It’s now easier to update your apps in the Google Play Store

2 min readUpdated May 27, 2025Nov 3, 20228:17 AM

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The guys over at Mountain View are tinkerers by nature. How else can you explain why there are so many small changes made to the Android UI or the UI on Android apps? These changes are usually made to improve the user experience. And Google has done it again, this time making a small but subtle change to the Google Play Store via a server-side update.

Such updates are done without the user being involved and typically, a user might spot something different and say to himsel,f “this button didn’t look like this the other day, did it? Or am I seeing things?” The latest such change took place, as we said, in the Google Play Store where the “Update” and the “Update all” buttons have been made larger. The pill-shaped buttons are “plumper” which makes it easier to press when there is a long list of apps to update and there is one specific one you want to have updated first.

The latter also reports that there is a bug that causes some Android apps to crash when you scroll to the box titled Data safety on a Play Store listing. Some users are complaining that when they tap the See details link in green at the bottom of the box, the Play Store crashes. If you need to check the Data safety listing for a certain app to see which of your data is collected and shared by developers, you might have to go online to play.google.com.

The bigger “Update” and “Update all” buttons can be found on this writer’s Pixel 6 Pro running Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3. If you are still dealing with the “skinnier” buttons, there isn’t much you can do except wait for Google to tap the button that sets off the server-side update for your Android phone.

To update the apps on your Android phone open the Google Play Store. Tap the round button with your initials or photo on the right side of the search field at the top of the screen. Press on Manage apps & device and you’ll be taken to a page that shows the number of app updates you have ready. Tap on details and you’ll see all of the updates that are ready in a queue. You can tap on each app’s individual (and hopefully plumper) “Update” button or press on the “Update all” button to take care of business with a single press.

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Questions & Answers

What is the main change Google has made to the Play Store's update functionality?

Google has made the 'Update' and 'Update all' buttons in the Play Store larger and 'plumper'. This change aims to make them easier to press, especially when managing a long list of app updates.

How are these changes to the Play Store being delivered to users?

These changes are being delivered via a server-side update. This means users do not need to do anything specific; Google remotely updates the Play Store on their Android phones.

Is there a known issue affecting the Play Store reported in the article?

Yes, some users are reporting a bug where the Play Store crashes. This happens when they scroll to the 'Data safety' box on a listing and then tap the 'See details' link.

What workaround is suggested if a user needs to check an app's Data safety information but experiences crashes?

If the Play Store crashes when trying to view data safety details, users might need to go online instead. They can check the information by visiting play.google.com on a web browser.

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