The application of your favorite social network has been updated again, introducing a renewal of the user interface. This time the change is not your taste and you would like to know how to cancel an app update , in order to go back to its previous version.
How do you say? Did I read your mind and is it precisely this operation that you have tried to perform independently, but without success? Don’t worry: if you want, I can explain to you how things are and help you achieve your intent. Before getting to the heart of the topic, however, I would like to point out that in general it would be better to keep the apps up to date: in most cases, in fact, the new updates do not only contain new features or aesthetic improvements, but also serve to fix bugs and, above all, ensure the security of user data.
Having said that, if however your intent remains unchanged, I suggest you take a few minutes of free time, calmly read the procedures indicated in this tutorial and put them into practice. I will explain how to do this on the most popular operating systems for smartphones, tablets and computers currently. Happy reading and good luck for everything!
Index
- How to cancel an app update on Android
- Disable the automatic update of apps from the store
- Install app via APK
- Restore apps from backups
- How to cancel an app update on iPhone and iPad
- How to cancel an app update on a computer
How to cancel an app update on Android
If it is your intention to cancel the update for a certain application on smartphones and tablets animated by the Android operating system , you have different ways to proceed, to be followed according to your needs.
If, for example, you intend to prevent an application currently installed on your device from automatically updating to a later version than the one in use, you can simply make sure that the Play Store (or the alternative store on your device) does not download the updates for that specific app yourself.
If, on the other hand, you want to go back to a previous version of your favorite app, things get a little complicated: after disabling automatic updates, you must then remove the application from the device and force the installation of a previous version of the same. , or restore a backup made in advance. In the following sections of this chapter you will find out how to proceed in each of the cases listed.
I reiterate, however, that blocking the receipt of updates for an application or returning to a previous version of the same could expose your device and / or your data to potential security risks : the updates, in addition to aesthetic and functional changes, could in fact include important solutions to security or stability problems of the apps to which they refer. Be aware of this before you do anything!
Disable the automatic update of apps from the store
To prevent an application from updating automatically, you can change the settings of the reference market of your device. Let’s start first from the devices equipped with Google services and, therefore, with the Play Store .
If you want to disable the automatic updating of a specific application, start the Play Store , search for the name of the application using the bar located at the top and enter , to view the list of related apps with the search you made.
Now, locate the application of your interest in the list that is proposed to you and tap on its name , to view its summary screen; once there, press the ⫶ button located at the top right and remove the check mark from the box next to the Update item. automatic / automatic updates . Then repeat the operation for all the other applications that you do not want to update automatically.
If you want an even more drastic solution, you can disable the receipt of updates for all the applications installed on the device: to do this, after opening the Play Store , tap on your avatar located at the top right, select the Settings item from the menu that appears and touches the items Network preferences and Automatic app update ; to conclude, put the check mark next to the item Do not automatically update apps and touch the item Finish , in order to save the changes made.
If you then use a device not equipped with Google services (e.g. a modern Huawei smartphone ), you must look for the setting that allows you to disable the download of automatic updates directly within the relevant reference market: for example, if you use HUAWEI AppGallery , start the latter app, press on the User tab and tap the Settings and Automatic app update items ; to finish, put the check mark next to the word Deactivated and that’s it.
Install app via APK
If you want to go back to the previous version of an app installed on your device, you must uninstall it and manually install the APK package for the specific version you are looking for.
Keep in mind, however, that downloading external APK files from a reputable store (eg Google Play Store, HUAWEI AppGallery or Amazon Appstore ) could compromise the integrity of the device and the data stored on it: the files APKs, in fact, could act as a vehicle for malware and seriously jeopardize the privacy of your data .
Proceed therefore in full awareness of what you are about to do: personally, I will not be held responsible for any damage to your smartphone / tablet that could arise from the implementation of the steps illustrated below. I warned you!
