How to Turn On Automatic Software Updates on iPhone and Android

Every few weeks, Apple and Google release updates for your phone. These updates fix security problems, patch bugs, and sometimes add new features. Keeping your phone up to date is one of the most important things you can do to stay safe — many scams and hacking attempts take advantage of phones that have not been updated.

The good news is that you do not have to remember to do this yourself. Both iPhone and Android phones can download and install updates automatically, usually overnight while the phone is charging and connected to your home WiFi.

Here is why automatic updates matter:

When security researchers (or unfortunately, criminals) find a weakness in phone software, Apple and Google fix it quickly and release an update. If your phone has that update, the weakness is patched. If it does not, your phone remains vulnerable. Automatic updates mean the fix gets installed as soon as it is available, without you having to do anything.

Automatic updates download using your WiFi connection. So they do not use your cellular data or cost you anything extra on your phone bill. They install quietly in the background. You might see a brief message that your phone restarted overnight. But you will not lose any of your apps, photos, or settings.

A few things to keep in mind: - Your phone needs to be connected to WiFi and plugged in to charge for most automatic updates to install - Updates usually happen late at night or in the early morning hours when you are not using the phone - You can always check what was updated by going into Settings and looking at your update history - If a major new version of the operating system is available (like a new version of iOS or Android), you may still need to tap "Install" to confirm it — but security patches often install on their own

This guide walks you through turning on automatic updates on both iPhone and Android. The steps are different depending on which phone you have.