To update all your iPhone or iPad apps at once, open the App Store, tap your account picture or the My Account button at the top right, tap App Updates, then tap Update All. This starts the available app updates together. You can also tap Update beside one app if you want to update selectively.
App Store apps update automatically by default, but a manual check is useful before a trip or a work session. On an older iPad, the update list appears directly below your account details instead of under App Updates.
Before You Start Updating
Connect the iPad to a working internet connection. Wi-Fi is a practical choice for a long update list, especially if your cellular plan has a data limit. A Wi-Fi-only iPad needs Wi-Fi; a Wi-Fi + Cellular model can also use cellular data when its settings and plan permit it. Cellular downloads can incur carrier charges.
Plug in the iPad if its battery is running low. You also need available device storage. If the iPad has been warning that it is full, check how much storage is left on your iPad before starting a large queue. This is the iPad’s local storage, rather than space in your iCloud subscription.
These steps apply to apps obtained through the App Store. They do not install every app you own on other devices, change all your app settings, or update iPadOS itself.
How to Update All iPad Apps Manually
The current route below follows Apple’s guide to updating apps on iPad, checked October 1, 2026.
- Open the App Store on your iPad. Its icon is a white stylized A on a blue background.
- Tap your picture or the My Account button at the top-right corner of the App Store.
- Tap App Updates. This opens the update list rather than your purchase history.
- Review the apps that have an update available. Tap Update All to start the available updates, or Update next to a particular app.
- Let the downloads and installations finish. If the iPad displays an account prompt or an error, read it before deciding what to do next.
- Check the Updated Recently list. Apple says an app appears there after it has updated. Open an app you rely on to make sure it launches normally.
Starting the whole list together doesn’t mean every app finishes at the same time. Larger downloads, a slower connection or a problem with one app can slow the queue down. Wait until each app actually finishes installing.
Update All Apps on iPhone, Including Older Models
- Open App Store on the iPhone.
- On current iOS, tap your account picture or My Account, then App Updates.
- Tap Update All, or tap Update beside a single app.
On older iOS versions, available updates appear directly under your account picture, and very old versions have an Updates tab at the bottom of the App Store with its own Update All button. Apple’s app-update instructions cover iPhone and iPad.
An update must support the iOS version on your phone. If an app requires a newer iOS version than the device can run, Update All cannot make that app compatible. Open the app’s App Store listing and check its requirements.
How to Turn Automatic App Updates On or Off
Manual Update All handles the available list now. The App Updates setting controls whether the iPad automatically downloads and installs future app versions.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Apps.
- Tap App Store.
- Turn App Updates on to allow automatic app updates, or off if you prefer to start them yourself.
Apple says automatic updates are enabled by default for apps downloaded from the App Store. You can still check the list manually when the setting is on. Turning it off does not remove installed apps or undo versions already installed; it changes how future updates are handled.
To restore your previous preference, return to the same screen and change App Updates back. This is the setting to revisit if you enabled automatic updates temporarily and later want to choose each update yourself.
App Updates, App Downloads, and Software Update Compared
Several Apple settings mention downloads or updates. Choosing the right one prevents changes that do not solve your original problem.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| App Store > account > App Updates > Update All | Starts the app updates currently available in the App Store list. |
| Settings > Apps > App Store > App Updates | Allows automatic downloading and installation of new app versions. |
| Settings > Apps > App Store > App Downloads | Automatically installs apps purchased on your other devices. |
| Settings > Apps > App Store > In-App Content | Allows supported apps to download content in the background before you first open them. |
| Settings > General > Software Update | Checks for updates to iPadOS, the iPad’s operating system. |
Apple says apps installed by default on the iPad are updated when you update iPadOS. If you are trying to update a built-in feature rather than an App Store download, see how to update iPadOS and check your version. A newer operating system can also be required by a particular app, but it is a separate installation with its own preparation.
Why Is Update All Missing?
First, make sure you opened App Updates after tapping the account picture. An app purchase list, a store search result, and a list of recently updated apps have different purposes. Looking at one of those screens can make it seem as though the update controls disappeared.
If the correct update screen offers no pending updates, there may be nothing available for you to install through that list right now. Updated Recently lists finished updates; it is not a list of updates still waiting. An Open button for a particular app launches the installed app rather than starting another installation.
If the App Store is unavailable or installation controls are restricted on a child’s or organization’s iPad, ask the parent or administrator who manages it. Apple documents App Store restrictions in Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions, including installation and purchase controls. You do not need to remove an organization’s management profile or disable every restriction to find out which rule applies.
What to Do When an App Update Gets Stuck
If an update stalls, work through these checks in order. Apple’s download and update troubleshooting guide covers the same ground. Don’t delete an app with important local data just to retry an update.
- Check the connection. Load another App Store page. If nothing loads, fix Wi-Fi first.
- Prioritize the download. Touch and hold the stuck app on the Home Screen and tap Prioritize Download if you see it.
- Free up space. Open Settings > General > iPad Storage. Offload App keeps the app’s data; Delete App removes it.
- Fix account messages. A billing problem with previous purchase or verification required message needs a fix in your Apple Account, even for free apps.
- Check compatibility. If the update needs a newer iPadOS than your iPad can run, it won’t install. Check Settings > General > Software Update.
- Restart the iPad. Without a Home button, hold a volume button and the top button until the slider appears. With a Home button, hold the top button. Drag the slider, wait 30 seconds, then hold the top button to turn it back on.
- Automatic updates never run? Turn on Settings > Apps > App Store > App Updates, and turn off Low Power Mode in Settings > Battery. Apple says Low Power Mode pauses automatic downloads.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Update All Change Every Installed App?
No. It installs the updates currently waiting in the App Updates list. Apps without a new version are left alone, and built-in Apple apps update with iPadOS instead.
Can I Update Only One App?
Yes. Open App Store > account picture > App Updates and tap Update beside the app you want. This is useful when you want to check one app’s new version before starting the rest of the queue. You can leave automatic updates enabled while making this manual check.
Can I Undo an App Update by Turning Off App Updates?
Turning off App Updates changes the automatic preference for future updates. It does not roll the installed app back. If a new release causes a problem, check for a later fix or ask the developer for help before deleting an app with important local data.
For a routine check, the useful sequence is App Store > account picture > App Updates > Update All, followed by a look at Updated Recently. Keep the automatic setting on if it suits you, and use the individual Update button when you want to choose which app changes now.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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