App updates accompany new functionality, but they can additionally breach old appearance or introduce changes no one wants. Unfortunately, if you're captivation assimilate an earlier app adaptation because you don't appetite to acquire the update, it becomes a lot harder to accumulate the blow of your apps updated.
Sure, you could accessible the app's Play Store folio and attenuate the "Automatic Updates" setting, but this has ancillary effects. If you anytime go to the My Apps area in the Play Store and hit "Update All," you'll be asked if you appetite to amend the app in question, area it's accessible to accomplish the amiss choice. You'll additionally consistently see that you accept an amend accessible in the My Apps section.
Another advantage would be to attenuate automated updates altogether, but afresh you'd charge to consistently analysis for updates for all your added apps, and you'd still accept to abstain the "Update All" button.
In the past, the alone abiding solutions to this botheration complex application basis or modifying APK files on your computer, but neither of those is an advantage for everyone. With the adjustment categorical below, you'll be able to stop automated updates already and for all, and you can do it all from the abundance of your phone.
Before You Begin
This adjustment should assignment to anticipate any user-installed app from afterlight on the Play Store, but it won't assignment for pre-installed apps unless you're rooted.
The basis of it is you'll be re-sideloading a adaptation of the app that you active yourself. Since Android won't install a differently-signed app on top of addition one (even if aggregate abroad is identical), this agency you'll accept to uninstall the official adaptation of the app afore you assurance it yourself and install it afresh to anticipate updates.
Therefore, the alone way to anticipate updates for pre-installed arrangement apps is to abolish the official version. You can alone do that if you're abiding (but if you are, it's aloof a amount of deleting the APK book from /system/app/ or /system/priv-app/).
However, if you're accomplishing this for an app you installed yourself, no basis is needed.
Step 1: Install the App Adaptation You Appetite to Keep
The aboriginal affair you'll charge to do is get the absolute adaptation of the app that you appetite to accumulate indefinitely. If you've been alienated updates and the adaptation in catechism is already installed, you can move on to Step 2.
If you've already updated, you'll accept to alpha by uninstalling the adapted adaptation of the app, of course. From there, install the adaptation you appetite to keep. A abundant way to acquisition old versions is to attending up the app on APKMirror, afresh sideload the earlier APK.
Step 2: Install 2 New Apps
To do this all on your phone, you'll aloof charge two apps. The aboriginal is alleged APK Extractor, and you'll use it to cull a archetype of the app adaptation that you appetite to accumulate installed. The additional app is alleged APK Signer Orijinal, and you'll use that to anticipate the app from updating.
To get both of these apps, chase for them by name on the Play Store. Or if you're account this on your phone, aloof tap anniversary of the afterward links:
- Install APK Extractor for chargeless from the Google Play Store
- Install APK Signer Orijinal for chargeless from the Google Play Store
Step 3: Abstract the APK Adaptation You Appetite to Keep
Next, accessible APK Extractor. From the capital screen, annal bottomward and baddest the app you appetite to anticipate from updating. You'll acceptable be prompted to accord the app accumulator access, so tap "Allow" on the popup. Then, baddest the app you appetite to anticipate from afterlight (one added time) and the app will abstract its APK file.
At this point, you can uninstall APK Extractor if you'd like — its job is done.
Step 4: Re-Sign the APK
Next, accessible the APK Signer app and tap "Choose In/Out." From there, accessible the ExtractedApks folder, afresh baddest the app you extracted in Step 3.
With the APK now queued up, leave all of the options called as they are, afresh tap "Sign the file" appear the basal of the screen. The action of signing the book can booty up to one minute, but back it's done, you'll be done with the APK Signer app.
Step 5: Uninstall the Official App
Next, you'll charge to uninstall the adaptation of the app you currently accept installed. This adaptation is active with the developer's official signature, so your custom-signed adaptation will not install on top of the absolute app. Uninstall by long-pressing the app's figure and selecting "Uninstall," or by bottomward it on the "Uninstall" advantage at the top of your home awning afterwards long-pressing.
Step 6: Sideload the Active App
Next, use any book browser app to cross to the ExtractedApks binder on your centralized accumulator partition. You'll see two APKs actuality — one is the aboriginal that you extracted in Step 3, and the added is the adaptation you active in Step 4. The names will be actual similar, so to be abiding you're installing the appropriate one, continued columnist it and accept "Rename." Verify that the APK book name ends with the chat "signed." If it doesn't, analysis the added APK.
When you're abiding you've amid the active APK, accomplish abiding you accept Unknown Sources enabled. From there, artlessly tap the book to accessible it, and you'll be prompted to install your custom-signed adaptation of the app. Columnist "Install" and afresh "Open."
Step 7: Enjoy Automated Updates Again
Finally, arch to the "My Apps" area in your Play Store app. If aggregate went off after a hitch, you'll see that no updates are accessible — alike admitting you accept the earlier adaptation of the app installed. From now on, you can tap that "Update All" button whenever you want, but your adapted APK will not update. You can alike accredit automated updates if you'd like!
This works because of the altered signature you activated to the APK in Step 4. Signatures are a security admeasurement Android uses to ensure that awful developers can't impersonate added apps. If the signatures of two APKs don't match, alike if aggregate abroad is the same, Android will debris to install the update.
The alone way to install an amend to an absolute app is if the signature matches the original, but analogous signatures can alone be created by the aboriginal developer. So by signing the APK with your own custom signature, you've about tricked the Play Store into cerebration you don't accept that exact app installed anymore, appropriately endlessly updates.
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