Updates are often good for your iPhone, helping it to perform better and work more efficiently. But they can also drain your battery or cause your iPhone to eat up your mobile data plan.

So you’d probably like to disable automatic updates if you can. Fortunately, it’s easy to do.

Battery life

Apple provides users with the ability to turn off automatic app updates on their iPhone. This allows users to control when their apps update and saves data charges if they are travelling or running up their mobile data plan. However, this can cause battery drainage if the phone is constantly updating.

To enable manual updates on your iPhone, open the App Store and tap Updates. From here you can select a number of options. You can choose to only update certain apps over Wi-Fi or disable the ability to automatically update apps altogether. You can also choose to download iOS updates only when connected to a WiFi network.

You can also choose to delete updates you’ve already downloaded or remove a specific app that you no longer use. However, be aware that doing so could result in the loss of important data. Alternatively, you can turn off iCloud syncing which is standard software that continually backs up your photos and other settings. This will conserve battery power but will also limit your ability to restore your settings and apps if you accidentally erase them.

Another option is to disable the Auto-Update feature for large apps/games or those that you rarely use. You can do this by opening the App Store and tapping the profile icon on the upper right corner. You can then select the Updates tab that appears second to last on the bottom of the screen. To turn off automatic updates for a specific app, you simply need to tap the switch on that screen so that it is white instead of green.

Finally, if you’re still having problems with your battery life, try restarting your device. This simple fix can often make a big difference in how quickly your iPhone drains and recharges. Depending on your usage, you may want to consider enabling iCloud Backups again so that your photos are regularly backed up in case you have to restore your iPhone. Finally, you can use the new features built into iOS 11.3 and later to help manage your battery. These include showing your battery health and recommending whether it’s time to replace it.

Apps

The App Store automatically updates apps, making sure that you always have the latest versions of your favorite games and tools. However, this feature can be a drain on your cellular data, especially if you’re using an unlimited plan with a slow connection or have a limited amount of available GB. Both Apple and Google allow you to disable automatic app updates so that you can control how much of your cellular data is consumed by this activity.

You can change the setting for your iPhone in Settings. Scroll down and tap the App Store option to open it. You will see a list of your apps and the total size they take up on your device. You can also check the status of any current downloads, pause or restart them and manage your storage space. You will be able to turn off the automatic app update function, allowing you to download new apps only when connected to Wi-Fi.

When you have the automatic updates feature turned off, you will still get notifications when an update is available for an app on your phone. You will have the opportunity to select “Install Now” or “Remind me Later.” You can also choose to download updates only over Wi-Fi, which might be a better option for those with limited cellular data plans.

Once you disable automatic updates, you will not receive any alert windows asking you to install the latest version of a particular app. This makes sense if you have a tight cellular data limit each month or need to conserve your battery life. In the future, you will need to update apps manually.

If you’re not sure whether to enable or disable the automatic app update feature, you can consult your wireless service provider about your mobile data plan and usage and any possible throttling policies that may apply to it. If you don’t want to pay for additional cellular data to use your smartphone, consider switching to a slower unlimited plan with a lower monthly price.

On the other hand, enabling auto-updates might save you money in the long run by ensuring that your apps are up to date, which could prevent them from breaking and requiring you to purchase a fix or upgrade for the software. You should also make a point of deleting apps from your phone once you’ve used them, so that they don’t consume any more data and take up storage space that could be needed for other apps on your iPhone.

Security

If you’re concerned about security or just want to take back control of your iPhone updates, it’s easy enough to disable automatic app updates in iOS and iPadOS. To do this, open Settings and tap iTunes & App Store. Then move the toggle switch to the Off position next to Download and Install App Updates. This will stop apps from automatically downloading and installing updates in the background, but it won’t prevent you from updating them manually via the App Store’s Updates tab. To re-enable this feature, simply turn the toggle switch back to the green (On) position.

Some people choose to disable automatic updates because they don’t like the idea of a major update taking up valuable space on their device or draining battery. Others may be travelling and don’t want to use up their mobile data plan on app updates, especially when they’re not connected to a Wi-Fi network. And for users of business iPhones, it can be inconvenient to have the phone nag them to update during meetings or other important events.

Apple’s automatic update settings also allow users to select which apps get updated. They can restrict apps to only those that are more than 200MB in size, for example. That’s useful for limiting data usage on larger games or apps, but it doesn’t help with smaller updates that can still be a large chunk of the iPhone’s memory and data usage.

Another setting is Rapid Security Response, which gives iOS, iOS 12, iPadOS and macOS devices a faster way to get security fixes when they’re needed. By default, this feature is enabled but it can be disabled by opening the System Settings menu and turning off the toggle next to Security Response & System Files.

While keeping devices, apps and software up to date is an essential step in protecting against malware and other security risks, many people find the process of managing individual updates too cumbersome and time consuming. Fortunately, most major devices, apps and software offer an automatic update option in their general or preference settings.

Privacy

The automatic updates feature is meant to help you keep your apps up-to-date, but this doesn’t come without some drawbacks. The most significant one is that it uses up your data allowance, as your phone will be constantly downloading and updating apps, even if you aren’t using them. If you have a limited mobile data plan, this can quickly add up and cause you to go over your limit.

In addition, updates can also take up a lot of storage, so disabling automatic app updates can help you free up space. If you are worried about how much space an update is taking up, head to Settings > General > Software Update and scroll down to the bottom of the page to see a list of your apps and how much storage each takes up. If you want to save even more storage, tap “Delete Update” in the pop-up window that appears when an update is ready to be downloaded.

With the automatic updates feature turned off, your apps will only be updated when you are connected to Wi-Fi. This can be a good thing, as you don’t want to download and install an update right before or during a meeting, for example, and potentially lose data during that time. This feature also means that you won’t have to worry about your battery life getting drained while downloading app updates.

If you are concerned about how much your iPhone is spending on cellular data, you can manually limit the amount of data it spends by going to Settings > Cellular Data. Toggle the slider next to “Use Mobile Data for Updates” to the Off position.

Unlike the iOS App Store, which restricts app updates to only those that are 200MB or smaller when you’re on a cellular network, the Google Play Store doesn’t offer this option. This can be frustrating, as it may mean that you won’t get the latest versions of apps that you use frequently.

In addition, Apple’s iOS updates can also affect the functioning of third-party apps. This can be an issue if you are relying on those third-party apps for work or school, and if they stop working, it can have serious consequences for your productivity.