Apple
Automatically updating Apple iPhone with iOS 18.x
On an iPhone with iOS 18.2, you can enable or disable automatic app updates by following these steps:
- Open the Settings app: Go to the Settings icon on your iPhone.
- Scroll down and tap ‘App Store’: This is located in the list of settings.
- Find the option ‘Automatic Downloads’: Under the heading Automatic Downloads, you will see an option that says Automatically update apps.
- Turn automatic updates on or off:
- Turn on the ‘Automatically update apps’ switch if you want apps to update automatically when a new version is available.
Adjusting automatic app updates on iPhone 17.x or lower
On an iPhone with iOS 17.x or lower, you can turn automatic app updates on or off by following these steps:
- In Settings, tap ‘App Store’.
- Turn ‘App Updates’ on or off.
Optional: Manually update apps:
Manually update apps.
- Open the App Store app on your iPhone.
- Tap your photo in the top right.
- Scroll down and then tap ‘Update’ next to the apps you want to update, or tap ‘Update All’.
After an app has been updated, it will appear in the list of apps under ‘Recently Updated’.
Android
Customizing automatic updates on Android 15
On an Android phone with version 15, you can enable or disable automatic app updates by following the steps below:
- Open the Google Play Store: Find the Google Play Store icon and tap it to open the app.
- Tap your profile picture: You will see your Google profile icon in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it to open the menu.
- Go to ‘Settings’: In the menu that appears, select Settings.
- Tap ‘App updates’: Under the General heading, you will see an App updates option. Tap it to open the corresponding settings.
- Turn automatic updates on or off:
- To enable automatic app updates, select Update apps automatically and choose Via any network (to allow updates via both Wi-Fi and mobile data) or Via Wi-Fi only (to enable updates only via Wi-Fi).
- To disable automatic updates, choose Do not update apps automatically.
Adjust automatic updates on Android 14 or lower
On an Android phone with version 14 or lower, you can enable or disable automatic app updates by following these steps:
- Open the Google Play Store: Find the Google Play Store icon and tap it to open the app.
- Tap the menu button: In the top left corner of the screen, you will see three horizontal lines (also known as the hamburger menu). Tap it to open the side menu.
- Go to ‘Settings’: In the menu that appears, scroll down and tap Settings.
- Tap ‘App updates’: Find the Automatic updates section and tap it.
- Turn automatic updates on or off:
- To enable automatic updates, select “Update all apps via Wi-Fi or mobile data” (to allow updates via both Wi-Fi and mobile data).
- To disable automatic updates, select “Do not automatically update apps”.
With these steps, you can manage automatic app updates on older versions of Android.
Manually Update App(s)
On an Android phone, you can manually update apps by following the steps below:
- Open the Google Play Store: Find the Google Play Store icon on your phone and tap it to open the app.
- Tap your profile picture: You will see your Google profile icon in the top right corner of the screen. Tap it to open the menu.
- Go to ‘Manage apps and device’: In the menu, you will see the option Manage apps and device. Tap on it.
- View updates: Under Available updates, you will see a list of apps that have an update available. Tap Update all to update all apps at once, or tap Update next to the app you want to update manually.
- Wait for the update: The selected apps will start downloading the update. Once the update is complete, the app will automatically update to the latest version.
This is how you can manually update apps on an Android device. It is important to check these steps regularly so that you always have the latest versions of your apps.