When does an automatic app update happen on iOS?

When the device checks for updates, it builds a list of all apps that need updating. All of those updates will be installed assuming these criteria are met:

  • The iOS device must be on and/or asleep.
  • The iOS device must be connected to power and/or battery is almost full.
  • The iOS device must be connected to a cellular data network and/or Wi-Fi.
  • Updates larger than 100MB will only be downloaded over Wi-Fi, never cellular. You can also disallow updating over cellular.
  • If device is in Low Power Mode it will not update