Turn off auto update on Android and iOS

Most of us download a bunch of applications on our smart devices and the good thing about smart phones is that they can keep our apps updated on their own. All the major platforms now have auto update for apps and the default setting for it is ‘on’. This means that your smart phone automatically downloads app updates for you in the background. It is true that these updates help you to have a better experience working with the apps, but there are some major drawbacks as well. That is why some of you may decide to turn off auto update on your smart devices. In this article, I will discuss how turning off auto updates can be helpful along with the full tutorial on how to do that.

Why do you need to turn off auto update on your phone?

One of the most important reasons why you need to turn off auto update on your phone is internet usage. If automatic updates are enabled then you could end up spending huge amounts of money as every small update is downloaded over your internet connection. So if you are looking for ways to cut down on your mobile data usage, it is recommended that you turn off auto updates for your device.

Aside from data usage, constantly transferring data and updating applications also keeps the phone running, and as a result, your battery keeps running down a lot faster than you were expecting – turning automatic updates off could give you that little extra time you always find yourself needing.

Another point is that there are times when you don’t want your apps to be updated in the first place. Sometimes updates does not offer improvements at all. That is why choosing which app to update by yourself can sometimes be more beneficial. That is why you may decide to turn off auto update and choose which app to update by yourself.

How to turn off auto update for Android

Android platform give users a great deal of freedom. you can choose to turn off all updates or you can limit updates to WiFi only. You can also enable auto update for specific apps as well.  There are three different types of updates on android devices:

1. Auto updates for Android system software
2. Auto updates for installed apps
3. auto updates from the app developer through its website

In order to stop Android system updates follow this path. Go to Settings > About > Software updates and disable all the options. By disabling the options, your phone will no longer download system updates and you will need to manually.

Follow these steps to turn off auto update for applications on Android:

1. Open Google Play
2. Tap the three horizontal lines icon on the top-left
3. Tap on Settings
4. Tap on Auto-update apps
5. To disable automatic app updates, select Do not auto-update apps

You can also choose to update the apps only when you are on WiFi. to do that,  tap on Auto-update apps over Wi-Fi only in the same pop-up.

Android also lets you choose which apps you want to update automatically. Here is how you can do that:

1. Go to the app page in the Google Play app
2. Tap the three vertical dots in the top right.
3. Check Auto-update

How to turn off auto update on iOS devices

On iOS devices, you can choose to turn auto updates on or off. You can also choose to update the apps over cellular data or not. If you want to turn off auto updates for iPhone, the steps are simple. Here is how you can do that:

1. Go to Settings > iTunes & App Store
2. To disable all automatic app updates, toggle the green switch next to Updates
3. If you want to automatically update apps, but only when you are connected to a WiFi network, leave updates on and turn off Use Mobile Data instead