Having clarified this, the first thing you need to do is disable the automatic updates for the app of your interest, as seen in the previous step of this guide, and then uninstall it : this last operation can be completed by making a long tap on the ” app icon on the Home screen and / or in the drawer of the device and, always keeping your finger pressed on the screen, releasing the application on the Uninstall button or on the trash can icon , which appears at the top of the screen. For more information, check out my guide on how to uninstall apps from Android .
Once the uninstallation is complete, you must then enable the option for installing apps from unknown sources : for security reasons, in fact, the use of APK files external to the device’s reference store is blocked by means of a specific option.
To unlock it, open the Android Settings , by tapping on the resident gear symbol on the Home screen (or in the drawer), reach the App sections > Special access for apps and tap on the item Install unknown apps . At this point, locate the name of the browser you usually use to access the Internet (eg. Chrome), tap on the latter and move the lever located in correspondence with the item Allow from this source from OFF to ON ; if necessary, confirm the will to proceed by pressing OK / Authorize .
Keep in mind that the path to follow varies, based on the version of Android in use on your device; for example, if you use a Xiaomi phone , you must go to the Settings> Privacy protection> Special permissions> Install unknown apps> [browser name] section , turn the lever next to the word Allow from this source to ON and confirm it by affixing the check mark next to the item I am aware of the possible risks and I voluntarily assume all possible consequences . Finally, wait for the safety timer to “expire” and, when it is active, press the OK button .
On Android versions prior to 8.0, the option relating to installation from unknown sources can be activated globally, without the need to select the app through which the APK file is opened; to do this, simply go to the Settings> Security screen of the operating system and move the lever corresponding to the Unknown sources item to ON .
At this point, you are ready to manually download the app (and the version of it) you want; all you have to do is connect to one of the many portals that allow the download of APK files, select what you are interested in and proceed with the installation by clicking on the downloaded file.
I must emphasize, however, that not all sites that allow you to download APKs are reliable , indeed: for this reason, I invite you to go exclusively to services that are as “clean” as possible, and to make sure of their actual seriousness by carrying out a targeted search on Google and / or using one of the many portals to check the reliability of a site .
For my part, I recommend you to use APKMirror , a site that boasts a huge database of completely legal, verified APK files, mostly free of security problems (at least at the time of writing this guide) and which offers the possibility to download any version of the available apps, including beta ones.
To use it, open the browser you previously authorized, connect to the home page of the site in question and use the upper search bar to find the app of your interest; then, from Enter , tap the Apps tab and tap on the most relevant result, among those listed.
Now, scroll down the page that is proposed to you until you find the All versions box , tap on the version number of the app you are interested in downloading (helping you with its release date ) and, if necessary, locate the specific APK for the type of processor / Android version of your device. Finally, click on the Download APK button (or on the down arrow ) corresponding to the file of your interest and, if a warning about the download of a potentially unsafe file is shown, tap the OK / Download / Download button anyway .
When the download is complete, Open the APK file by pressing on the appropriate item that appears at the bottom of the screen (or in the Android notification area ), press the Install button to confirm the installation and touch the Open button , in order to start the app just downloaded. In some cases, confirm the additional security warning, responding affirmatively to the warning that is proposed to you ( more info here ).
Note : if, for some reason, you “lose” the browser notification regarding the completion of the APK file download, authorize the file manager on your device (eg. Google files ) to install the files from sources unknown, launch it and open the Downloads folder . Finally, tap on the APK file downloaded previously and proceed with the installation of the app, as seen above.
Restore apps from backups
Alternatively, you can “protect” yourself in advance and install a backup app , able to create and keep a backup copy of a specific application, which can be restored following any unwelcome update. There are numerous applications of this type but, for simplicity, I will base this tutorial on Apps Backup Restore ; it is a free application (with the presence of advertisements), easy to use and which, above all, does not require root permissions .
