Optimize Android with Google Play Store: Fix System App Updates Not Showing

Google Play Store Oddly Hides System App Updates

Have you ever experienced your Google Play Store not showing available updates for system-level apps? You’re not alone. In this article, we’ll explore this issue and what might be behind it.

Update 10/13: The Play Store problem remains. Here are some common Google apps that don’t appear in the Pending downloads list, but will show an "Update" when you visit their Play Store listing directly:

YouTube
[Insert more apps as needed]

Update 9/4: This issue continues to affect YouTube, a pre-installed app, on multiple devices. When you receive a notification that an update is available, but the Pending downloads screen says there’s nothing to install, visiting the app’s listing in the Play Store reveals the update is available.

Update 7/11: We’re seeing it with Google Partner Setup, which is a required app for devices running Google Mobile Services.

What’s going on?

System apps with available updates are not showing up in the Pending downloads screen, even though other apps appear normally. This behavior is similar to how Google Play Services is updated automatically through the Play Store, but never appears in the Pending downloads screen.

Theories:

Intentional change: Google might be expanding what system-level applications are treated in this manner.
Cache issue: It could be a caching problem, and the app’s information isn’t being updated correctly.
Bug: This might be a bug that’s been introduced, and it’s causing the issue.

Workarounds:

Use the "Apps & notifications" menu: Go to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps, and check for updates from there.
Visit the app’s Play Store listing: If you don’t see the update in the Pending downloads screen, go to the app’s listing in the Play Store to update manually.

Conclusion:
The reasons behind this issue are still unclear, but it’s essential to stay vigilant and keep an eye on your system app updates. If you’re experiencing this problem, try the workarounds above or check for alternative ways to update your system apps.

[Image: Google Play Store with Material You design]

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