Installing updates on Sierra

[Boyd01]

Just updated my MacBook Air and Mini to Sierra about a month ago, had been using Mountain Lion until then for compatibility with expensive legacy software.

I like it, but don't quite understand how updates are handled. In older versions of MacOSX I would get a notification that updates were available and that would take me to the app store. Under Sierra, I get a notification and the options are to install now or install later. Install later is pretty obvious, but if I choose install now, nothing seems to happen.

Are the updates being silently installed in the background? There's no feedback on this and I don't even know what is getting installed. Is this the way it's supposed to work? Sorry if this is a dumb question but I've used Macs extensively since 1985 and consider myself technically advanced, but this just seems weird.
[doublepost=1504116191][/doublepost]Just to follow up a bit, I had the app store preference set to automatically check for updates and download in the background but not automatically install. So I guess this is what's happening, it just silently installs what it has already donwloaded. Still seems odd that there is no detailed info about what is getting installed. I suppose I could get that by disabling the automatic download?

 

[Ritsuka]

You can click on the notification too, it will open the App Store an show the available updates.

 

[cincygolfgrrl]

You'll know the update has begun the final install phase when the Mac wants to reboot.

 

[Boyd01]

Thanks!

But that's the thing, it has never asked to reboot, it seems like nothing happened. I guess the only updates that have come out recently don't require a restart? After 11 years of sub-megabit DSL in my rural location, I just got 150/150 FIOS, so stuff downloads in just a few seconds. Before that, I *knew* when anything was downloading.

Anyway, I turned off the automatic download pref and will see how I like that.