In the past I experienced it several times that several versions of the Google Chrome browser would not update automatically anymore. I could not really figure out back then was was causing the update issues, and resorted to downloading the latest setup file from the official website to install the latest version of the Chrome browser anew on the system.
The problem with this approach is that there is a time gap between the last update and you finding out that the browser's automatic update feature is not working anymore. Not updating the browser to the latest version can also mean that it is less stable than the latest version, lacks features that Google integrated into a newer version, and that it may be vulnerable to security exploits that have been fixed in the latest versions of the web browser.
A recent change indicates that Google is well aware of the issue and decided to do something about it. The Chrome browser is comparing its current version with the latest available version, and if those versions are at least one major revision apart from each other, the following notification bubble is displayed.
Chrome auto-update error
Chrome could not update itself to the latest version, so you are missing out on awesome new features and security fixes. You need to manually reinstall Chrome
Reinstall Chrome Later
You get the option to reinstall the Chrome browser with a click on the button. While that is comfortable and all, the real improvement here is that you are notified that your browser is out of date and needs updating.
There are a couple of limitations that prevent the feature to work. On Windows, if policies are in place that prevent the auto-updating for instance, or on Mac systems if Google Updater is not installed. (via Francois Beaufort)
Enjoyed the article?: Then sign-up for our free newsletter or RSS feed to kick off your day with the latest technology news and tips, or share the article with your friends and contacts on Facebook, Twitter or Google+ using the icons below.