KingBowler

Q: device needs to be plugged in to auto download

Has anyone noticed that for the most part, your iPhone or iPad will not download automatically any iOS app updates unless it is plugged into power.  This has been occurring on my devices nice 9.0.1 i believe.  And it's not just into the Mac that has iTunes and the devices, but when i plug it into a power bank device [external power supply for devices].

 

Thanks.

iPad Air Wi-Fi, iOS 9.1, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s Plus

Posted on Dec 2, 2015 8:25 PM

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Q: device needs to be plugged in to auto download

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  • by brenden dv,

    brenden dv brenden dv Dec 4, 2015 8:35 AM in response to KingBowler
    Community Specialists
    Dec 4, 2015 8:35 AM in response to KingBowler

    Hi KingBowler,

     

    I'm sorry to hear you are having this issue with your iPhone. If your automatic downloads are only working when plugged in to power, you may want to see if you've turned on Low Power Mode; as noted in the following article, one thing Low Power Mode does is temporarily disable automatic downloads:

     

    About iPhone Low Power Mode - Apple Support

     

    You may also want to double check to see if you have cellular data enabled in the automatic download settings:

     

    Turn on Automatic Downloads - Apple Support

     

    Regards

  • by KingBowler,

    KingBowler KingBowler Dec 7, 2015 11:04 AM in response to brenden dv
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 7, 2015 11:04 AM in response to brenden dv

    Thanks for the suggestions but I don't use low power mode so it's not even turned on and i do have the App Store permitted to use Cellular, but this also happen on my non-cellular iPad Air and it too will download all the pending updates to apps if plugged into a power source (battery or AC). It's almost as if the auto-download won't occur until the lightning port is "activated" .

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Dec 7, 2015 11:23 AM in response to KingBowler
    Level 7 (24,600 points)
    Dec 7, 2015 11:23 AM in response to KingBowler

    No, it's because wifi is not active when the iPhone is in sleep mode and unplugged, whereas when plugged in wifi remains active.  The iPhone has always been this way to conserve power when running on the battery.  Anything that should occur over wifi in the background, while in sleep mode, will require that the iPhone be plugged in.  Automatic iCloud backups are the same way - they ONLY occur when the device is within range of a known wifi network, is in sleep mode, and is plugged in to an external power source.

  • by KingBowler,Solvedanswer

    KingBowler KingBowler Dec 8, 2015 9:24 AM in response to Michael Black
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 8, 2015 9:24 AM in response to Michael Black

    Sorry, but i beg to differ.  Prior to iOS 9, all my devices would auto download and install apps that 1) i purchased on another device 2) update existing apps in the background. I know this because 1) i've seen it happen when i check the app store app and watched the apps update, and at other times, notice apps now sport the blue update dot on the screens.

  • by Michael Black,

    Michael Black Michael Black Dec 8, 2015 9:54 AM in response to KingBowler
    Level 7 (24,600 points)
    Dec 8, 2015 9:54 AM in response to KingBowler

    YEs, and it still does just that - as long as it is plugged in to an external power source.  When plugged in, the wifi radio remains on in sleep mode and backups, updates, etc readily occur.  However, in sleep mode when running on the battery, the wifi radio is powered off to save power.  If you then have cellular data disabled, nothing will happen in the backgroud.

     

    Believe what you will, but the iPhone has always functioned that way.  If you want things to happen in the background over wifi, when the device is asleep, then it must be plugged in or the wifi radio will be off.