Many smartphone users download so many apps that they cannot manually update each one. Fortunately, the major app platforms now have automatic app updates set to “on” by default. This means that your app will stay up to date with all the latest features and bug fixes that developers have come up with, without you having to do anything.
These days, apps roll out bug fixes faster than you can say “update,” so it makes a lot of sense to keep your apps updated automatically. But there are some major drawbacks that may cause you to reconsider your auto-update strategy.
For one thing, if you enable automatic updates and aren’t limited to just Wi-Fi, you could end up spending a lot of money unintentionally because every little update is downloaded over a 3G connection.
On top of that, constantly transferring data and updating software can keep your phone running and drain your battery much faster than you’d expect – turning off automatic updates can give you that little extra time you always need.
Of course, there are some software changes that you don’t want in the first place. Sometimes bug fixes add more bugs, and sometimes new features aren’t improvements at all. Sometimes you find that an app has been updated and then find yourself wishing that the old version was still there.
For example, we’re big fans of the iOS game Crossy Road – or that was, until the latest update. We were happily playing it on our iPad 3 until it updated automatically. After the update, the game started to lag on the iPad and became frustrating. The monetization features in the game have also become more aggressive, hampering an otherwise great experience.
Something like this can happen to any app and does give you a good reason not to update automatically. The adage “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” is true. If you encounter any of these situations and want to stop automatically updating apps, follow the steps in this guide.
How to turn off automatic app updates on Android
Android gives you considerable freedom in updating. You can turn off all updates, or limit downloads to Wi-Fi only. You can also enable updates only for specific apps – for example, you might need the latest version of an app you use frequently, but you don’t want to waste bandwidth downloading updates for other apps that only launch once every three months.
To turn updates on or off, follow these steps:
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Open Google Play.
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Click burger icon (three horizontal lines) in the upper left corner.
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tap set up.
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tap Automatically update apps.
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To disable automatic application updates, select Do not automatically update apps.
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If you want to automatically update apps only when connected to a WiFi network, click Automatically update apps over Wi-Fi only in the same popup window.
Android also lets you choose which apps to update automatically.
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To enable automatic updates for any app, go to the app’s page in the Google Play app.
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Click three vertical points in the upper right corner.
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Check Automatic updates.
This way, you can disable automatic updates and still keep selected apps ready with the latest versions.
How to turn off automatic app updates on iOS – iPhone and iPad
On iOS, you can choose to turn automatic updates on or off, and if it’s on, you can choose whether to use a mobile connection to download apps. There’s no way to disable automatic app updates for individual apps on iOS – meaning either all apps will be updated or none. If you want to stop all automatic updates, the steps are simple:
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Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store.
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To disable all automatic app updates, turn off the green switch next to renew.
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If you want apps to update automatically, but only when you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, leave Updates on and off Use mobile data instead.
How to turn off automatic app updates on Windows Phone 8.1
Like iOS, Windows Phone 8.1 also lets you choose whether to update all apps, or just update them on Wi-Fi instead of cellular data.
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Open shop.
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Click three horizontal points icon in the lower right corner.
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tap set up.
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Click the switch next to Automatically update apps Turn it off.
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You can instead turn on Get updates only via Wi-Fi to avoid unnecessary cellular data charges.
How to turn off automatic app updates on Windows 8.1
The setup for Windows 8.1 app updates is very similar to Windows Phone 8.1. If you have a Windows 8.1 computer, you can disable automatic application updates by following the steps below.
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Open shop.
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Swipe from the right edge of the screen (or press Windows Key + C) to display the charms bar.
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tap set up.
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tap Application updates.
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Click the button below Automatically update my apps Change it from “Yes” to No.
Have you disabled automatic updates on your smartphone or tablet? Why did you do this? Let us know in the comments. For more tutorials, visit our how-to section.
