eli5: Why do we need to constantly do software updates? What happens if I dont?
In: Technology
There’s many reasons but the main 3 are security features, device compatibility, and new things being added.
The big one (and reason to regularly update) is security. Imagine securing software like trying to make a door that only you can walk through. After you use it enough times, other people trying to also walk through that door (steal your data, personal info, or financial info) might pick up on patterns and think of ways of keeping the door propped open, messing with the locks, etc. Security updates close these loopholes and keep the door only opening for you.
Another one is new devices. An app might’ve been written for the iPhone X but a few years later we’re now on the iPhone 15 with a completely different operating system and features that didn’t exist when the app was written. It needs to know how to recognize and interact with that new OS (and any future updates to the OS) or it could introduce bugs and crash the app.
Finally, and most straight forward, is them adding new stuff to the software. As people use something they provide feedback and the company uses updates to add that feedback into the software.
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