What is app installer?
App installer files (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/msix/app-installer/app-installer-root) are a handy technique of a single-click installation of MSIX packages from any source (local, web), at the same time providing out-of-the-box auto-update functionality. The update itself is backed by the MSIX technology, the installation via .appinstaller simply configures and automatic interval or trigger based update, which provides a seamless and transparent experience to the end user. The format has its own file extension .appinstaller, and is a simple XML file on its own.
In the current implementation, the interval and triggers are defined by the app installer vendor. MSIX Hero 1.4.0 and newer have a built-in function, which can check for any available update, and download it if required. Important is that the update check done via MSIX Hero is not a subject of interval limitation as defined by the app installer file – the results shown by MSIX Hero show the actual newest version of the checked product at the time of pressing the button.
MSIX Hero has a pretty powerful .appinstaller creator / editor which can be used by vendors and administrators to create .appinstaller with help of GUI.
Prerequisites
To check for the update, the following conditions must be met:
- MSIX Hero version 1.4.0 or newer
- Package being checked must be installed from appinstaller file
You can ensure the second condition by going to the Installation > Status tab in MSIX Hero. An app that has been installed from appinstaller file will show information like this:
Checking for app installer updates
The update can be checked from the context menu:
or from the Ribbon (tab Management):
Both options are available for single- and multi-selection.
Once an update is available, the confirmation will be shown:
If no update is available, another message will be shown:
Updating side-loaded apps
If one or more updates are available, simply press Update now to perform the update of selected app(s). The installation will be 100% the same as what app installer would otherwise do on its own, so that the update chain is preserved.
Updating Store apps
Apps from Microsoft Store have built-in auto-update capability. When the button Check for updates is pressed on one or more Store apps, the corresponding Store page will be shown:
Conclusions
If you want to force checking or installing of an updated version of an app, MSIX Hero is the way to go. It supports bulk update check and installation as well.