So, to get started, download the app in question from the store on your device, start it and provide the necessary permissions , responding in the affirmative to the warnings that appear later. Once you have reached the app home screen, open the Installed tab (top), locate the app for which to backup from the list that is proposed to you and put the check mark next to the name ; if you want, you can also select multiple applications at the same time. To make a backup copy of the selected files, tap the Backup button at the bottom.
If the app should update and then you want to go back to the version it was in when you made the backup, uninstall it with the usual procedure provided by Android , then start Apps Backup Restore and touch, this time, the Archived tab ; at this point, touch the name of the app for which you made the backup copy, tap the Restore button located at the bottom and, if necessary, authorize Apps Backup Restore to install apps from unknown sources: then tap the item Settings resident in the message that appears on the screen and move the lever next to the wording to ONAllow from this source .
At this point, confirm your willingness to proceed by pressing the OK button (if necessary), return to Apps Backup Restore and tap the Install button ; to finish installing the app backup. If you deem it appropriate, you can have Apps Backup Restore make a backup copy of all applications, the moment you install them for the first time: to activate this function, tap the ☰ button resident on the home screen of the app, touch the Settings item from the menu that is proposed to you and tap on the words Auto Backup .
How to cancel an app update on iPhone and iPad
As for the iPhone and iPad , things are quite different. If you want to ensure that the installed applications do not update automatically, you can intervene directly from the device Settings : therefore, open the latter by tapping the resident gear symbol on the Home screen (or in the App Library), tap the App item Store and move the switch next to App updates to OFF .
I remind you, once again, that an outdated app can represent a serious security problem not only for the app itself, but also for the entire device: I have warned you.
And if you have deactivated the automatic updating of an app on iPhone / iPad because you would like to return to a previous version of the same, you must know that, at least at the time of writing, it is not possible to carry out an operation of this type in a simple way. , but you have to perform the jailbreak procedure on the device and use a specific tweak for the purpose.
Personally, I advise you not to go down this route, mainly for two reasons: the first, as well as the most important, is because the jailbreak exposes iPhone / iPad to concrete security risks; moreover, both the jailbreak and the tweaks used could stop working at any time, thanks to the fixes that Apple introduces with the various iOS / iPadOS updates. Finally, keep in mind that unlocking an iPhone (or iPad) will immediately invalidate its warranty .
How to cancel an app update on a computer
Do you need to cancel a program update on your computer and revert to its previous version? In most cases, this is a completely feasible operation without particular effort, as long as the software has been installed using the classic setup file (e.g. the .exe / .msi package on Windows or .dmg / .pkg on macOS) and not the built-in Windows and macOS stores.
Before proceeding, it seems to me necessary to make some clarifications: to start, an outdated software could bring with it security and stability problems and, for this reason, you should carefully evaluate its pros and cons before using it. Secondly, the software downgrade (ie “recession”) procedure could result in the loss of all settings and customizations made on it: take this into account!
That said, if you want to proceed anyway and you have installed the program using its setup file, start by uninstalling the program in use, following the classic procedures provided by Windows and macOS. Once this is done, go to the official website of the software, enter its download area and look for the section relating to previous versions of the program (usually called Oldest versions , Past versions , Previous Releases , Old Releases , Previous versions or similar).
Once you have identified the version of the program you are interested in, download the relative installation package, run it and follow the instructions you see on the screen, in order to complete the setup of the “old” software; at the first start, be sure to disable the option for automatic updates from the software settings, otherwise you would risk finding yourself back to back!
I recommend: download and install only programs from the respective official sites and avoid the use of third-party portals, which may contain installation files modified for harmful purposes , please.
If, on the other hand, you have obtained the program through the device store, I have no good news to give you: at the time of writing, there is no official procedure to cancel the update of an application obtained from the Microsoft Store or from the Mac App Store , I am sorry.
Note : if you are unable to complete the software downgrade, because you receive errors during the setup phase of the previous version, try and perform a clean removal of the application in question (using a program suitable for the purpose) and repeat the procedure all over again. procedure.
