How to Disable or Enable Automatic App Updates on Android

How to disable updates Android apps

The way to disable updates Android apps is in the settings of the Google Play Store. How and where to turn off updates Android apps:

1. Run the Play Market app
2. Then click the “Settings” and look for “Auto-update apps” in section General, click on it.
3. There you can see three options:
   1. Do not auto-update apps
   2. Auto-update apps at any time. Data charges may apply
   3. Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only
4. To prevent unauthorized upgrades choose the first option, that will disable updates Android apps

How to disable updates Android apps How to disable updates Android apps How to disable updates Android apps

There is another useful function on my opinion. Allows you to run an automatic update of Android applications in the presence of an open Wi-Fi network. In order not to lose extra money boldly put a tick in the “Update via Wi-Fi only”. And now no problems with question “how can I disable the updates Android apps?”

How Do I Stop Automatic Updates on Samsung?

If you have a Samsung smartphone, the process for disabling system updates is slightly different. Here's what to do. 

The process for disabling app updates remains the same as above.

1. On your Samsung phone, tap Settings.

2. Tap Software update.

3. Toggle Auto download over Wi-Fi to off.

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Block Automatic Updates in Windows Phone

Your device will not download or upgrade to Windows 10 automatically. Windows 10 update will not show up even if you go and search for updates. Windows 10 update shows up only when an app named Upgrade Advisor is installed on your Windows Phone.

If you are on Windows 8 or 8.1, then go to Settings > Phone Update and uncheck “Automatically download updates if my data settings allow it”. That’ll help.

• Go to Settings > Network & Wireless > Data Usage and limit data usage. Maybe, using Wi-Fi can again be a problem.
• On the same screen, you can see “Use mobile data if there’s no Internet access over Wi-Fi. This will use your data plan and ay incur charges” and a Don’t Allow button next to it. Tap on it and you can restrict the use of mobile data.
• Use battery saver, which will turn all background processes off. Charging the device battery will turn off battery saver.

The other way suggested is to connect the same Wi-Fi network to a Windows PC and set the network as metered, the PC will then sync the settings to the phone. This is not checked, though.

Updates can be blocked in Windows 10 PC either by setting Wi-Fi as metered connection or by stopping and disabling Background Intelligence Transfer Service (BITS). We can hope Microsoft will bring a similar feature in any newer updates of Windows Mobile.

How to Turn Off Auto Updates on Mobile Data?

When it comes to Android system updates, you don’t have to worry about auto-updates when you’re using mobile data. Unless you download the software manually, Android won’t push them on your device.

However, as far as apps go, you do have the option only to receive auto-updates if you’re using Wi-Fi. This is the middle ground between not having any control over your apps’ updates and forgetting to update them from time to time. Here’s what you need to do only to receive app auto-updates when connected to Wi-Fi:

1. Open the Play Store on your Android device.
2. Tap on the “Auto-update apps” option.
3. Select “Over Wi-Fi only.”
4. Tap on “Done.”

Now, you don’t have to worry about any app you have using up all your mobile data ever again. To reverse this, follow the same steps and select the “Over any network” option.

How to Turn Off Automatic Updates for Google Play Apps?

You might not be against having your Android OS receive regular updates. But when it comes to auto-updates for apps, that’s a different story. How many apps have you downloaded from the Play Store? All apps have regular updates, and the most popular issue them quite frequently.

While some users don’t see a problem with that, others find themselves confused every time they receive a notification that their device has low storage, or their mobile data is running low.

With Android apps, manual updates are often the more prudent solution. Here’s how you can set that up on your device:

1. On your Android device, launch the Play Store app.
2. Tap on the three horizontal lines in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
3. Now, select “Settings” followed by “Auto-update apps.”
4. From the pop-up screen, select the “Don’t auto-update apps” option.
5. Tap on “Done.”

That’s all there is to it. From that moment on, you will need to update your apps manually. That means checking the Play Store from time to time to see if any new versions of the app are available.

Keep in mind that it’s not uncommon for users to forget about this and find themselves experiencing issues with an app, unaware that there’s an update that can fix the problem.

