Keep AceMoney Studio up to date

AceMoney Studio on a computer updates itself: it checks quietly, downloads in the background and installs when you quit. This page explains how that works, how to check by hand, what the updates period of an AceMoney Studio license means, and how the phone app will update.

How updates arrive on a computer

About ten seconds after launch, and then about once a day while the app is open, Studio checks for a newer version. If you are offline, nothing happens and nothing is shown.
A newer version is downloaded and checked in the background. You keep working.
When it is ready, the Software Update tab of Settings shows it under Available with a Restart to update button.
Press it, or simply quit the app when you are done. The update is installed on quit and the app starts again.
On the next launch the new version must start cleanly. If it fails to start several times in a row, Studio puts the previous version back on its own, so an update never leaves you without a working app.

Updates need no administrator password on macOS or Linux, and the Windows version installs per user, so no elevation prompt appears there either. The Free version and the unlocked app both receive updates.

Check for updates by hand

Open Settings and choose the Software Update tab.
It shows Installed (the version you are running), Channel (stable) and Last checked (never, just now, or how long ago).
Press Check for updates now. While it works, the button reads Checking…, then Downloading… and Verifying… if there is something new.
If a newer version exists, Available shows it as ready to install on restart, and Restart to update appears.

From version 1.2, the tab also says what the check found: You have the latest version (…) with your version number, or Couldn’t check for updates. Check your connection and try again.

Install a staged update

Press Restart to update. The app closes, installs the new version and opens again with your document. Nothing changes in your document until the new version opens it. If the new version needs to upgrade the document’s internal format, it first takes a backup labeled Before upgrade followed by the version (see Backups and restore).

Updates and your AceMoney Studio license

An AceMoney Studio license includes every update released in the 12 months after purchase. After that:

The version you have keeps working, with no time limit, and stays activated.
A version released after your period cannot activate your license on a new or reinstalled computer. The message is This license doesn’t cover updates as recent as this build — renew to activate the latest version. A computer that was already activated is never locked by an update.
An optional yearly updates renewal, bought before your first year of updates ends, is planned. It is not on sale yet; see the pricing page.

The Free version has no updates period. See The Free version and the AceMoney Studio license.

Open a document with an older version

If a document was last used by a newer Studio and you open it with an older one (for example on a second computer that has not updated yet), a notice appears once: “This document was last used with a newer version of AceMoney. Anything added with that version’s features won’t show here until AceMoney updates again. Nothing was deleted, and a backup was saved before this version opened it (Settings ▸ Document ▸ Backups).” Press OK, update the older computer, and everything shows again. Until then, Check Document lists the same note under Hygiene.

Notices you may see on the Software Update tab

Updates are currently unavailable. Several checks in a row could not verify the update feed. The app keeps working; try again later, and contact support if it lasts for days.
Updates may be blocked — this app hasn’t confirmed a fresh update feed in a while. No verified check has succeeded for over a month, usually because a firewall, proxy or filtering software blocks the app. Allow the app through and press Check for updates now.
A recent update failed to install and won’t be retried — a newer update will still be offered when available. One version could not be installed; the app stays on the version you have and will offer the next release.
From version 1.2, on Windows: AceMoney Studio couldn’t install version … because its folder was in use. Close other windows or programs that may be using the folder, then check for updates again. The notice stays until the update installs or you press Dismiss.

macOS

The download is a signed and notarized app; updates replace it in place. No administrator password is needed.

Windows

Studio installs for the current Windows user only, so updates never ask for administrator rights. If your organization’s policy blocks per-user installs, updates cannot install; ask your administrator.

Linux

Studio for Linux (x64) is installed per user from the archive on the website with its install script, without root. Updates install the same way, into your own home folder.

iOS (iPhone and iPad)

AceMoney Studio Mobile is coming to the App Store, from version 1.2. It will update through the App Store like any other app, and its Settings have no Software Update tab.

Android

AceMoney Studio Mobile is coming to Google Play, from version 1.2. It will update through Google Play, and its Settings have no Software Update tab.

Common questions

How do I find out which version I have?

Settings ▸ Software Update shows it as Installed. About AceMoney Studio in the top bar shows it too. Include it when you write to support.

Are updates free?

Yes. The Free version updates for as long as it exists, and an AceMoney Studio license includes 12 months of updates from purchase. After that, the version you have keeps working.

Can I turn automatic updates off?

There is no switch to turn them off. Nothing is installed while you work; the update waits until you quit or press Restart to update.

Can I go back to an older version?

Studio does that on its own only if a new version fails to start. Otherwise, contact support with the version you had and why you need it back.

Does an update change my document?

An update never changes your data. If a version needs a newer internal format, it first takes a backup labeled Before upgrade followed by the version, and an older version opening that document afterwards shows the notice above and keeps everything.

Where is Software Update on my phone?

There is none. On a phone or tablet the App Store or Google Play updates the app.

Troubleshooting

Restart to update never appears. You are on the latest version, or the check has not run yet. Press Check for updates now and read Last checked. If the tab shows one of the notices above, follow its advice.

I cannot find Software update under Settings ▸ Account. It has its own tab now: Settings ▸ Software Update.

The app opened in the old version after I restarted. The new version failed to start, or on Windows its folder was in use, and Studio kept the previous one. Your document is untouched. Close other programs and press Check for updates now later; if it happens again, contact support with your version and operating system.

“Updates may be blocked” on a work computer. Filtering software is stopping the app from reaching the update feed. Ask your administrator to allow AceMoney Studio, or download the current version from the website and install it over the existing one; your document and settings stay.

A document says it was last used with a newer version. Update this computer, then open the document again. Nothing was deleted in the meantime.

“This license doesn’t cover updates as recent as this build” on a new or reinstalled computer. Your 12 months of updates ended before this version was released. Open a Licensing and billing questions request on the support portal with your purchase e-mail and the last four characters of your key; support sends you the download for the latest version your license covers, which activates normally.

The update asks for an administrator password. Studio’s own updates never do. If a prompt appears, you may be running an installation placed in a system folder by hand; reinstall for your user from the website.