The present technology pertains to a technique for updating an application; the technique seeks to select when to install the update to minimize interrupting a user experience with the application. For example, a system can download an update for the application and obtain an activity flag. This activity flag can indicate that the application will interrupt the user. The system can set the flag based on identifying a match between a flow profile and a current operative flow. The flow profile can be predefined and specify one or more user engagements. The operative flow can be identified based on a detection of one or more current user engagements with the application.