How to Stop iPhone Downloading

By Theodora Pennypacker

To manage iPhone downloads, owners can adjust settings on the device and within iTunes.
i Justin Sullivan/Getty Images News/Getty Images

Downloadable apps can optimize your iPhone for tasks such as scheduling, banking and shopping. But maintaining several apps on your device could compromise its processing speed, and you might incur extra roaming or data charges if automatic app downloads occur at inconvenient times. To avoid this, you can disable automatic downloads by modifying your iPhone’s settings. Plus, if you discover mid-download that you’ve mistakenly selected an app, you can stop the process with just a tap of your finger. And when you connect your iPhone to a computer for charging, you can prevent its content from transferring into iTunes by turning off the automatic sync feature.

Disable Automatic Downloads

Step 1

Turn on your iPhone. Tap the “Settings” app.

Step 2

Select the “Store” tab to bring up an Automatic Downloads menu. Tap “Sign In” and enter your Apple ID and password if you are not already logged into your iTunes account.

Step 3

Move the toggle from “On” to “Off” for the Apps listing. Do the same for each content type (e.g. music, iBooks) that you want to disable automatic downloads for.

Step 4

Move the toggle from “On” to “Off” on the Cellular option. This adjustment prevents mobile data downloads for existing purchases and restricts content updates to Wi-Fi zones.

Step 5

Press the home button to exit the Settings app.

Cancel App Downloads

Step 1

Press the home button while the app is transferring onto your device. Scroll through your screen to locate the icon for the downloading app.

Step 2

Tap and hold down the icon until it jiggles. Tap the “X” overlay that appears on the upper left corner of the icon. The iPhone displays a dialog box that prompts you to confirm deletion.

Step 3

Tap the “Delete” button to stop the download.

Prevent Automatic Syncing

Step 1

Launch iTunes. Select the “Edit” tab on the program menu, and select “Preferences.”

Step 2

Click the “Devices” icon in the Preferences window.

Step 3

Check the “Prevent iPods, iPhones, and iPads from syncing automatically” box. Click “OK.”

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