Why Won’t Chrome Update My Social Fixer Extension?!
Whenever I release an update to Social Fixer, many Google Chrome users are frustrated or confused about the update process. So I thought I would explain some of the details…
1. Extensions [should] update automatically
Chrome is all about simplicity for the user, which means that it updates itself in the background and it also updates all your extensions. That’s how it should work, at least. I’ve heard some people complain that Chrome doesn’t do this, and I don’t know why. It could be that they’ve messed with the registry or configured Chrome in some custom way. But there isn’t even an option to disable extension auto-updates, so it should work seamlessly. In theory.
2. The Web Store doesn’t update everyone at once
This is a big annoyance for me. When I post an update to the web store, it is not immediately visible to everyone. Google slowly syncs the update to its whole content distribution network, which can take many hours. So User A sees the new version instantly, but User B doesn’t see it until tomorrow. When I post a message saying a new version is available, I often get many replies saying they can’t see it. This is why, and I have no control over it. I’ve even told Google how annoying it is: [Staggered Web Store Updates causes continued confusion!]
If a new version is out there but it’s not visible to you yet, you will just see this when you view Social Fixer in the web store:
This just means you have to check back later.
3. Extensions can only be installed from the Web Store
I used to distribute the Chrome extension from my web site, which worked well. But then Google changed Chrome’s security model for extensions. They said that extensions must be installed from their Web Store, to maintain security. So I can no longer provide a simple link to the install file to update – I can only link to the extension page in their Web Store. It’s not quite as simple as it used to be, but unfortunately there is no easy work-around for now. (Extensions can be installed from other sites, but that is beyond the ability of most casual users, and experienced users will figure it out on their own!)
4. Beta versions have a different internal ID
Before I release updates, I test them in beta form to a smaller group of early testers (in the Social Fixer Development group). But for Chrome, this extension is hosted locally, not in the web store, which means it has a different internal extension ID. So to Chrome, this is an entirely different extension, and installing it can leave two copies in place – the old version and the new beta version. Further, they won’t share settings because they are different ID’s, so if you disable the old one and use the beta, you lose your settings. And when you switch back to the official one when it’s released, you lose them again! This is a pain, but so far I haven’t found a work-around for this.
5. You can force your extensions to update now
Fortunately, there is a way to force your extensions to update right now. In Chrome, if you navigate to chrome://chrome/extensions/ (or open Options → Tools → Extensions) and enable Developer Mode, an “Update extensions now” button appears:
Unfortunately, if the Web Store update hasn’t rolled out to you yet (see #2), then it still won’t find the new version. There’s no way around that. But at least you can try to update manually.
6. Sometimes extensions become disabled
For whatever reason, sometimes users find that extensions have become disabled. Luckily, re-enabling is simple. As with #5, first open your extension list, then find Social Fixer, and click the Enabled checkbox:
7. Sometimes Chrome needs to be restarted
Other users have reported that even after they have updated Social Fixer, the update doesn’t appear in their browser. In many cases, restarting Chrome makes the update appear. Again, I don’t know why this is the case, or why only a small percentage of users see this behavior.
8. Re-install Chrome?
In extreme cases, users have reported that re-installing Chrome can cause the extensions to update correctly. This should definitely not be the case, but it’s something to try as a last resort. There have been issues with Chrome user profiles becoming corrupt, which might prevent extensions from updating correctly. So if all else fails, try re-installing Chrome, and see if that helps.
In Conclusion…
This can be tricky, and I try hard to simplify it for everyone. Chrome is just one of 6 different browser extension formats that Social Fixer supports, so having to deal with their extension update problems can be a pain. Hopefully this post will clear up some confusion for some people now and in the future!
– Matt Kruse, author of Social Fixer