Ubuntu heavily relies on “Snaps,” a modern software packaging system. Snaps are fantastic because they bundle all their dependencies together. However, Snaps have one highly controversial feature: they are hardcoded to automatically update themselves in the background, usually four times a day.
If you are on a limited mobile hotspot, or if you are running a production server where you absolutely cannot risk a background update breaking your database software, this forced auto-refresh is unacceptable. While Canonical (the maker of Ubuntu) removed the simple “off” switch, you can still safely trick the Snap daemon into pausing updates indefinitely.
How to Safely Disable Ubuntu Snap Auto-Refresh
You must configure the Snap daemon to only check for updates on a completely impossible schedule.
- Open your Terminal application (Ctrl + Alt + T).
- We will use the
snap setcommand to restrict the refresh timer. If you set the timer to a specific window, Snaps will only update during that time. We will set the window to the last Sunday of every month, between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM. - Carefully type this exact command and press Enter:
sudo snap set system refresh.timer=sun5,02:00-04:00 - Type your administrator password when prompted.
- Wait, we can go further. We can tell the Snap daemon to hold all updates completely for up to 90 days. Type this command and press Enter:
sudo snap set system refresh.hold="$(date --date='today + 90 days' +%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%S%:z)"
You have successfully subdued the aggressive background updater. Your Snaps will not update while you are working. When you are finally ready to update your software on your own terms, you simply type sudo snap refresh in the terminal to trigger the update manually.