#2 How to disable auto-update for entire Android apps

1. Google Play Store, tap three lines icon and select Settings.

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2. Tap the Auto-update apps.

3. Choose Do not auto-update apps no matter what the type of network connection to the phone.

Turn Off Developer options

If, for any reason, you want to turn off “Developer options” on your phone, then follow the steps given below.

• Open “Developer options”.
• The first option is “Use developer options” with a switch button in front of it.
• Turn it off and go back to the “System” menu.
• The “Developer options” will disappear from the menu indicating it is disabled now.

Turn Off Automatic App Updates In iPhone

If you are an iPhone user then you can easily stop iOS apps from automatically updating. Below goes the steps:

1. Open Settings on your iOS device. Next, tap on iTunes & App Store.

2. A screen will open, there you can see an option for Updates. You can turn that OFF to stop the automatic updates of apps.

If you want to enable updates in the future then you can follow the similar steps and toggle the Updates switch to ON.

Enable Auto-Update Of Apps Over WiFi Only

Other than disabling apps from auto-update you can restrict them to update automatically only over WiFi. By doing so, your apps will not update on cellular data but whenever you connect to a WiFi network they will start updating automatically. This will save you from additional data charges on your cellular network. If you want to allow the apps to auto-update over WiFi then you can follow the methods shown below.

On Android

1. Open Play Store and tap on the hamburger icon at the top left corner. Now select settings from the menu.

2. After that, tap on App download preference and select Over Wi-Fi only as your preference and tap on DONE.

Now your apps will update only when you are connected to a WiFi network.

On iOS

1. Go to Settings on your iPhone. Scroll down and select iTunes & App Store.

2. Under iTunes & App Store, make sure Use Mobile Data is turned OFF. This will allow automatic updates to download over WiFi only.

Now the apps on your iPhone will be updated only when you are connected to a WiFi network.

Pros and Cons Of App Updates

Just like anything, updating apps has its Pros and Cons, and one must know them before actually updating apps on their smartphones. So lets quickly have a look at some Pros and Cons of updating apps before concluding the article.

Pros

1. If there are bugs in the current version of the app you are using then an update might help you rectify it.

2. Some essential new feature gets added to your app if you update it on a regular basis.

3. For better UI (User Interface), developers keep on rolling new updates on a regular basis so that the app becomes more user-friendly.

Cons

1. The size of the app increases and takes more space on your device.

2. The app might work slower than the previous version, especially if you have a low RAM device.

Read Also: Most Downloaded Apps And Games Of All Time

Conclusion

Regardless of its pros and cons updating apps on a regular basis is very important in order to use these apps properly. However, it doesn’t mean that you should go out of the way and update apps over your cellular data. As now you know how to disable automatic app updates or update apps over WiFi only on both iOS and Android devices.

Why Should I Keep My Apps and Software Updated?

There are a number of reasons why it's important to keep your apps and operating system updated. Here's a look at the key reasons.

• Security. In a fast-changing world, exploits can be discovered within previously secure Android operating system builds. An update means this security flaw is fixed so no nefarious sources can take advantage of it, meaning your phone is safer than before.
• Stability. No operating system is perfect and over time, developers can figure out ways of making it more stable and less prone to freezes or crashes. An up to date operating system is generally more stable.
• New features. Operating systems are fluid with changes meaning you can often gain new features or benefits by keeping them regularly updated. It's a similar story for apps.
• Compatibility. New apps need to be compatible with new operating systems and vice versa. By keeping both apps and Android up to date, the two will work better and more efficiently together. 

• How do I stop auto updates on a single Android app?

  Choose the app you want to stop receiving automatic updates for from the Google Play Store. Use the search bar or find the app from Manage apps & device > Manage. Tap the More icon (three vertical dots) on the upper-right corner of the app page and uncheck the box beside Enable auto update.

• How do I stop auto updates on an Android tablet?

  Use the same steps above to disable automatic system and app updates on your Android tablet. To manually update your Android tablet operating system, go to Settings > Software Update > Download and install.

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