iOS 13.6 could give users control over automatic update downloads

What you need to know

• Apple seeded iOS 13.6 beta 2 to developers yesterday.
• The update adds a new toggle to control system software updates.
• Users can now have iPhones automatically download updates. Or not. Whichever.

More control is always good.

Apple seeded iOS 13.6 beta 2 to developers yesterday, renaming the update from iOS 13.5.5. There's more than just a change in name here though, with Apple also adding a new toggle to control whether a system update is automatically downloaded or not.

In its current form, iOS will automatically update itself overnight when a device is connected to WiFi and charging if a user wishes it to. But this new change adds an extra layer to that – the iPhone can automatically download the update but not install it.

I don’t remember seeing this before in iOS/iPadOS - a way to let your device automatically download and/or install updates, without necessarily saying yes or no to both. Nice quality of life improvement. Found in iPadOS 13.6 beta 2. pic.twitter.com/qdEE1vKneP

— Jeremy Horwitz (@horwitz) June 9, 2020

The existing functionality to have an update applied overnight remains.

Automatically install software updates overnight after they have been downloaded. You will receive a notification before updates are installed. Your iPhone must be charging and connected to Wi-Fi to complete the update.

It's a subtle difference and one that will give users more control over whether they save storage space or have an update ready to go at a moment's notice.

There's no indication when iOS 13.6 will be made available to the public, but with iOS 14 set to enter beta at WWDC on June 22, it isn't likely to be long.

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