If your iPhone or iPad is automatically updating apps without your permission, there is a way to prevent it from happening again, and here’s how to do it.
A feature introduced in iOS 7 allows your iPhone or iPad to automatically download and install app updates; this means you don’t have to go to the App Store and manually download any updates you get; depending on this, it can be a daily occurrence. it depends on how many apps you have.
However, this is a feature that not every user will like, as many users like to control exactly what they download. In this case, automatic app updates aren’t exactly a great feature and can drain your monthly data allowance if you’re not careful.
By default, automatic app updates are enabled, so you’ll have to go to settings to turn it off, but it’s not at all difficult to do. Here’s how to disable automatic app updates on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 9.
Disabling Automatic App Updates
Turning off automatic app updates can be a little tricky to find in settings, but follow these quick steps and you’ll be done in no time.
- Open the application.
- Tap on App and iTunes Stores.
- Under the titled section, you will see an item named
- Tap the toggle switch to turn it off so it turns from green to gray. If it’s already greyed out, the setting has already changed and you don’t need to do anything more.
From now on, app updates will not be automatically downloaded and installed on your iPhone or iPad, but you will have to open the App Store and check for app updates each time. But this is much more preferable for many users, myself included, who like to check what app updates you download and when.
If you want automatic app updates enabled, you can at least set whether you want automatic app updates enabled when using a data connection. Just below the section, there is an item called
Turning this switch on allows the App Store (as well as other iOS services) to download updates and other content over a data connection when your iPhone is not connected to WiFi. Turning the feature off will limit the App Store from downloading updates only when over a WiFi connection.
Should You Use This Feature?
Automatic app updates may be useful for some and not for others, but that depends on your situation.
Unfortunately, you cannot select certain apps to receive automatic updates while other apps remain manual. This is one of the biggest criticisms about this feature. You must disable automatic app updates for all your apps or manually install updates for all. If you’re looking for such a control, you won’t find it in iOS 9.
Second, if you’re the type who always waits to install an update to make sure there isn’t a corrupted update with a critical error, you probably want to disable automatic app updates.
While most updates fix bugs and improve performance over previous versions, some app updates can occasionally cause hiccups and wreak havoc on your iPhone or iPad, making more and more users cautious about installing updates until they know it’s okay to install.
