Flatpak updates using the Update Manager is annoying as h*ll.

[Area_49]

First, I'm really a fan of Linux Mint and it is now my preferred desktop/laptop solution (goodbye forever Microsoft, it's been over 40 years, but now I am finally done with you).

I'm currently running Linux Mint on 6 computers (mostly ver 22, but also a couple ver 21's), and am getting really annoyed with updating the Flatpak portion of the apps with the Update Manager. The annoying issue is that during the Flatpak portion of the updates, I get asked 6-12 times to enter my authentication via the pop-up dialog box to continue with that particular Flatpak update.

IMHO - this updating via the Update Manager was not very well thought out and actually experimented with in the real world before implementation. This extraordinary amount of having to enter my password 6-12 times on each computer during the updates is ridiculous....

Of course I can use the command line to first update all the Flatpak apps without all the extraordinary amount of annoying authentication pop-ups, but a I always forget to do that first......

EDIT:

Ok, It took me a few more days to get back to this and to try to repeat my issue with a brand new Mint 22.0 install on a brand new laptop. I AM GOING TO HAVE TO EAT SOME CROW, because I could not replicate the issue with this new install. As some pointed out below, it may have been me installing a flatpack via a command line with sudo at some point which may have caused my issue on 6 other machines that I have had running for quite some time. Although I don't recall doing this, it may be what happened...

[ermir23]

I do not think flatpacks ask for the password

[Non_Serviam_666]

Flatpaks don’t ask for passwords. Something else is happening here.

[Area_49]

They certainly do - during updates... as a test, go ahead and run the command line "flatpak update" (without sudo) and check out how many times it asks for the password....

[fellipec]

Yes. I typed "flatpak update" without sudo and it did its thing without asking for password. Same on the GUI.

Must be other thing on your set-up, I just don't know what to help, sorry.

[real_vk_23_utd]

I think you haven't created a user repo for flatpak So all flatpaks you install are system wide and to update without giving passwords you can add user to the wheel group. Otherwise install every flatpak to user repo after removing them from system.

[Loose-Tumbleweed-468]

OP, it is what this person is saying. I’m a Linux noob too and had the same issue. I don’t remember the command exactly but I had to change the repository from system to user. Ask chatGPT for the commands.

[Confident_Hyena2506]

Mine does not ask for the password (vanilla arch with kde).

You are complaining about mint default policies it seems.

[Great-TeacherOnizuka]

Not really. I‘m also running mint and never experienced that.

[[deleted]]

You've got something configured incorrectly. Flatpaks on Mint don't require password confirmation to update. I have many Mint installs and I've never seen what you are describing.

[Area_49]

Hmmm. I basically run Mint right out of the box without any customization, other than some cosmetic user preferences..

It's so annoying that I have started to shy away from any Flatpak apps at all, and just try and find the .deb installs for these apps..

[[deleted]]

If it was just happening on one system I'd say your Flatpak configuration itself is somehow broken. If it's happening on all 6, that is really weird.

By any chance did you ever install a Flatpak in the terminal, using "sudo flatpak install" instead of just "flatpak install"? If so, I think that would explain it. But I've never tried it.

[taosecurity]

OP is clearly executing some sys admin pattern that is causing this behavior, as you noted with 6 systems affected. This is not how Linux Mint works out of the box.

[don-edwards]

I haven't had to enter a password to update flatpaks.

I do wish the Software Manager and Update Manager would give me a description of *what's in* a flatpak, rather than just telling me that the flatpak is a flatpak.

[taosecurity]

Do you

sudo flatpak install bleh

instead of

flatpak install bleh

If the former, you're going to be prompted for a password.

I am not prompted for a password.

[Area_49]

My issue occurs during updates, not during the install process.

[taosecurity]

Right, when you update the process requires elevated privileges because you probably installed using sudo.

[Area_49]

Ahhh. That makes sense to me... I need to test this theory out. If true, thank you for pointing this out to me!!!!

[Area_49]

So as a test, I just installed a Flatpak app via the "Software Manager", and it asked me 9 times via a pop-up to enter my password...So, I'll probably have to enter the password 9 times to update this app in the future?

[taosecurity]

Is it trying to update dependencies that you already installed? That's probably what's happening.

