App Store icon no longer flags updates available

DaveWT

Well-Known Member
Is it only me, or has anyone else noticed that the App Store app icon in the doc no longer puts a little red flag up showing there are updates available. This has been my experience with macOS 11.4 and perhaps 11.3 and earlier. Fortuanately I am getting a notification pop up at the top right corner of my screen when updates are available but wonder what has changed (if anything)?
 

DaveWT

Well-Known Member
Hi Chas,

Thanks for this thought. I sure have no idea how I could have turned that off since it used to work. Could a recent update have changed it?
But in any case, I can find no way to check it (let alone turn it on if needed.) I have looked in the App Store preferences and in System Preferences > Notifications. There, the App Store isn't even listed. I found an Apple Support document that seems to confirm that It would be System Preferences > Notifications where I need to look, but don't see anything there.

So more help, please.
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
Check System Preferences -> Software Update -> Advanced, and see if you have "Install App Updates from the App Store" checked. If so, you're unlikely to see any update notifications because they are installed automatically.

You can check this by going to the App Store app -> Updates, and you'll see what has been recently updated. If there are things there you don't remember updating, you have automatic App Store updates turned on.
 

DaveWT

Well-Known Member
No, I don't have automatic updates turned on. The recent Keynotes, Numbers and Pages updates which I did 2 days ago were only the result of me receiving the notification at the top right of my screen and not the little red flag on the icon in the dock. i. e. I had to go and look for the updates after seeing that notification. If I had overlooked that, I wouldn't have known to go and get those updates.
 

chas_m

Well-Known Member
At the risk of asking a stupid question, is “badges” one of the notification styles that is turned on for the Mac App Store?
 

DaveWT

Well-Known Member
As Alan would say: "There are no stupid questions". But having said that, my June 5 response did mention that when I go to System Preferences > Notifications, I don't even see the App Store listed. Perhaps I am being really thick and missing something obvious. (Could there be stupid answers?) Thanks for continuing to try and help. It isn't an earth shattering issue in the grand scheme of things but more of a curiosity at this point. Odd that while System Preferences > Notifications doesn't even list the App Store, I do still get an actual notification showing up at the top right corner of my screen when there are updates available. Just not the flag on the Dock icon.
 
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