Editor's Review
Start with the name, because the name is the problem. System Update for Android sounds like a component of the operating system. It is not: this is a third-party utility from an independent developer, listed under Tools, that reports on your device's software and points you at the places where updates actually happen.
What it can do is show what you are running, including Android version, security patch level, device model and Google Play services version, and offer a shortcut into the system update screen and the store's pending app updates. As a fast way of answering how old a phone's software is, that has some value, particularly on handsets where the manufacturer has buried the setting several menus deep.
What it cannot do is deliver an update. Android firmware is signed by the device maker and distributed by that maker or the carrier; no downloadable app can install a new Android release, and none can persuade a manufacturer to issue one for a handset it has stopped supporting. Anyone installing this expecting to jump from an old build to a current one will be disappointed, and the 3.79 score largely reflects that gap between what the title implies and what arrives.
Judged as what it is, a small information tool wearing a misleading name, it is unobjectionable. Judged by its title, it fails on first launch.
Features
Android version and security patch level at a glance
Device model and hardware information summary
Shortcut into the system software update screen
Link through to pending app updates in the store
Pros
Answers the version and patch-level question faster than digging through settings
Small, free and nothing to configure
Cons
The name implies it installs system updates, which no third-party app can do
Everything reported is already available in Android's own settings
A 3.79 score largely reflects users expecting an upgrade they never receive
Little reason to keep it once you have checked your version
Questions people ask
Is this an official Google or manufacturer app?
No. It is published by an independent developer and listed under Tools. Genuine system updates arrive through your phone's own settings, from the manufacturer or the carrier.
Will it upgrade my phone to a newer Android version?
It cannot. Android firmware is cryptographically signed by the device maker, so only their update mechanism can install it. If your manufacturer has stopped issuing updates for your model, no app changes that.
Why is the rating lower than most tools?
Mostly expectation. People install it believing it will refresh an out-of-date phone, find that it reports information instead, and rate it on that rather than on what it actually does.
Do I need it at all?
Only if you check version and patch details often and find the settings screens awkward. Otherwise Settings, then About phone, gives you the same information.
