Kaspersky announced the campaign Pain in the neck, exploring users’ attitudes to updating devices. According to a study commissioned by Kaspersky in April 2021, installing updates is considered a routine boring task and half of respondents commonly snooze them. At the same time however, 43% of respondents admit that the time spent waiting for updates to take place can be used productively and they are making this a reality in their day-to-day lives.

Updates to devices are not only necessary to gain access to new features or interfaces, they also help to maintain a high level of security. Vendors regularly test their offerings to find new potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited by attackers. The timely installation of updates can serve as an effective defence against cybercriminals. This downtime can also increase people’s productivity and help with well-being.

Respondents agree that the time spent waiting for devices to update can be valuable, with 43% saying that this can be used for other purposes even if it affects their productivity and 32% even enjoy the break away from technology.

Generally, users mostly prefer to shift to other activities while updates are installing. For example, when their devices are unavailable, 27% of respondents try to switch off and relax (watch TV or read a book), 14% distract themselves by cooking, and 13% prefer sports or going for a walk. A quarter of respondents (25%) continue to do what they were doing, simply switching to another device.

Despite the benefits of such pauses, once they receive update notifications on their devices, 53% usually postpone the installation of updates. The most popular reason is because users are busy at work (30%), followed by options where users do not want to stop using their device in that moment (22%), and a quarter (25%) do not want to close the application. All in all, 65% see no harm in such delay.

“It makes complete sense to switch to another device while the gadget you were using originally is going through an update cycle. Playing sports, cooking, or a little meditation could be a timely break from the working day, helping people to relax and reboot. We were pleased to see in our survey that many people already follow healthy practices, and we call on others to follow their example. Doing so will not only help to improve your mood but can also increase productivity,” commented Maria Namestnikova, Head of GReAT Russia, Kaspersky.