As the number of apps installed on our phones and tablets continues to grow, keeping them all up to date can become quite a hassle. Most of the time, app developers push out “bug fix” updates that don’t require your attention.
You have better things to do with your life, like spending all your time watching cat videos on YouTube or binge-watching the next season of your favorite show on Netflix. There is also something called work. That’s why on Android, Google Play’s default instruction is to automatically update apps over a Wi-Fi network.
But sometimes, you don’t want your application to move to the latest available version, for a variety of reasons: it could be a support-breaking issue, or an unfavorable new feature. Unlike the Apple App Store, the Play Store has more granular control over which apps allow automatic updates and which don’t.
How to disable or enable automatic app updates on iOS
How to disable automatic updates for specific apps on Android
If you like the idea of ​​automatic updates but want to prevent certain apps from doing so, here are the instructions to disable automatic updates for specific apps:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Touch the hamburger icon in the upper left corner and select My apps and games. Swipe up to find the app of your choice.
- Or, just click the search icon and enter the name of the app.
- After entering the application page, click on the three-dot icon in the upper right corner.
- Uncheck Automatic updates.
that’s all. From now on, the app will not update unless you open the Play Store and instruct it to do so. Other applications will continue to update automatically.
How to disable automatic updates for all apps on Android
To stay away from the automatic updates feature entirely, follow these instructions to disable automatic app updates on Android:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Touch the hamburger icon in the upper left corner, swipe up and select set up.
- Under General, click Automatically update apps.
- Choose the first option: Do not automatically update apps.
Once you do this, unless you explicitly launch the Google Play Store and use renew or All updated options.
If you have an unlimited data plan, you can take automatic updates a step further to enable app updates on cellular data.
How to enable automatic updates on Android
Follow these steps to enable automatic updates on Android:
- Open the Google Play Store.
- Touch the hamburger icon in the upper left corner, swipe up and select set up.
- Under General, click Automatically update apps.
- If you only want to update over Wi-Fi, choose the third option: Automatically update apps over Wi-Fi only.
- If you wish to update when available, select the second option: Automatically update apps at any time.
Keep in mind, as Google informs you in the latter item, that app updates will be downloaded over mobile data, which will eat into your cellular plan. Make sure this is what you want.
Even if the automatic updates option is turned on, any application that requires update permissions will need your update permissions. This is a good practice from Google as it ensures you know what you’re signing up for and prevents malicious developers from gaining access beyond what you originally agreed to.
Have you ever faced issues with automatic app updates on Android? Let us know in the comments below.
