> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.skyvexsoftware.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Updating Stratos

> How Stratos and its plugins update, when an update waits for your flight, and how to check for one yourself.

Stratos keeps itself and your plugins up to date. Most updates arrive without you doing anything, and none of them interrupt a flight on their own: anything that needs a restart waits until you've finished, unless you choose **Install and restart** in Settings.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **At a glance**
>
> * Stratos checks for a new version every time it opens and installs it before it starts.
> * While it's open, an **Update available** button in the top bar installs and restarts in one click.
> * The button is hidden during a flight, and while a flight is waiting to be recovered.
> * Plugins update on their own, and a plugin update waits for your flight to end.

## When Stratos opens

Each time you open Stratos it checks for a new version before anything else. If there is one, it downloads and installs it, then opens as normal. The first time you open Stratos after installing, it also downloads the rest of the app, so it needs an internet connection.

## Install an update while Stratos is open

Stratos also checks when a flight ends and when you click **Check for updates**, and for a new installer when you come back to the window. Plugins check every 30 minutes.

1. When an update is ready, **Update available** appears in the top bar.
2. Click it. Stratos installs the update and restarts.

If you'd rather wait, leave it. The update installs the next time you open Stratos.

> [!NOTE]
>
> **Update available** never shows while a flight is being tracked, or while a flight is waiting to be recovered after a crash or a disconnect. It comes back once the flight is filed or cancelled.

## Check for updates yourself

1. Open **Settings → About and updates**.
2. Click **Check for updates**.
3. If it finds one, click **Install and restart**.

While a new version downloads you'll see **Downloading** and a progress bar. The bottom of the Settings section list shows the same status (**Up to date**, **Update available**, **Downloading update**), and clicking it opens **About and updates**.

> [!WARNING]
>
> **Install and restart** in Settings doesn't wait for your flight. Install updates between flights. If Stratos does restart mid-flight, it offers to recover the flight when it opens again (see [Pauses and disconnects](/guide/pauses-and-disconnects.md)).

### When you need the latest installer

Now and then a new version needs a newer copy of the app itself. **About and updates** then says which version it needs, with a **Download Stratos** button. Download and install it over the top of your current copy; you stay signed in and keep your flights.

## Plugin updates

Plugins, including the ones you installed, update on their own: Stratos checks regularly, after each flight, and when you click **Check for updates**. A plugin update that turns up during a flight waits until the flight ends, so the plugin you're flying with never changes under you.

To update a plugin straight away:

1. Open **Settings → Plugins**. A plugin with an update shows a badge.
2. Select it and click **Update**, or click **Update all**.

## Versions

**Settings → About and updates → Versions** lists the **Stratos app** and **Stratos core** versions you're running. Support may ask for them. **About Stratos** has the full details.

## If the check fails

| Message | What to do |
| - | - |
| Could not reach the update server. Check your internet connection and try again. | Check your connection, then **Check for updates** again. |
| Update verification failed. Please try again later. | The download didn't check out. Try again later. |
| Permission denied. Try running the app as an administrator. | Stratos couldn't write to its install folder. Run it as an administrator once, or reinstall it. |
| Something went wrong while checking for updates. Please try again later. | Try again later. If it keeps happening, [download the latest Stratos](https://skyvexsoftware.com/download) and install it over the top. |

## Related

* [Install Stratos](/guide/getting-started.md)
* [Uninstalling Stratos](/guide/uninstalling.md)
* [How changes reach your pilots](/guide/how-changes-reach-pilots.md), for VA owners


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