Automatic update prompt opens the website instead of using the built-in updater

Problem

On macOS, accepting Anki’s automatic update notification opens the download page in a browser. However, Tools → Check for Updates uses the built-in download/install flow.

These two entry points appear to offer the same action but behave differently.

Steps to reproduce

1. Start Anki when an automatic update notification is available.
2. Accept the prompt to download the update.
3. Anki opens the website instead of downloading the update within the application.

Expected behavior

Accepting the automatic notification should use the same download flow as Tools → Check for Updates, while preserving the “Ignore this update” option.

If opening the website is intentional or required in some cases, the prompt should make that distinction clear.

Code references

In qt/aqt/update.py:

• prompt_to_update() calls openLink(aqt.appWebsiteDownloadSection).
• prompt_and_install_github_update() calls _download_github_update_and_install(release).

This difference is present in both the 26.08.1 and 26.09.2 source.

The old launcher update branch was removed in commit 0d7b3fdd9681a7a2f9b7c654dac16a27e86c615d, leaving the website-opening behavior.

Proposed direction

Could the automatic notification reuse the existing download flow after confirmation?

It should download the version offered by the notification, retain cancellation and “Ignore this update,” and report download failures explicitly.

This request concerns consistency between update entry points, not fully unattended installation. On macOS, the existing flow downloads and opens the DMG.

Is there a compatibility or release-rollout reason for keeping these paths separate? I would be interested in preparing a focused PR if this change is welcome.