Phone Keeps Downloading Apps? – Fix In Minutes!

Are you suffering from your phone keeps downloading apps suddenly and without warning? You’ve come to the right place.

It’s certainly frustrating to know that you cannot control your phone properly.

You are facing a few possible problems if your phone constantly downloads apps.

We’ll help you fix it in no time!

You want to disable the Downloads from Unknown Sources to stop your phone from downloading apps. One of the more effective solutions to try is to switch off Auto-Updates on your phone.

Now that you have a good understanding of the situation, we can explore the different reasons why it’s constantly downloading apps without any warning.

Why My Phone Keeps Downloading Apps

There are a few possible sources of the problem if your phone is constantly downloading apps. One of which is when automatic downloads are activated.

The app store on your phone will constantly look for any updates and install them. Another possible reason for this issue is if your account is hacked.

Let’s look at some of the proven reasons that can cause your phone from downloading apps without your approval.

✅ Automatic downloads are enabled – When automatic downloads are enabled, the app store will search for any update and install it right away.

✅ App store account is hacked – Hackers can control your account and force your device to download their malicious apps remotely.

✅ App store permissions for downloading – Apps need permissions to operate properly. If you disable permissions of your app stores, they won’t be able to download apps freely.

✅ Background app usage – Your apps, even when they’re closed, can use up small amounts of data. If background app data usage is turned on, it will restrict usage for certain apps.

Let’s now proceed to the different ways how you can fix this issue. Let’s get to the fixes!

How to Stop My Phone from Downloading Apps by Itself

If your phone is downloading apps by itself, one of the easiest things you can do is restart it.

Doing this should help flush out any bugs and glitches that can cause your downloading problem.

Hopefully, a phone restart should do the trick and get it back in order. You can also go through the rest of these more advanced solutions when restarting your phone does not resolve your issue.

Solution #1: Turn Off Auto-Updates on Your Phone

If you’re asking why is my iPhone download apps by itself, the best thing you can do is to turn off auto-updates.

This is also true for Android devices, as they also come with the same feature.

Having auto-updates disabled means that your phone won’t download apps until you tell it to do so.

There is also the upside of not subjecting your phone to additional data and resource usage that can slow your device down.

Here are the steps on how to disable auto-update on your phone:

On iPhone:

1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Tap on the App Store option.
3. Toggle the switch on App Updates Off.

On Android:

1. Go to the Google Play Store app.
2. Tap on your profile image.
3. Select Settings.
4. Choose Network Preferences.
5. Tap Auto-update apps, then Don’t auto-update apps.

Pro Tip: Since turning off automatic updates, you will need to update your important apps every once in a while manually.

Solution #2: Change the Password of Your App Store Account

If your phone keeps on downloading apps without you prompting it, you’ll need to suspect that your account has been breached.

App stores have the capability to download apps on your phone remotely. It means that someone who has access to your account can use a browser to install apps on your device without using it.

One of the best ways to deal with this is to change your password the moment you suspect your account is hacked.

This will prevent the hacker from installing apps that can compromise your phone’s security and privacy.

Here’s how to change the password of your app store account:

On iPhone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings app.
2. Select your phone’s name, then Password and Security.
3. Tap on Change Password.
4. Enter your current password or passcode.
5. Enter your new password and confirm it.

On Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Go to Google, then Manage your Google Account.
3. Tap on Security.
4. Select Password.
5. Enter your new password and tap Change Password.

Tip: You can also choose the Reset your password option to change your password if the hacker has blocked you from accessing your account.

Solution #3: Disable Downloads from Unknown Sources

Why is my Android phone downloading apps by itself? Installing apps from unknown sources is one of the ways to get an app that’s not on the official app stores.

It can come in handy for legitimate apps, but it’s also problematic for apps with malicious intent.

If you install the wrong type of app, with this feature enabled, it can run and start to download apps you don’t exactly want on your phone.

It will get annoying, but it can also compromise your device’s privacy and security.

Here’s how to turn off downloads from unknown sources:

On iPhone:

1. Open your phone’s Settings.
2. Scroll down and find the Shortcuts app.
3. Tap on it.
4. Toggle the Allow Untrusted Shortcuts Off.

On Android:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap on the Menu at the top-right, then select Special Access.
3. Choose Install Unknown Apps.
4. Select the My Files app.
5. Toggle the Allow from this source switch to the Off position.

Note: You’ll first need to download the third-party APK file, then install it.

Solution #4: Restrict Background Data Usage on Your Phone

If you’re not using an app, it doesn’t mean that it’s not doing anything. The app can still use data to communicate with the servers.

It can look for a new version of the app. All these activities use up data that can be hijacked by hackers.

These are open avenues that can be used to get other malicious apps installed on your phone.

To prevent this from happening, you want to restrict background data usage to stop your phone from automatically downloading apps.

Here’s how to limit background data use on your phone:

On iPhone:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Go to the General menu option.
3. Tap on Background App Refresh.
4. Select the app you want to restrict and tap the switch Off.
5. Tap on Background App Refresh, then Off to restrict all apps.

On Android:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Select Data Usage.
3. Choose the app you want to restrict and tap on it.
4. Toggle the Background data switch to Off.

Tip: If there are apps you want to turn off, they’re app stores and browsers.

Solution #5: Turn Off Your Phone’s Automatic Restore Feature

Device syncing is the name of the game nowadays, with your account constantly linked to the servers.

It’s a great feature and can come in handy in certain situations. However, you can encounter several issues if the syncing is not done properly.

You can have difficulty uninstalling an app if there’s an issue with the link.

As soon as you remove the app, your phone can request a sync with the server and revert the app you just deleted. If you’re experiencing this issue, you want to switch on automatic restore.

Here’s how to turn off automatic restore on your phone:

On iPhone:

1. Open your phone’s Settings app.
2. Tap your phone’s name.
3. Select iCloud, then iCloud Backup.
4. Tap on Stop Restoring iPhone.

On Android:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Select System, then Backup.
3. Turn off Back up to Google Drive.
4. Select App data.
5. Tap Automatic Restore to switch it Off.

Solution #6: Remove App Store Permissions

If you have a phone with different app stores, you want to disable its permissions to stop it from downloading apps you don’t want.

This will ensure that the app store won’t be able to install apps automatically.

Here’s how to remove app store permissions on your phone:

1. Go to your phone’s Settings.
2. Select Apps.
3. Choose an App Store like Galaxy Apps.
4. Tap on Permissions.
5. Select the Storage permission, and select Don’t Allow.

Note: You can do this for any app store that’s installed on your phone.

This is how you can stop your phone from downloading apps automatically and unexpectedly on your phone.

If none of these solutions work out, you can reset your phone to factory defaults to revert it and flush out any infected apps or files that are causing the issue.

Bottom Line

Now that you know the reasons and fixing why your phone keeps downloading apps, you can follow these simple solutions and instructions.

This way won’t be bothered by new apps popping up left and right and affecting your phone’s performance.

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