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Why no auto update for apps?

L

lancastor

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 25, 2011
866
388
On the desktop: I manually click "search for updates" and click update.
On the iPhone: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.
On the iPad: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.

Where is the option to turn auto updates on and off. I HATE the manual updating of all my devices. :( :(
 
lancastor said:
On the desktop: I manually click "search for updates" and click update.
On the iPhone: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.
On the iPad: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.

Where is the option to turn auto updates on and off. I HATE the manual updating of all my devices. :( :(
Click to expand...

There is no option for auto update, and for good reason.

Sometimes, app updates slip through that actually have major bugs, and can wipe the data for that app and cause other issues. If you manually update, developers usually add that info into the update notes to caution users not to update. If you auto update, that update will come through and then you certainly wouldn't be happy, would you?
 
Well its not really all that much work and I'm on of those folks who thinks that communicating an update is available and then selecting it is better then blindly updating w/o my knowledge. I'm also presented with an authentication prompt to type in my password - not a bad thing when installing something onto my computer or device - it gives me another chance to change my mind
 
Because we don't all have unlimited data and will all the updates I been getting I would roll through my data so fast.
 
Because people rely on apps, updates can make change certain features that are essential to the customer. Therefore, automatic updating is a no-no. Not just for the AppStore, but for all software. However, I don't see why it's not possible to give the option to enable in the settings menu.
 
lancastor said:
On the desktop: I manually click "search for updates" and click update.
On the iPhone: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.
On the iPad: I manually go into the AppStore/Updates and click update.

Where is the option to turn auto updates on and off. I HATE the manual updating of all my devices. :( :(
Click to expand...
Is 2 taps of the finger really that hard to do when you see the badge popup on the App Store?

#firstworldproblems

It's better this way. 1. it's extremely convenient, 2. can glance down the list and see what was updated, and what new features if any were added I might want to try.
 
Auto update could be a very bad thing because let's face it, some updates really screw up the original app and cause major problems for users.

I personally don't want anything automatically updated on my iDevices or my computer. I'm perfectly capable of making my own choices.
 
I have wrote AN OPTION TO TURN IT ON.

People don't like auto updates are not activating it. Like on Android. You can also set Automatic updates to WiFi only:

Android-Market-3-3-11-Now-Available.jpg


I HATE MANUAL updating apps. I hate it so much. :( :(:(:(:(:(:(:(
 
I guarantee you wouldn't hate it if you had an app auto-update and it lost all of your crucial data or left features behind that you considered critical.
 
yea I have had a couple of apps that have in pretty big caps "DO NOT UPDATE IF " and would have a reason why you shouldn't take an upgrade and say a new update would be on it's way.

Sometimes updates aren't "updates" after all.
 
I'd never use an auto-update feature as I like to see what's being updated. And like others have said, not all updates are good. Sometimes bugs are found in them after they've been released.

On the other hand, if a universal app lists what fixes are done across both apps, I wouldn't mind my iPad apps being updated if I start the iPhone version.
 
I think there should be an option to have automatic updates or not with automatic updates turned on being the default. I've used a few different people's iOS devices where they have 20+ updates because they never bother updating their apps after the initial download. In my opinion, it's easier for common users to just have automatic updates.
 
I think it'd be great to have it as an option, but I would have it disabled.

I enjoy reading the app updates and doing it myself!

It would make sense for those smaller bug-fix releases, but maybe not for the .X releases.

:)
 
So, it's time to switch to Android. They offering this great feature since over a year,
 
HazyCloud said:
I'd never use an auto-update feature as I like to see what's being updated.
Click to expand...

With Android, when auto update is turned on, you are automatically notified when an update takes place on your device. I agree with Menel:

"Is 2 taps of the finger really that hard to do when you see the badge popup on the App Store?"
 
Tyler23 said:
There is no option for auto update, and for good reason.

Sometimes, app updates slip through that actually have major bugs, and can wipe the data for that app and cause other issues. If you manually update, developers usually add that info into the update notes to caution users not to update. If you auto update, that update will come through and then you certainly wouldn't be happy, would you?
Click to expand...
I think this could be the only true reason for Apple NOT to give that auto-choice.

But it's funny, I updated my apps a few days back and then for some reason I ended up in one of them app's homepage on iTunes store and it said "PLEASE iPhone 4S users don't upgrade!!!! An update will be issued but for the time being only iPhone 5 users can use the app bla bla". Hahahaha. So I'm screwed. But anyway, unless you have 10 apps, I ain't gonna be reading "What's New" or "Changelogs" for more than 100 apps with updates...

Of course, some enjoy that but they are probably the minority?

kirky29 said:
I enjoy reading the app updates
Click to expand...
 
Tyler23 said:
I guarantee you wouldn't hate it if you had an app auto-update and it lost all of your crucial data or left features behind that you considered critical.
Click to expand...

I've never had any lost data from an App auto updating. And also the developer can flag the update so the user has to manually update even if they have auto-update switched on on their device.
 
I would use this feature. Let's examine:

But what if there's a bug?
This feature would go hand-in-hand with iTunes NOT auto-updating the apps. I can always restore an older version from there. What's the point of these apps using up hard drive space on my Mac otherwise? This is the only reason I can see for it, so let's take advantage of it. Go back to the old one temporarily.

What if it erases your data?
I'm sorry, you actually trust your iOS device to be a master copy of anything? I prefer, as much as possible, to store my stuff in services in the cloud like Google docs. And if I can't I certainly have an iCloud backup of the phone. I know this thing can fall in a lake at any moment. There is nothing on my phone that I'd lose forever if it got damaged.

Is restoring data a pain? Yeah, but in 5 years of iPhone ownership I've NEVER had an app update ruin any data, so I feel this is pretty rare and shouldn't bother me too much.

What if they change the app and you don't like the new version or take out a feature?
Then I'm finding a different app to use because there is no way I'm living with that one lone red badge on the app store. Either I like the current version or I ditch it. I have never lived with an 'old app' before and I'm not about to start now.
 
If an update destroys your app it destroys your app be installing manualy and installing automaticly !!
 
lancastor said:
If an update destroys your app it destroys your app be installing manualy and installing automaticly !!
Click to expand...

And if having the app continue to work is critical to you, or if an update removes/changes a feature that you need, then not having it update automatically gives you the chance to find out if the update is safe first.
 
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