android or iOS, and now even the Modern Apps of Windows 10 have kind of spoiled us when it comes to app updates.
If enabled in the settings, they are automatically downloaded and
installed when your phone or tablet is ideal and you don’t even have to
raise your eyebrows to get these things done. However, this is not the
case with the traditional apps we use on our computer, at least with
most of them. Get Software Update Notification in Windows | Shutterstock
Most of the times we are not notified if the app has an update from
the developer with new features or stability improvement as a reason, we
still use the older version of the software which is not the optimal
thing to do. But not anymore as today I am going to talk about some apps
that you can use on your Windows to get notified about the updates of
other 3rd party software on your computer.
1. Patch My PC
Patch My PC is the first program that you can download to scan and update software on your Windows computer. Patch My PC is a portable app
and doesn’t need installation of any kind. The moment you start the
app, it will automatically scan the software installed on your computer
against its internal database and tell you the apps that need an update.
Programs that are outdated will be shown in red, the ones that have the
latest version installed will be in green and the apps that are not
installed on your computer and are part of Patch My PC list will be
shown in black.
Now to update the software, you need to put a check against them and click on the button Perform Updates.
Just make sure that you close any open program that you are working on,
especially if it’s part of the update list. The program will then
automatically download the update installer and update these programs in
the background and everything will be done silently and you will not be
asked for any inputs.
You also get the option to schedule these updates from the Schedule option
which is quite nice and once that’s enabled, you can be sure that your
computer will have the latest software on your computer. The USP of
Patch My PC is its uninterrupted installation of software
and it’s like an install and forget software which will take care of
everything for you. The only downside is that the list of apps that it
can update is very limited and for a power user it might not be enough
and the next app that we are going to talk about will answer that issue.
2. FileHippo App Manager
FileHippo App Manager
is another app that you can try to update other 3rd party software on
your computer. The app is not portable and needs to be installed on your
computer. After you launch the app, it will scan your computer for
software and let you know the app that is installed and the number of
which needs an update.
The major difference here is that the app does not support batch
updates and silent installation. You will be given the option to
download and run the updated installer and you will have to do it
manually for all the updates that are on the list.
You can enable the settings to launch at boot and automatically scan
for new software updates. The app uses the FileHippo website to read the
updated software builds and then download it from its server. Each time
you ask the app to analyze the list of apps on your computer, it sends
the data to its server and waits for the updated information. Cool Tip:FileHippo
is a cool place to download an old version of software if the newer
version is missing any feature that you loved or is just not compatible
with your computer.
There are Others too
There are other apps like Ninite Updater and SUMo (Software Update Monitor) that
bring in similar functionalities, however, Ninite costs $9.99 per year
while the SUMo is a bit complicated to use for an average end-user.
These are the two best apps using which you can update freeware on your
computer. As FileHippo manager does not include batch install, you can
use both Patch My PC and FileHippo to update your computer. While former
will take care of the majority of the apps and batch install the
update, FileHippo App Manager can take care of the remaining.
