In today’s guide we will find out how block automatic updates of Android apps through a very simple process that I will explain step by step. Normally my suggestion is to update the applications when a new version is released, but an automatic update that starts at the wrong time could put you in trouble and so we will see how to avoid it.
When automatic updates are activated, the download of an app could start at any time, just be connected to the internet, in fact, depending on the options selected, automatic updates can start even if you are connected to a mobile network.
It can therefore happen, and it is not such a remote possibility, that an update starts at a particular moment in which you need to have the maximum internet speed available, but maybe a series of updates that take up bandwidth and slow down your work. Furthermore, in the case of smartphones and tablets that are not very performing, there may also be slowdowns during the installation of the updates. It is precisely to avoid such situations that I want to explain to you how to block automatic updates of Android apps.
How to block automatic updates of Android apps
Below you will find the steps to follow to block automatic app updates:
- The first thing to do is to open the Play Store on your Android device
- Then you will have to click on the circular icon on the right of the search bar, the one with your profile picture
- At this point click on “Settings”, which should be the second to last option available
- Select “Network Preferences”, the options related to this item will be shown
- Among the various options shown, choose “Automatic app update”
- Select “Do not automatically update apps”
That’s it, by following these simple steps you can block automatic updates of Android apps, but however, you can reactivate them at any time following the same procedure described above and, once you have reached point 6, you just have to choose between “On any network” and “Only via Wi-Fi”; the difference between these two items lies in the fact that in the first case the automatic updates will start even when you are connected to a mobile network such as 4G or 5G, while in the second case only if the connection to a Wi-Fi network is active.
How to update apps manually
Obviously it is always good to keep an eye on any updates available of your own installed apps, this is because updates are often released that solve problems, increase security or simply add additional features to the applications. If you disable automatic updates, you can still start app updates manually, I’ll tell you how.
Here are the steps to follow for amanually update the apps after blocking automatic updates:
- The first thing to do is open the Play Store on your Android device
- Then you will have to click on the circular icon on the right of the search bar, the one with your profile picture
- At this point select “Updates available”, it should be the second available option
- You will now have in front of you a list of apps for which an update is available, you can choose to update them all by selecting “Update all” or use the “Update” button on the right of each app to update only those of your interest.
If the list is empty, it means that all the apps installed on your device are already updated to the latest version available.
However, keep in mind that by blocking automatic updates of Android apps you may miss important news, or in some cases you may even get to the point where the app stops working. This is the case of applications such as WhatsApp, which often gives the user a time limit to update and after this time interval you will be prevented from using the app until you update.
In general, the advice is always to make updates, the developers release them to improve the experience by solving bugs, security problems and adding features.
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