How often do app updates get checked?

[Schtibbie]

I used to open the app store almost every day to see if there were updates to any app, but then they added that automatic update thing. I only just this last week decided to try that and to completely avoid opening the app store. I turned it on in Settings->iTunes and App Store->Update. I'm also on wifi almost all the time, FWIW.

All week, nothing. Then, just to see if anything WAS waiting to update, I opened app store and there were two apps with updates from 3/30 wanting to update last night (4/3). So... How long would my phone have waited on its own to finally get those 3/30 updates? A whole week?

 

[AppleFan22]

I'm not entirely sure that the automatic updates feature really works properly. It may only work for applications with downloads of less than 50 MB, as it used to be over mobile data downloads.

 

[bushido]

it's very buggy and always has been. sometimes they updates sometimes they don't and every so often I see updated apps notifications even though those apps have been updated days ago

 

[bd4]

I think your phone has to be on the charger (and on WiFi, of course) in order to start the automatic updates. For example, if you charge your phone always at night, having airplane mode enabled, you won't get any automatic updates.

 

[iterva]

I have auto updates enabled on my iPad, and it seems to run the updates during nights, when charging and screen is turned off. Kind off the same behaviour as iCloud backup. Surely it usually takes a few more days before the apps actually gets recognized and updated as far as i've noticed when using the same apps on iPad and iPhone.

As mentioned before, its buggy. So manual updates is the most fool-proof way.

 

[Schtibbie]

I think your phone has to be on the charger (and on WiFi, of course) in order to start the automatic updates. For example, if you charge your phone always at night, having airplane mode enabled, you won't get any automatic updates.

I don't put my phone on airplane mode at night. And my icloud backups happen every single night (plugged in, on my home wifi). Yet app updates apparently take days to get noticed. That seems silly to me. How bandwidth-intensive can it possibly be to check the dozen or two app IDs against updates in the appstore once every 24 hours?

 

[hovscorpion12]

Auto Update works flawless if you set it to. Auto update on Wi-Fi is flawless daily.