iTunes Leaks 'Automatic Download' Over-the-Air Updates in iOS 5 [Updated]

appupdates1
In the days leading to WWDC, Apple's iTunes seems to have leaked a new feature that must be coming in iOS 5. A MacRumors reader discovered (and we verified) that when asking iTunes to check your app library for updates, iTunes' update page reveals a new feature for iOS devices. (Thanks Marcelo) The following line has been added to the My App Updates screen:

Or if your device has Automatic Download enabled for apps, your updates will download to your device without having to sync.

Such a setting doesn't exist in iOS at present, which suggests that you will be able to automatically get app updates to your device. Presently, users must either sync or download the updates themselves manually through the App Store app.

It also suggests that there is an Automatic Download setting for other items besides apps. Apple has been rumored to be making a push into over-the-air updates as well as some sort of wireless syncing. Rumors of AirPort Extreme and Time Capsule updates have also hinted at such a feature.

WWDC kicks off on Monday with a keynote from Steve Jobs who will detail Mac OS X Lion, iOS 5 and iCloud.

Update: Apple has removed the extra wording from the Updates page in iTunes.

Popular Stories

iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

Eric5h5 Avatar
183 months ago
Who starts a sentence with "Or"?

Writers do.

--Eric
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ridley182 Avatar
183 months ago
Sounds like a nice feature, as long as it doesn't impact battery life in a negative way.

Monday seems so far away.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
skellener Avatar
183 months ago
The last thing I want is "automatic" updating with iOS. I lost some great apps to so called "updates". I was luckily able to downgrade back to older versions of the apps because I had a Time Machine back up. If Apple offered a way to go back to previous versions of apps, I wouldn't mind auto updating. But now I am always wary of ANY updates to my iOS apps. Sometimes the developers change things and they really suck. Sometimes, so does Apple >cough<...QuicktimeX...>cough<
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
183 months ago
Sounds like a feature I'll keep turned off.

App devs have been known to remove features in new versions (*cough* TWITTER) or introduce bugs of death. I like to carefully review apps before I update them, and keep a backup of the previous version just in case.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
locust76 Avatar
183 months ago
Interesting feature.

But what's so hard about pressing "update all" when you are on wifi? No computer needed.


It's actually more like this:

1. Unlock iPhone, put in passcode (if set up)
2. Open App Store
3. Wait
4. Tap on Updates
5. Wait
6. Tap on "Update All"
7. Enter iTunes Password
8. Get kicked out of the App Store
9. Confirm that you are over 17 and can use App XYZ
10. If you only have one iTunes account, stop here.
11. Go to settings
12. Tap Store
13. Enter your other iTunes ID
14. Go to 2

Automatic App Updates would be more like

1. Connect to Wi-Fi
2. Wait for apps to automatically update
3. Done
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
maflynn Avatar
183 months ago
I'm one of those control freaks and I like to be the one to determine if I want to update my apps. I'm hoping there be an option to disable this.

I've had my share of app updates that made the app worse, and unstable. I'd rather wait to see how others respond to a given update before taking the plunge
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)