Mystery Bug or New Play Store Behavior? System App Updates Vanish from Pending Downloads

Summary

In a recent development affecting Android devices, the Google Play Store is not displaying available updates for system-level applications in the Pending downloads list. This issue has been ongoing since February 6th and affects multiple apps including Android Switch, Android System Intelligence, Google Partner Setup, Google Wi-Fi Provisioner, Settings Services, Pixel Weather, YouTube, and YouTube Music.

Key Points:

• Notification Discrepancy: Users receive notifications for available updates, but the updates do not appear in the Pending downloads list.
• Manual Updates Required: To update these apps, users must visit the specific app listing directly in the Play Store.
• System App Update Mechanism: This behavior could be an intentional change by Google, similar to how Google Play Services is updated automatically without appearing in the Pending downloads screen.
• Impact on Auto-Update: If auto-updates are disabled, system apps will not update automatically, and users must manually check for updates.

Google has moved some of these system apps to the Play Store to facilitate faster delivery of bug fixes, improvements, and critical updates. However, this change in behavior is causing inconvenience for users who rely on the Pending downloads list to manage their app updates.