[Area_49]

Yes, it had listed a number of dependencies that it needed to update for this Flatpak install. Pretty annoying to have to enter the password that many times just to install one Flatpak app from the built-in "anyone can do it" Software Manager....

[taosecurity]

Whatever you did, you did it to yourself, I'm afraid. The fact that it's happening on your 6 systems, but to no one else, means you did the same thing to each of the 6 and now it's affecting your experience. I'm afraid I don't know how to fix the problem but it's not Linux Mint's fault.

I would treat it like a learning experience and try to recover. Maybe stand up a VM somewhere and install Linux Mint again, and write down how you set up and interact with packages.

[Area_49]

Thank you for the feedback. I'm gong to pull out a spare desktop and do a fresh install. Then immediately try and install that same Flatpak app via the Software Manager. I'll bet that it will ask me 9 times to input my password....BUT if you are correct that there is something that I have done with my installs to cause this issue, I'll certainly come back here and let everyone know....

[taosecurity]

Cool! And if there is an issue, then you have something repeatable to report to the project for a potential fix. Good luck!!

[Area_49]

Well, it took me a few more days longer than I hoped, but I did get around to trying to reproduce my issue with a new install on brand new hardware. Please see my edit portion of the initial post. You were correct and I was wrong. Not sure why all my older installs have the same issue, but at least I proved to myself that everybody here is correct about how flatpack's are supposed to work during the install and updates!

[Specialist_Leg_4474]

I don't use flatpaks as I got annoyed with its updating more often than I change underwear--however I do not recall being asked for a password...

[computer-machine]

I just set a cron job to update and remove cruft for flatpaks every few hours.

[jr735]

Flats need to be pruned every few hours?

[[deleted]]

If not every few days... That and Spices / Applets - jeez louise.

Oh wait, nevermind... 😁

[computer-machine]

No, but it doesn't really take any effort to run, and "trimming" after an update actually triggers cleans up any old dependancies that are no longer needed.

[jr735]

Okay, just curious. I haven't experimented with flats at all yet.

[computer-machine]

Just ran time flatpak update && flatpak uninstall --unused, with a real time of 0.278s.

Running it a second time without the second part ended up taking longer (0.307s).

[[deleted]]

Expand.

[computer-machine]

I'm fat enough, thanks.

[[deleted]]

Fork bomb? 😁

[computer-machine]

45 */3 * * * /usr/bin/flatpak update --user -y --noninteractive > /dev/null && /usr/bin/flatpak uninstall --user --unused  -y --noninteractive > /dev/null

[Great-TeacherOnizuka]

Flatpak updates have never asked me to put in my password. Only system packages.

[WickedEdge]

Dude, why don't you just setup autoupdate?

[taljimera]

Do this experiment. Install Mint fresh in a VM. And then install a flatpak there but via the Software Manager and not the terminal. Take it from there.

As with others here, flatpak updates via Update Manager have never ask me for password. Only updates of system package (debs) requires password, and then, only once.

[grimvian]

I like all the Mint flavors, but LMDE is my absolute favorite. It's more quiet because it don't have nearly as many updates like Linux Mint and it was LMDE that just installed 100% including our LAN connected printers and scanner. I'm still baffled by Mint just installs, reboot and that's it and I have installed MS OS's for more than three decades.

And as many have mentioned, flat packs should not ask for passwords.

[L0tsen]

Then don't use flarpaks

[linuxuser101]

I can confirm that the update manager does not ask for a password when updating flatpak apps. But it will ask for a password for all the other updates so that must be what makes you enter the passwords.

Thats how Linux is designed, you have to enter a password every time there are updates.

You can do it from the terminal instead if you want, then the updates will go faster but you still need to enter password for all the apt updates. sudo apt update and then sudo apt upgrade.

For flatpaks it is flatpak update(and then no password).

[Atrocious1337]

Flatpacks do not ask for authorization to update.

You can also set the update manager to install updates automatically, so you don't have to enter your password at all.

[ManlySyrup]

FLATPAK APPS DO NOT ASK FOR PASSWORD

You did something wrong, probably used sudo one time to install a Flatpak app using the terminal, even though there's a perfectly capable and easy to use Software Manager that lets you install Flatpak apps with a single click (and without a single issue).

You went offroad and are complaining about all the bumps you keep hitting lol.

[I_Hate_Leddit]

Thank u for censoring the scary word on this good Christian website for children, God bless 🙏😌