You can control whether or not your Android auto-updates apps in Google Play. You can control it with a global setting or a setting for individual apps. Here’s a detailed tutorial on how to enable or disable this feature.
Setting for All App Updates
Control whether or not to set all of your Google Play apps to auto-update with these steps.
- Open the “Play Store” app.
- Press the “Menu”
button located at the upper-left corner. - Select “Settings“.
- Select “Auto-update apps“.
- Choose “Do not auto-update apps” or “Auto-update apps at any time. Data charges may apply” as desired. Some devices may have the option to update on Wi-Fi only as well.
Setting for Individual App Updates
If you want to set the auto-update setting for individual apps, you can do so with these steps.
- Open the “Google Play” app.
- Press the “Menu” button located at the upper-left corner.
- Choose “My apps“.
- Select the app you wish to modify.
- Press the “Menu”
button located at the upper-right corner of the screen. - Check or uncheck the “Auto-update” selection as desired.
Now you’re in complete control of when your Android apps get updated. You can visit your list of installed apps on Google Play or open the Play Store app if you wish to manually update apps in the future.
Samsung Devices
If you own a Samsung Galaxy device such as a Note8, some app updating may be controlled from Samsung Apps.
- On the Home screen, slide up your apps.
- Open the “Samsung” folder, then open “Galaxy Apps“.
- Select at the upper-right corner of the screen.
- Choose “Settings“.
- Select “Auto update apps“, then choose the desired setting.
FAQ
I installed an app via an APK file outside of Google Play. How do I automatically update it?
You can’t. You will have to manually install a new APK file when one becomes available. Google Play settings will only control the apps you downloaded from Google Play.
How do I get rid of the notifications while still allowing my apps to automatically update?
From the Google Play settings, there is a selection for “Notifications“. Checking it will turn notifications on, while unchecking it turns it off.
Bk says
Google vandalised my tablet as well. I was trying to get more space so i had to download this google game thing to transfer a dragon city profile. I did that and uninstalled it immediately. Too late. It switched on auto updates somehow and reclaimed all the space i had recovered.It did that in the night so i wake up to a tablet with different GUI and no space. Am I renting this tablet from google? I paid up front so I thought it was mine. Guess I wont be using the google store any time soon as im not deleting the apps i currently use. When will these EULAs be made illegal and where does their control end? Ofcourse we dont agree to your terms but we want to use the expensive things we have bought.
budda says
I have the same Problem – Re- I have selected DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE APPS and every app in Google Play have DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE selected, yet Google Play automatically updates-
Samsung phones suck !!!
Bernd says
You have to set the general auto-update active.
Then deselect the apps indivudually which you don’t want to update autmatically.
Star says
I have found lately that something is changing my auto update in settings. I keep it at “do not auto update” then update manually the ones I want. I have a Samsung tablet and have to be careful with storage. But lately it’s reverting back to auto update mysteriously on its own. What’s doing this? I thought our settings account was private!?
Babu.r says
I need every google app to be installed and sync should work.
tej says
same here, the auto-update already selected by all my apps are still auto-updating. Is that a bug?!
Mina zarifi says
I choose “do not outo update app” in play stores setting and i check “enable outo update” from all app separatly I saw that not all of them were selected, but when I turn on my wi-fi it start update my app withount my concept. So I was forced to delete my play google play app :(
Can you help me?
Gareth says
On various Samsungs over the years I’ve tried this and always get the same problem.
I get to the part where I click on the menu in the top right (of any app) and it has the option “enable auto-update” but when I select it another msg appears saying “auto-update is currently disabled for all apps. Do you want to enable it? You can always change this in settings. Data charges may apply. Yes or No.”
I select No because I don’t want auto-update for all my apps turned on, only specific apps to auto-update. When I select No and go back to check it it’s unticked ie there is no auto-update.
So it’ll only let me have auto-update for ALL apps or none at all.
Have never being able to make that work.
When I do select Yes and check my other apps they all have auto-update selected and immediately all start auto-updating without my consent.
This has been on my S5, S6, Note 7, S7 Edge and currently Note 8.
All stock firmware, nothing tricky.
On the Optus network in Australia, don’t know if the firmware is tweaked/different to vanilla version?
Suggestions?
Buddy says
I have selected DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE APPS and every app in Google Play have DO NOT AUTOMATICALLY UPDATE selected, yet Google Play automatically updates unless there isn’t sufficient memory since early December 2017. It even updates over mobile data when it should never ever update except for manual updates only over Wi-Fi. I have an LG Rebel2 running Android Marshmallow 6.0.1 please help.
Ubaid says
Nice Information, Great Article