Simple easy way to completely stop 1) Windows 2) iOS 3) macOS from updating?

puppychumful

Is there a simple easy foolproof way to completely stop:
1) Windows
2) iOS
3) macOS
from their obsessive updating?

Windows (for example but all three OS's do this it seems) updates itself at the most inconvenient of times, and the most I seem to be able to do, is postpone updates for some time.

I want to fully control when and/or if Windows (for example but all three OS's do this it seems) updates take place, so that they happen only if/when I want them to. I know I can disable Wi-Fi to isolate OS updates, but that means I can't access online material.

NeuM

macOS: https://techstacker.com/how-to-stop-mac-automatically-downloading-updates/

iOS: https://www.macworld.com/article/672135/how-to-turn-off-iphone-automatic-ios-updates.html

Windows: https://answers.microsoft.com

Telefunky

I have deactivated automatic updates in both IOS and MacOS (in control panel), and until now they‘ve obeyed to the order. No unconfirmed activity.
In Windows it‘s similar until Win 8, but probably more complex to setup.
(no Win machine here is connected to the internet anyway, except 1time for activation of the OS)

But in Win10/11 it‘s basically pointless to disconnect them from inet. They need connection at least once a day or otherwise there will be connection attempts (from both OS and apps) at probably the most inappropriate moments. Just what you try to avoid.
That‘s why I‘ll never install any of those
The automatic update scheme of Win10/11 is extremely complex and individual per installation. Messing with it is asking for trouble...

anickt

Some people act like there’s this big Apple conspiracy when the ability to shut off automatic updates has been there all along. 🤦🏽‍♂️

puppychumful

Thank you gentleman, and most to the point my concerns appear to be merited with respect to Windows (the OS that annoys me the most).

Telefunky said: "But in Win10/11 it‘s basically pointless to disconnect them from inet. They need connection at least once a day or otherwise there will be connection attempts (from both OS and apps) at probably the most inappropriate moments. Just what you try to avoid."

Mountain_Hamlet

With Windows 10 and 11 you need to have the Professional version to be able to stop any updating. There are a few registry things you have to do to tweak it. Works great and doesn’t do any updating without your interaction. AFIK there is no way to stop automatic updating in the home edition.
Mac and iOS shouldn’t update if you have automatic updates disabled.

wim

@anickt said:
Some people act like there’s this big Apple conspiracy when the ability to shut off automatic updates has been there all along. 🤦🏽‍♂️

Not really. It used to download them no matter what, so you would be left with a gigabyte or so download you weren't using on the device. Then if you managed to delete it, it would just re-download. The only way to prevent that was to have your device too full to download the update.

They addressed that a few major versions ago, to their credit.

wim

I wouldn't characterize people's feelings as "conspiracy theories" but it's reasonable to want to be in control of what happens to your device. As you mentioned, Apple has made this possible ... to a point.

Where they fall down in my opinion is in making it impossible to roll back to the previous version if an update breaks something important to you. Also in forcing a full update of the OS and all apps when restoring a device backup.

I don't call that a conspiracy. I do call it annoying and overly heavy-handed.

anickt

@wim said:
I wouldn't characterize people's feelings as "conspiracy theories" but it's reasonable to want to be in control of what happens to your device. As you mentioned, Apple has made this possible ... to a point.

Where they fall down in my opinion is in making it impossible to roll back to the previous version if an update breaks something important to you. Also in forcing a full update of the OS and all apps when restoring a device backup.

I don't call that a conspiracy. I do call it annoying and overly heavy-handed.

I understand where you’re coming from. Maybe I’m just lucky but I’ve never had an update break anything significant except that one QuickTime update a long time ago that made files disappear. It was fixed quickly. I’ve actually had pretty good luck with all of my Apple hardware and software going back to 1993. 😎👍🏼

puppychumful

The main reason I ask about ensuring OS updates can be stopped, is that when using a computer as a sample playback device or a synth and triggering such sounds with a Fishman TriplePlay, even fractional increases in latency (due for example to the OS preoccupying itself with updating) can be both readily noticeable and annoying.

I have read that with Windows 10 / 11 (as Mountain_Hamlet kindly pointed out) the Pro version can stop updates but not the Home version, so with the Home version you have to hack the registry, which I used to do for many years for many reasons, but I've gotten really tired of registry hacks and want to avoid them with my newer machines, if at all possible.

I suppose with Windows 10 / 11 there is still the simple option of pausing updates for up to five weeks, but I am pretty sure Windows Home will still download the updates (but not install them immediately) and thus latency increases, at least for the period of time the downloads are in progress.

There is a secondary reason to not want OS updates (in this case at all and not simply delayed) and that's because if everything is running optimally, why would I want to risk any changes, especially with legacy hardware / software on my older laptops.