Automatic App Updates

[Patriot24]

I see that apps that have been updated have a "New" banner on them in iOS 6. Does anyone think this might be a step toward automatic app updates?

It seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to allow apps to automatically update each night when your device is plugged in (similarly to how iCloud Backup and iTunes wi-fi sync work). With delta updates and a charging device, I don't see how this could be a bad thing. Of course there should be an option in case you don't want auto updates.

App management is becoming a chore with the constant updates, and I don't really have that many apps.

Thoughts?

 

[sakau2007]

I see that apps that have been updated have a "New" banner on them in iOS 6. Does anyone think this might be a step toward automatic app updates?

It seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to allow apps to automatically update each night when your device is plugged in (similarly to how iCloud Backup and iTunes wi-fi sync work). With delta updates and a charging device, I don't see how this could be a bad thing. Of course there should be an option in case you don't want auto updates.

App management is becoming a chore with the constant updates, and I don't really have that many apps.

Thoughts?

I think it'd be nice to have an option to enable or disable automatic updates.

I prefer updating them manually. That way I can give it a couple days, and see the reviews of the updated version to make sure it didn't break any functionality that I need. Plus, I tend to update apps on my PC and then sync them to my phone, or update them on wifi so I don't eat up my mobile data.

But I do agree it'd be nice to see the option be put into iOS. I probably wouldn't enable it though.

 

[Patriot24]

I think it'd be nice to have an option to enable or disable automatic updates.

I prefer updating them manually. That way I can give it a couple days, and see the reviews of the updated version to make sure it didn't break any functionality that I need. Plus, I tend to update apps on my PC and then sync them to my phone, or update them on wifi so I don't eat up my mobile data.

But I do agree it'd be nice to see the option be put into iOS. I probably wouldn't enable it though.

You bring up a good point about data, but as far as I know, Photo Stream, iTunes sync, and iCloud backup require wi-fi. Seems like any auto update mechanism for apps would require the same to avoid data issues.

 

[Jordan921]

I see that apps that have been updated have a "New" banner on them in iOS 6. Does anyone think this might be a step toward automatic app updates?

It seems like it wouldn't be a bad idea to allow apps to automatically update each night when your device is plugged in (similarly to how iCloud Backup and iTunes wi-fi sync work). With delta updates and a charging device, I don't see how this could be a bad thing. Of course there should be an option in case you don't want auto updates.

App management is becoming a chore with the constant updates, and I don't really have that many apps.

Thoughts?

I'm using iOS 6 beta 3 but havent seen the new banner on updated apps.

 

[Sir Ruben]

I think the intention of the 'new' banner is for when you have the option switched on to update all your idevices with an app you downloaded on just one of them.

 

[Beta Particle]

I do not expect to see automatic updates any time soon. While it may seem like a nice convenience, it will be a nightmare if an app pulls a feature from the store that you wish to keep.
Or they put out a bad update that wipes your data.
Or one that has a bug causing it to crash.
Or they switch their business model and significantly change how the app works for the worse. (such as a game being made free-to-play)
Or any other number of things that could go wrong.

If you just blindly update all your apps without looking at the changelogs or checking for feedback, then I can see why you might want this feature. As soon as you're burned on an update though, you will immediately regret it.

Personally, I would much rather that you could remove the badge from the App Store icon, rather than having automatic updates.

In fact, I would love it if you could actually hide an update until the next time the app is updated so that you can continue to hit "update all" where appropriate. I doubt that's going to happen, as they appear to have removed the option to hide apps from your purchased list now. (at least, you can't just swipe on them, you can still do it via iTunes)

There are some apps I specifically don't want to update. Kindle 3.0 for example, as Kindle 3.1 was broken on iOS6, and while 3.1.1 works, they completely ruined the formatting of books.

That said, the App store no longer requests your password to update or download free apps, so it's considerably less of a hindrance to update than it was before.

There's nothing to say that you need to update an app right away either. Unless the update specifically adds a new feature or a bugfix you were waiting on, why not just wait until the end of the week and hit "update all" ?

And the "new" badge only applies to apps that have been downloaded to the device and have not yet been opened. (whether it's from your history or a new purchase) It doesn't show on updated apps.

 

[Sir Ruben]

In fact, I would love it if you could actually hide an update until the next time the app is updated so that you can continue to hit "update all" where appropriate.

I totally agree with this, I have a specific app I dont want to update and have to be careful not to update it whilst updating other apps. I would love the option to hid the update so that I can just forget about it.

 

[sakau2007]

You bring up a good point about data, but as far as I know, Photo Stream, iTunes sync, and iCloud backup require wi-fi. Seems like any auto update mechanism for apps would require the same to avoid data issues.

Yeah, I agree. But I'd still like to have the option to grab them manually just so I can read reviews to see how the new updates work. If for some reason the new facebook app drained battery unnecessarily, I wouldn't want to be forced into getting it.

 

[0038396]

I want delta and automatic updates over wi-fi. You should be able to turn it off, but it would make things easier. And so many people never update their apps, which is annoying.

 

[brylliant]

I think it'd be nice to have an option to enable or disable automatic updates.

I prefer updating them manually. That way I can give it a couple days, and see the reviews of the updated version to make sure it didn't break any functionality that I need. Plus, I tend to update apps on my PC and then sync them to my phone, or update them on wifi so I don't eat up my mobile data.

But I do agree it'd be nice to see the option be put into iOS. I probably wouldn't enable it though.

I agree. I prefer to manually update so I know what's new!

 

[lancastor]

I would LOVE automatic app updates.

I hope we will see this in an upcoming major iOS update in a few years.

 

[gmanist1000]

I would hate automatic app updates, I love to check to see what has changed in every update on all my apps.

 

[delonh92]

I'm using iOS 6 beta 3 but havent seen the new banner on updated apps.

Only when you download apps you see the banner. Not when you update it