On September 8, 2025 a developer clicked a phishing link, gave up his npm credentials, and poisoned billions of projects downstream. The same month, Google’s Pixel update bricked thousands of phones overnight.

Long gone are the days when we could cautiously let software auto update. Blind trust was never an option, but today there is not even the benefit of the doubt: they will ruin your day.

So what should you do? Be aware of when and why you should update. Here is how:

When should you auto update?

When Apple launches a shiny new update on stage? NO.
When a push notification nags you to “update now or your cellphone will explode”? Still NO.
When a sponsored YouTuber swears it’s the greatest thing since fire? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

So when should you do it? When you have the time to bear the consequences of an update.

What does that mean? It means you are fully aware of what could happen if you upgrade. Measuring the pros and cons is an old skill that marketing dreams of erasing, because it is free and protects you from spending your weekend fixing a broken device or worse, having to buy a new one.

How do I measure the pros?

This part is easy. Just look at the news and videos about the update. Big tech companies spend billions to make sure you hear the good side. But beware of the caveats. Apple, for example, loudly promotes new features, yet the list of supported devices is buried in tiny text. You end up updating, only to find that nothing actually works on your hardware.

How do I measure the cons?

This part is harder. Besides some obvious ones, like apps breaking or battery draining faster, many are subjective and depend on your resources to handle a failed update. Do you have backups? Do you have spare hardware? Do you have the time to troubleshoot? The fewer resources you have, the heavier the cons become.

Like almost anything on the Internet, you can look up information about the update. A simple search like problems with september update pixel error would have saved a lot of headaches for the poor Pixel users who installed it blindly. Learning from other people’s pain is free insurance.

And if you cannot find anything about the update, HOLD IT AT ALL COSTS.

Companies do not care about user satisfaction anymore

That was left in the 2000s. If a device or software SCREAMS for you to update but there is no information available, it means they want YOU to test it. The notes on these updates are always written to look unusually better than the good old bug fixes and improvements. Another way for marketing to psychologically push you into becoming their free quality assurance.

And with this we reached the why you should update.

Why should you auto update?

FoR yOuR sAfETy. The biggest LIE of the decade. Long before Covid, a manufactured anxiety was planted in the collective mind, pushing people to develop an irrational fear of being OUTDATED, as if it were a bad or even unhealthy state to be in. Companies have mastered fearmongering to the point where many users genuinely believe their device might explode if they do not update the instant a patch drops.

If this sounds like your case, look into LONG TERM SUPPORT.

It is an enterprise term for software that receives minimal updates while remaining secure, sometimes even more secure than constantly updated versions.

If that exists, why doesn’t every software have an LTS version? Because keeping one takes serious resources. LTS is mainly for enterprises, a.k.a. the customers companies CARE ABOUT. Regular users get the “NEW AND IMPROVED” releases first, where problems surface and get patched. Only after those fixes prove stable do the security and critical patches flow back into the LTS, while new features stay out entirely.

So when is it really for your safety?

When a critical vulnerability finally surfaces, it becomes front-page news, panic spreads, and the company suddenly pretends to care about its users. That is the rare moment when updating quickly is justified, because the threat is real, visible, and already being exploited.

When it’s not your personal hardware. You are not the one who has to bear the consequences of a failed update. And if it is a company device, skipping updates can cost you your job. In this case the best advice is simple: just update.

When you are an experimental user. Downloading every new thing you see on TikTok, install mods, and wander into corners of the web. You are constantly opening new attack surfaces, and patches might actually save you from yourself. But if you always open the same apps, visit the same pages, and keep your habits predictable, the risk is almost zero. For you, updates just add chaos. The more stable your routine, the more you should treat updates as optional.

When you are wealthy. You probably already know, but if you are a constant target for scams, leaks, or tailored attacks, then updates are a necessity.

A simpler way to know

Summarizing everything, before you update ask yourself:

  • Do I have the time and resources to bear the consequences if this update fails?
  • Is there real feedback from other users about this update? Are they seeing problems or successes?
  • Is this update fixing a critical vulnerability that is being actively exploited, or just adding a nothingburger?
  • Is this device mine, or does skipping the update risk my job or responsibility?
  • Am I an experimental user constantly opening new attack surfaces, or a routine user with predictable habits?
  • Am I wealthy enough to be a direct target for scams, leaks, or tailored attacks?

If you cannot confidently answer yes to any of these, then the safest move is to wait.

And for projects

Stability is KEY. Once you find a stable codebase, stick with it. Only update when you really need to. Every other update is just another chance to break what already works.

An update routine requires communication and time. Talk with your team leader and set a clear slot for updates. Create a repository to archive your working code before touching dependencies.

Sometimes a patch introduces more issues than it solves, and having a rollback plan is the difference between a quick fix and a week of firefighting.

A project is a teamwork effort. Dropping a broken build is worse than delaying. Sometimes it fails in production, so everyone must know what is changing, why, and how to roll back.

What will happen if you do that

You regain control. You stop playing roulette with your work and devices. Weekends lost to troubleshooting become uncommon, and projects stop collapsing because of a surprise dependency bug.

Updates are no longer a threat. They become a tool you use on your own terms, at your own pace, when the risks are worth it. That is the difference between being a free tester for big tech and being the actual owner of your tools.

It is YOU WHO decides when your software and hardware need an upgrade. Do not let marketing tricks, fake urgency, or fear campaigns push you around. The choice is yours, and keeping that control is the only real way to resist planned obsolescence.