What AutoPilot Does

For every extension with auto-update turned on, AutoPilot:

1. Checks the extension's own update server for a newer version, twice a day. These are the same servers Joomla itself uses.
2. Installs the update once a day, with Joomla's own installer. When the developer publishes a checksum, AutoPilot compares it first and refuses a package that does not match.
3. Records the result in Activity, so you can see what changed and when.

You decide which extensions take part: every extension has its own auto-update switch, and all of them start off.

AutoPilot updates extensions only: components, modules, plugins, templates, libraries, language packs, file packages and packages. It does not update Joomla itself. Use System → Update → Joomla for that.

The free edition does not take a backup before an update and cannot undo one. Keep making regular site backups. If you want a snapshot before every update, checks after it and one-click rollback, that is what AutoPilot Pro adds.