# When an app update is waiting for your decision

Most app updates arrive on their own. An update that asks for new permissions, more access to your data, or changed terms waits for the Owner to accept or decline it. Until then, the app keeps running on its current version.

> **Type:** guide
> **For:** the Owner. Managers ask the Owner for a decision.
> **Prerequisite:** an app with the status **Update waiting**
> **Where in the portal:** **Apps** › **My apps** › **Decide**, or the notice at the top of the portal

## What happens while an update waits

Your scenes keep showing the app as before. Only its widgets can't be placed anew until you decide. The portal shows a notice at the top with the app, the version, and the reason. It disappears once you decide.

There is no switch for automatic updates, and none is needed: an update that asks for nothing new arrives by itself, and one that asks for something always asks first.

## Steps

1. Click **Decide** in the notice or in **My apps**. The app's **Update** tab opens.
2. Read the decision. At the top it names the versions, such as "Version 1.2.0 → 1.3.0". Below it, **Reason**, **What changes**, and **Effects** say what the new version asks for and which of your scenes use the app.
3. Click **Accept** or **Decline**.

| Choice | What happens |
|---|---|
| **Accept** | The app moves to the new version with its new permissions. Its widgets can be placed again. |
| **Decline** | The app stays on its current version. We ask again with the next version. |

### Ask the Owner for a decision

As a manager, you see **Ask an owner to decide** instead of the two buttons. Add a sentence on why it matters if you like, and click **Send request**. Every Owner receives it under **Notifications** and by email.

## When your version is phased out

Sometimes we retire a version, for example because it has a security gap. The decision then shows a **Deadline** and says when the switch happens: "On … we switch to version …, even without your decision." Until then, the app keeps running and you can still decline. On the deadline, we switch the app and your scenes to the new version, and you receive the notification **App switched to a new version**.

## After a major update

After a big version jump, published scenes keep playing the previous version. The **Update** tab lists them under **Lift scenes**. **Lift all scenes to version …** gives each scene a new version that uses the installed one.

> **Tip:** Lift the scenes soon after accepting. Otherwise some displays keep showing the old version of the widget while new scenes show the new one.

## Check the result

The notice is gone, and **My apps** shows the app as **Active** or **Ready** again. Under **Earlier decisions**, the **Update** tab records who decided what and when.

## If something goes wrong

| Symptom | Cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| **Ask an owner to decide** instead of **Accept** | Only the Owner decides on updates. | Send the request. |
| **Decline** is missing | The deadline has passed. | Accept, or wait for the switch. |
| “The decision could not be saved.” | The decision didn't reach us. | Reload the page and decide again. |
| The widgets still can't be placed after **Accept** | The app is also **Not in your package**. | Click **View packages**. |

## Related

- [Look after installed apps](/apps/my-apps)
- [Find the right app](/apps/discover-apps)
- [Configure widgets: template, preview, and fields](/content/configure-widgets)