Updates available for Ubuntu but not installing? Let’s fix that right away!

Recently, I reinstalled Ubuntu 24.04 LTS on a new computer. After installing all the updates using apt update, imagine my disappointment when I saw this:

sudo apt update
Hit:1 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble InRelease
Hit:2 https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu noble InRelease
Hit:3 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-updates InRelease
Hit:4 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-backports InRelease
Hit:5 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu noble-security InRelease
Hit:6 https://packagecloud.io/slacktechnologies/slack/debian jessie InRelease
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree… Done
Reading state information… Done
4 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.

So far, so good ! I have 4 updates available. So I’m going to install them:

sudo apt upgrade
Reading package lists… Done
Building dependency tree… Done
Reading state information… Done
Calculating upgrade… Done
The following upgrades have been deferred due to phasing:
libfprint-2-2 libfprint-2-tod1 rsyslog ubuntu-drivers-common
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 4 not upgraded.

Wait, whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Another issue with my repos? NO! Just phasing!

Enjoy, thanks for reading! (Okay, I’m kidding, you know we’re going to talk about it!)

Phasing

Phasing is a feature introduced by Canonical (the publisher of Ubuntu) to deploy updates gradually. Instead of making an update immediately available to everyone, it is first offered to a limited group of users and then gradually extended if no major issues are detected. It’s like a second beta test (but don’t worry, the packages have already been tested upstream).

Why did Canonical implement phasing?

  • If a critical update introduces a bug, it won’t immediately affect all users.
  • The first users to receive the update help quickly identify any regressions.
  • So, it “ensures” that only safe updates are deployed on a large scale.

This system has existed on apt since 2016 but has been used more frequently since 2021 and extensively (in my opinion) since 2024.

So, not a bad idea overall! If you still want to get your updates (and not wait), it’s possible, but Canonical considers it risky. Personally, I think the risk is minimal, but I’m not Canonical 😀

Disabling Phasing on Ubuntu 24.04 and Later

To bypass phasing and download updates as soon as they are available, it’s simple ! Just a one-shot configuration.

Disclaimer: Although deployment failures are rare in the Debian/Ubuntu family, they do happen. So, running the below command might expose you to a faulty update. If you’re not convinced by my reassuring tone (and you shouldn’t be!!!), don’t risk it and wait until tomorrow to do your updates. 😘

echo 'APT::Get::Always-Include-Phased-Updates "true";' | sudo tee /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99no-phasing

After that, the classic apt update and apt upgrade commands will no longer tell you that packages are available but not for you!

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