Having automatic app updates is a smart and convenient way to keep your device up to date with the latest and greatest. Not to mention that there is no need for user interaction. The only problem is that not everyone wants their apps to update automatically, especially if you’re using a smaller mobile data plan. This and general updates can often change an app’s entire experience.
As a result, Google is giving away valuable mobile data from Verizon or AT&T, along with the option to enable or disable automatic app updates in the Play Store. By default, automatic updates are enabled. There are several different ways to disable them, including customizing updates for individual apps, and we have simple instructions for you below.
Disabling Automatic App Updates
For starters, you will need to be in the Google Play Store (formerly Android Market) to disable this feature. So go to your app tray and look for the white “Play Store” icon shown below. This is where we’ll start.
When you open the Google Play Store, you will go to the settings panel to make the necessary changes. This can be done by selecting the dedicated menu button (or the 3 dots in the top corner if you have soft keys) on your Android device and then selecting Settings. From here you will want to select the third option titled as shown in the image below for your viewing pleasure.
When you select Auto-update apps from the menu shown above, you will be greeted with a popup with three different options. These are Do Not Auto Update Apps, Auto update Apps anytime. Data charges may apply and auto-update apps on WiFi only. This is where you will choose to stop automatic updates completely. Personally, I’ve set it to update only when on a WiFi network, as I’m usually at home and already get faster speeds than my home internet.
If you’re really picky about updates or even notifications that bother you (because I usually only have a few days), there is a convenient option to disable notifications. Still, I suggest you keep it under control, as you never know when an important update will arrive for Gmail or other important apps on your device.
Finally, you can control apps individually. If you want certain apps to keep getting the auto-update feature, but not every app, there is an option for that too. As the example on the right, we went to the Facebook app in the Play Store. When you press the same custom menu button (or the 3 dots at the top) again to open the settings list, you will see an option and . This checkbox will automatically update the application in question. This is useful for things like Facebook, Gmail, or Google Search, as they are all constantly being improved with updates.
Once selected, these apps will update by themselves without any user interaction, but you will still receive the updated notification to know what’s going on with your device and apps.
Should You Use This Feature?
This is an option entirely dependent on each user’s needs and situation. Being able to choose between when to automatically update apps via data or WiFi is great. And taking this an extra step by allowing users to disable it for most apps, but not all, makes the options pretty endless for Android users.
If you’re like me and want to wait and read reviews to make sure a recent app update doesn’t break (or remove) a feature or cause problems, disabling automatic updates is probably a good move for now. As there is no easy way to revert to previous version. It only takes a few seconds to use the details above and you are ready.