How can I disable automatic updates on my iPhone?

Pat Schaefer wrote:

I never saw a screen like that before

so it turns the security update on

how then does the IOS update get turned on too?

That is the confirmation screen following any iOS update to let you know the update was successful. Like most users, you probably just clicked continue without reading any of the information on that screen. It will turn on both Security Updates AND iOS Updates after the install and like the screen says, it is up to you to go into Settings and turn those off. That will prevent a future iOS update. I do suspect at one time you did turn it Off, but a manual update was performed that turned it back on and were unaware that happened as stated in the update confirmation screen.

The iOS update is the version number like 18.6 and if a Security Update is applied, it will be followed by a letter as seen in the example provided in the link. That could look something like 18.6 (a).

OK, I can only try one more time, and will need to walk away. Let's start with an example and say you are on iOS 19.0 (yes, I made that up). Apple discovers an exploit they want to push out, and a month later issues a iOS19.1.

• If RSR is off, you will not get that patch to the exploit before iOS 19.1 is released.
• If RSR is on, you will get the patch and your iOS version will show as 19.0(a)
• If iOS updates is off, you will not get 19.1, when it is released.
• If RSR is off and iOS Updates are on, you will get 19.1 and it will include the patch that was provided in the previous RSR.

The purpose of the Rapid Security Response is to provide the patch when there is not a new version of iOS available yet and notes the current version of iOS with a letter in parentheses, like (a). It is the Rapid part that is totally optional, and the next iOS version is going to contain the patch to the exploit addressed in the RSR.

If you manually updated iOS and have RSR and iOS updated turned off, both of those settings will be turned on as seen after the update is complete and noted on that screenshot posted many times and also by you from the lifehacker page that you had referenced. That is where future updates will be installed automatically, unless you go back into Settings and turn them off again. Users have manually updated iOS with Automatic Updates turned off and did not realize that the default setting of that iOS version is to turn on Automatic Updates, and have been surprised when the next update was automatically installed.

I believe the last time a RSR update was issued was July 12, 2023 for the iOS 16.5.1 version that changed it to iOS 16.5.1(c) and resolved a WebKit vulnerability. Then on July 22, 2023 iOS 16.6 was released and included that patch. Those that had RSR turned off did not get the patch to that vulnerability until July 22, or when they manually updated to iOS 16.6. So, yes the RSR is optional as far as the RAPID deployment is concerned, but the future iOS update is certainly going to contain that patch. Security updates are included in every iOS update, but RSR allows an urgent patch before the iOS update is available.

Hopefully that helps explain it a little more and why some users who had Automatic Updates turned off have found that a future update was applied automatically. It seems you may be misguided on the use of RSR updates, since that has not even been used since 2023. Good luck and I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

That is exactly what we have been telling you and provided the screenshot that tells you exactly that after the update has been completed. You have 2 options there, one is to Continue, and the other is to Download Only, but not install. For the third option of not even downloading the update automatically, you have to go into Settings and turn off Automatic Updates as they are turned on by default with the iOS update that you just installed.

Yes, people click Continue without reading anything on the screen and then wonder why future updates are being installed automatically. I can't help that. The information is right there on the screen. It is not even a long read and I can include it once again here: "Future updates will automatically be downloaded and installed for you as they are released. You can manage this in Software Update settings". Underneath the Continue button, you can choose to "Only Download Automatically". And once again, as stated in that message, you can go to Settings and under Software Update, you can even prevent any future update from being downloaded automatically.

I don't need a magazine article to decode that very clear message or provide any tests to confirm it is true. The link you provided to the article also included the same screenshot I already provided. What part of that screenshot is so difficult to understand?

Because as you have seen and also noted yourself, that is the default behavior of the update you manually installed. If you want to change that default behavior after you update, you have to go into Settings and turn it back off.

The article you referenced used the word "sneaky" in the title, but also posted a screenshot that users see after the update that says Automatic Updates are turned on and if you want them shut off again, you have to go back into settings and make that change. That is called Clickbait. I would hardly call that "sneaky" when Apple is telling you exactly what it is doing, but it does generate clicks.

When you installed a previous update, you were met with a Software Update Completed screen just like this one, that tells you that future updates will be installed automatically unless you go into Settings and turn off Automatic Updates. You also have the option on the screen to only Download the update.

Simply hitting Continue without reading, will always result in the Automatic Updates switch turned on. Apple did not update your phone when you had this switched turned off after a previous update.

Pat Schaefer wrote:

You sent me this link and you did not read it

Besides on apple support site

By default, your device automatically applies Rapid Security Responses. If necessary, you'll be prompted to restart your device.

I did read it which is the whole point of why I sent it to you. After an update, the default setting for RSR is turned on by default. You can change that option by going into Settings and turn it off. The same is true for iOS updates. You are going back and forth between the RSR updates and the iOS updates, and they both have an option to turn them off independently, but both will be turned on after an update. At first we were talking about the iOS update, then moved to the RSR update, so I sent you the link to that one so you can see that by default it will be turned on. You don't have to leave it at that default setting.

The option for automatically installing the Rapid Security Responses was added in iOS 16.4.1.

About Rapid Security Responses for iOS, iPadOS, and macOS - Apple Support

None of that has anything to do with the fact that your iOS version was not updated unless you had that Automatic Updates turned on. As already noted in the previous screenshot, it will be turned on after you perform an update, so if you do not want that, then you need to go into Settings and turn it back off if you do not want the next update to be performed automatically. You also have to option to only Download the update.

这个很简单。只要打开设置，然后选软件更新，然后把所有的功能设置全部停用掉就好了

its very simple go to the general setting and there will be a update section just make it off.

1. Is this your corporate/organization/enterprise/School Management iPhone? Then please contact the system administrator of your corporate//organisation/enterprise/School Management
2. If it is your device, in that case, do you have any profile installed by your corporate/organization/enterprise/School Management?
   1. Erase the profile added by you. If you have installed a profile on your own, --> Install or remove configuration profiles on iPhone - Apple ...
   2. Please contact the system administrator of the organization who provided the profile to you

Pat Schaefer wrote:

"Once you complete the update, you'll see a prompt informing you that, as part of the update, the company has enabled automatic updates on your device, even if you had previously switched them off. This means that, unless you do something, Apple will start downloading and installing future software updates to your devices on its own."

this is from a recent article I found online.

the article is discussing exactly what we have been discussing today.

I had posted the link

but the moderator found parts of the article to be objectionable.

I am sure you can find this article for yourselves

and make your own judgement.

Very interesting, he even ran a test to verify results.

What judgement is it you think we need to make? This corroborates exactly what many users have tried to tell you all day.

Pat Schaefer wrote:

Heads up

new information here

How to avoid surprise iPad software updat… - Apple Community

Have you not noticed that in the days since you opened this thread, you are SINGULARLY the only person who seemingly has an issue with their devices updating? There really isn't any reason to keep harping on this.

Pat Schaefer wrote:

In a nutshell

if you manually install an update

Apple will set the software update choices to automatic

a "Continue" panel will tell you.

if you miss this screen

(the behavior of which is not documented anywhere)

the next update will automatically run

NO "Continue" warning will be given

and the device will appear to have updated itself without the user choosing it.

Exactly what you've been told MULTIPLE times throughout this totally unnecessary thread. Now that you seem to "get it" can you move on to something else in your life?