Disable OS X Updates Available notification

It's extremely annoying and I've been dealing with it since 10.8 but I can't take it anymore. Is there any way to disable the 'OS X Updates Available' pop-up notification that appears in the upper right when there's new software ready to be installed? If not, please move this to a feature request forum. Thanks.

MacBookPro4,1

Posted on Dec 19, 2012 11:01 PM

Reply
78 replies

Jul 12, 2013 1:37 PM in response to alex.r.g

I'm sorry, I took your post as "everyone should know how to do this, it's common knowledge". I felt dumb after I figured out that was the easiest way to get rid of the message and I'm a Mac Administrator! I guess it is pretty standard to swipe right on things to delete them, especially in iOS... it just isn't the first thing you try when you see that notification come up.

Sep 2, 2013 5:49 AM in response to DavidJoyce

Like you, this has been annoying me for the past year or so, but I only thought to actually do something about it now... Anyway, if you haven't figured it out, this seems to work, for me at least...


Go to the App Store. Go to Updates along the top bar. Right click on the System Software Update, and click 'hide this'.



Shazam! It shouldn't bother you any more, or until the next software update's released.


Hope that helps.

CP

Oct 10, 2013 6:07 AM in response to DavidJoyce

So is there really no way to get this pop-up to never show up other than disable updates completely or just update and hide the alert each time ? That seems to be a summary of the responses.


Personally this is the single most annoying feature of OSX and I am to the point of just disabling the check for updates feature entirely but quite frankly that seems like a bad hack of a way to turn it off.


any better ideas?

Nov 10, 2013 6:35 AM in response to William Lloyd

I like to be reminded of software updates -- on a schedule I choose. Or, if I can't choose, then no more than once per day. To acknowledge an update notification and then have it appear 10 min later is absurd. I've also read that turning off Software Update will NOT disable the notification for an OS X upgrade, for example, until you upgrade OS X. Once NC knows of the update's existence, turning off software update won't clear the NC notice.

Nov 10, 2013 6:39 AM in response to chumpster69

Typical of the new and increasingly scary Apple: you have to go to an a) online connected location and b) commercial environment designed to sell you stuff, in order to administer your computer and turn off what amount to push advertisements grabbing free screen real estate on your home computer screen.


I hope everyone will take every opportunity to encourage Apple to reverse course on turning our desktops into a market experience. When I want to buy something, I'll go to a market. I don't want the market coming to me.

Dec 29, 2013 7:25 AM in response to DavidJoyce

Agree with most everyone else. The NC "Updates Available" is the most frustrating part of using OSX now. 10 minutes or less better a popup that covers significant UI functionality (full screen, close tabs, settings, etc.) for whatever I'm doing at the time, constantly, throughout the whole day. And the vast majority of the time it's stupid software/apps I don't care at all about. I agree with robomonkey that this amounts to Apple allowing free push advertising to developers for using their App Store model. Terrible design decision that I hope they reverse.

Jan 15, 2014 12:07 PM in response to gregrebholz

I am very disappointed with Apple's moves. Each new version is lacking functionalities I did use, (I really miss front row), is more aggressive to force me buying unneeded things and I am very scared to install any update because I feel cheeted by sudden fand not mentioned loudlty eature removals or forcing me to send my personal data to NSA.


I don't want to install Mavericks because it does not allow synchronisation without sending data to Apple and NSA and I am annoyed by recurring NC reminders that this is free update.


It is not free because you have to pay for NeoOffice and other apps which were free for pre-mavericks os versions and I KNOW THAT THIS UPDATE IS AVAILABLE.


APPLE please stop reminding me about what I already do know.

Jan 17, 2014 5:54 AM in response to robomonkey

A little late to the bulk of the conversation and perhaps this belongs elsewhere, but...


The thing that annoys me about Software Updates Available notifications is that I don't know what's getting updated. All it provides is the option to Install or Later - with preset times. How about giving some indication as to what is getting updated, so I can decide whether or not I want it to update it then or later? (Yes, I realize I can go look in the App Store, but that defeats the purpose of the notification, IMO.)


If it's an app I use frequently and it appears to be an important update, I may decide to take the time to update it then and there.


If it's a game or something I rarely use like a digital camera RAW compatibility update, I'd probably say later.


If it's a large update and I need all the bandwidth I can get at the time, I may want to postpone the update.

BTW, if I get a notification that there's software to be updated, has the update already been downloaded, or is it waiting for me to tell it to update? Dumb question perhaps, but I'm not sure I've noticed which is the case.

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Disable OS X Updates Available notification

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