By default, your iPad continuously monitors the App Store for new versions of your installed applications and downloads them automatically in the background while your device is connected to Wi-Fi. While convenient, this feature can rapidly drain your battery, consume background processing power while you are trying to play a game, or unexpectedly change the interface of an app you use daily. If you prefer to manually review release notes and update apps on your own schedule, you can easily disable automatic app updates.
How to Stop Automatic App Updates
You can turn off this background downloading behavior in the main iOS settings.
- Open the Settings app on your iPad.
- Scroll down the left-hand sidebar menu until you find App Store (it has a blue icon with a white ‘A’).
- Tap on App Store to view its settings on the right side of the screen.
- Look under the section titled Automatic Downloads.
- Locate the toggle switch labelled App Updates.
- Tap the switch to move it to the Off position (the green background will turn to grey).
Your iPad will immediately stop downloading app updates in the background. From now on, you will see a red notification badge appear on the App Store icon on your home screen when updates are available. You will need to open the App Store, tap your profile picture in the top right corner, and manually tap “Update All” when you are ready to install the new versions.