Setup Guide · How-to
Left plugged in, every platform updates itself overnight; where the manual check lives for the evening an app insists.
Streaming devices update for three reasons: new app requirements, security, and patches for problems you have not met yet. All current platforms update themselves automatically when left plugged in and online — the only real skill is knowing where the manual check lives for the evening an app insists.
Menu paths below were compiled from each manufacturer’s documentation and move occasionally between versions; the on-screen words are the authority.
Every platform here updates itself overnight when idle. The habit that makes this work: leave the device on its own power adaptor rather than a TV USB port that sleeps, and let it restart when it asks. A device that is always yanked mid-evening never gets its quiet hours.
Roku: Settings, then System, then System update, then Check now. Fire TV: Settings, then My Fire TV, then About, then Check for Updates. Apple TV: Settings, then System, then Software Updates. Google TV devices — including onn and the Google TV Streamer: Settings, then System, then About, then System update. NVIDIA SHIELD: Settings, then Device Preferences, then About, then System upgrade (some versions say System update).
Apps update separately and automatically; a manual sweep is in each store’s “manage apps” area if an app alone is misbehaving.
If this stage fails: If an update fails once, let the automatic retry handle it overnight; repeated failures belong on the manufacturer’s help pages.
A weekly restart clears the cobwebs updates cannot reach: sluggish menus, an app that will not open, audio that drifted out of sync. Every platform has a Restart entry in its System or Device menu — a gentler habit than pulling the plug, and the first thing worth trying when something feels off.
If this stage fails: If restarts become a daily need, something deeper is wrong — that is a manufacturer-support situation, not a settings one.
This guide was compiled from the manufacturer's setup documentation. It is educational and general; it is not service for a specific device, subscription or account.