Modern Android smartphones have dozens of apps installed, and developers push out updates constantly. To keep your device secure and ensure you have the latest features, the Google Play Store is configured to automatically download and install these app updates in the background without bothering you.
While this is generally a good thing, the Play Store may sometimes decide to execute these massive downloads while you are disconnected from Wi-Fi. If you are on a limited, tiered cellular data plan or traveling internationally with expensive roaming charges, automatically downloading a 2GB game update over a 5G connection can obliterate your monthly data cap and result in a massive phone bill.
To protect your mobile data allowance, you must strictly limit the Play Store to only run automatic updates when connected to a free Wi-Fi network.
How to Restrict Updates to Wi-Fi Only
This setting is controlled exclusively within the Google Play Store application, not the main Android Settings app.
- Open the Google Play Store app on your Android device.
- Tap on your Profile picture (or initial) in the top-right corner of the search bar.
- Select Settings from the pop-up menu.
- Tap on Network preferences to expand the section.
- Tap on Auto-update apps.
- A dialog box will appear with three options:
- Over any network (Data charges may apply)
- Over Wi-Fi only
- Don’t auto-update apps
- Select Over Wi-Fi only.
- Tap OK to save the setting.
Your phone will still automatically keep your apps up to date, but it will safely pause all downloads the moment you leave your house, waiting patiently until you connect to another Wi-Fi network before resuming the process.