Kodi “Update Failed” Error Information & Fix

Are you seeing an increased number of “Update Failed” error notifications in Kodi as of late. If you want to receive the latest updates to your Kodi addons and repositories, read our guide for more information.

Lately, a number of Kodi addons and repositories have been showing the “Update Failed” error message in the corner of the screen. This error message indicates that, well, there is a new update of the Kodi addon detected but it cannot install. This can happen for a number of reasons and luckily, there are a few basic fixes we can perform.

 

What does the Kodi “Update Failed” Error Mean?

When you install a Kodi repository, it is really just a pointer to a set of files stored on a web server somewhere. A git source such as GitHub is a common spot for developers to store their files. These files include addons and dependencies used by the addons to make everything run automatic for you, the end user.

When Kodi automatically updates your addons or repos, it means that Kodi is detecting files available that are newer than what you have available. A failed update means that Kodi sees newer files, but something in the data between what you have and what Kodi is trying to give you does not line up.

This data mismatch can be due to a number of factors:

  1. The version of the addon or repo does not line up with what you currently have installed.
  2. The location of the newer files has partially changed. Kodi sees that an update is available, but cannot access the new location.
  3. There is a corruption in your Kodi database.
  4. There is a corruption in the repository or addon and nobody will be able to update.

 

 

Kodi “Update Failed” March 2018 Fix

Lately, a number of Kodi addons and repositories have switched locations. This has been for a number of reasons and are related to some information we’ve posted here and here.

Because of these changes, developers have been pushing new and updated versions of each repository. Because some of the dependencies and file locations have changed, you need to manually update your Kodi repository before you will receive your addon updates.

So, in order to fix this issue, you first must know which repository your failed Kodi addon update is located in. To do this:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, navigate to Add-ons and then Video Add-ons.
  2. Scroll down to the addon which is failed. Hover onto it and press the menu button (‘c’) and then select information.
  3. Right underneath the addon icon will be it’s repository. Note this down.

 

After you know which repository is giving you issues, you need to force download the latest version. To complete these:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, navigate to Add-ons and then Add-on Browser (open box icon).
  2. Click on Install From Zip File and select the zip file of the repository you are looking for.
  3. Click on the latest .zip file to force install the latest version. Even if you suspect that you might have the latest version already, force a re-install to see if your problems fix.
  4. Next, click on Available Updates. Select the addon that was failing before and then click on Update.

With any luck, your Update Failed Kodi error will be gone and you will be good to go!

 

 

Kodi “Update Failed” Traditional Fix – Addons.db File

If the above fix does not apply to you, then you most likely have a corrupted database file that is preventing Kodi from updating versions to the latest. In order to fix this:

  1. From the Kodi main menu, navigate to System > File Manager.
  2. Click on Profile Directory and then Database.
  3. Locate all files that are of the format AddonsXX.db where XX is a number. Hover on each file, press the menu button (‘c’) and select Delete. 
  4. After you have deleted your Addons database files, Restart Kodi. 

After you restart Kodi, verify that your addons update now!

 

Did this fix your Update Failed Kodi issues? Let us know on Twitter or Facebook if we can help you out!

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About Ryan William

Ryan is a content writer and SEO specialist. He has interest in all things technology and has published over 2000 posts on the internet. At Kodi Tips, his focus is on hardware, software, crypto games, and how-to tutorials.

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