I've got you covered, @Phyllisj. Here's everything you need to know about QuickBooks updates. 

In QuickBooks, you'll see update prompts when there are new important additions included on your software's release version. Just like for Release 10 (R10), there is a lot of new features update happen which requires you to update the QuickBooks first before opening the company file. For more info, please see this article: Release notes for QuickBooks Desktop 2020.

You can also head to the Update QuickBooks Desktop to the latest release page if in case you want QuickBooks to be automatically updated. With this, QuickBooks will automatically download and installs the latest updates when they're released. 

Keep me posted here if you have further concerns about updating your QuickBooks. I want to ensure your success. Thanks for coming to the Community and take care.