Instant apps why is downloading automatic

Also note, when copying the APK it should have an icon of the app. If it has the default icon it's probably corrupt download due to other unrelated reasons, so you can try downloading again. Now the cache folder is cleared and locked and apps folders are unlocked.

Note1: If you click on a new download and it says "pending" just force close Google Play and restart it, it should start downloading automatically. Note2: I have tested this with only Android: 6. Check to see if you have the cache folder and if the download of the Google Play Services is being uploaded there once upload is finished it stays there for a while. WARNING: It's fine to keep cache folder locked up, but if you happen to restart your phone while those data folders are locked, your phone will not boot.

And you'll need to go manually and change it from TWRP shell. I understand this solution is not for everyone, but if your primary concern is stability and to keep data-usage under control, this works Hopefully someone will come up with a better answer than this. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Ask Question. Asked 4 years, 3 months ago. Active 3 years, 5 months ago. Viewed k times. Background " Google Play services for Instant Apps " has installed itself onto my device without my permission. That is, most likely it is "Google Play services" that's actually doing this in the background There are no confirmations and no notifications of anything downloading, updating, or installing.

My question is: how do I completely disable unauthorized updates of an Android device, yet preserving the following functionality: Contacts Sync Google Play Store Google Maps App In these screenshots, you can see that all settings responsible for automatic updates are switched off.

The download is still requested and subsequently, installed. Seems any way of blocking installation will make it download again and again until your data is used up.

So most likely best approach would be to prevent the downloading in the first place. I wasn't able to install Download Manager as a user app, which seems the part that needs to be controlled. Update 2: Downgrading to the previous version of GP Services v Update 3: So now Google is updating itself on regular basis pretty much whenever it feels like it.

Improve this question. Community Bot 1. Emil Emil 2 2 gold badges 6 6 silver badges 18 18 bronze badges. The latter is a recent development and is behaving like a malware although it is official Google app. AFWall it broke in such a way that it gives me "Failed to apply rules" error, intermittently.

Izzy thanks for the edits, makes it clearer. Glad to read, Emil! And yes, test it a little more. Here is the link to related discussion on Google Play forum.

It's also installation of unwanted software that I'm trying to prevent. Also, I download apps and updates over the phone's internet as I presently don't have access to WiFi. And another thing is, this updater "listens" for state changes so if you switch to WiFi it prioritizes Google things and cues them first immediately. Show 21 more comments.

Active Oldest Votes. Original answer follows below: In the best case scenario this should be enough to block Instant Apps from auto-updating. Run on device via a terminal connectbot, juicessh, etc. To revert the pm hide command above use: pm unhide com. When an app downloads online-only files, you'll get a notification that shows where it's downloading them from and how many it's downloading, as well as the download progress.

Do nothing, or dismiss the notification. If the download is expected and all's well, let the notification go away on its own after the download completes. Or, select the arrow in the upper right of the notification to move it to action center. Cancel the download. To put the brakes on a download that's already started, select Cancel download , then select Cancel download again to confirm. Block the app. Don't want the app to download online-only files?

Blocking apps could make them unstable. If you trust an app and open online-only files with it frequently, don't block it. Tip: Don't want notifications for automatic file downloads? Windows 10 More Once the app is disabled, it will not be accessible by any trojan or rogue app. Trojan Killers can be an excellent option to take care of the trojans and address the question of why is my android phone downloading apps by itself.

Stubborn Trojan Killer, for instance, is such an excellent option. The app is completely free and capably addresses the issues related to the Trojans.

Most of the apps you have installed may not necessarily be useful for you. Some of the spam and adware applications can control thee app installations on your device and thus can affect your system severely.

If you are sure which applications are creating the issues, you can consider uninstalling the app. You can disable the automatic app updates and uninstall every app that you are that you have not installed.

You can even remove the apps that you do not need any longer. Still wondering why is my Android phone downloading apps by itself? One of the culprits can be your Google account itself. A compromised Google account can cause severe issues. Setting it right can be one of the best options.

Sign in to all your devices with the new password. If the issue is related to your Google account, you should find it being resolved easily. Restricting background usage can be one of the easier and simpler option to address your concern if you want to know why is my android phone downloading apps by itself. Of course, it can restrict a few of your genuine apps, but it can help you restrict the background apps until you uninstall them.

If you restrict the background data usage for all your apps, the rogue apps will not be able to have access to any of the background tasks. You can follow the steps here below:. You can keep the background access on for the apps that you rely upon. Install a quality security app on your Android device. Enabling the firewall service is one of the best options you can try out.

Of course, make sure you are careful enough when installing a security and firewall app and choose a really genuine security tool on your phone. The security apps can help you take care of the spam and help protect your device against the bloatware or adware. Make sure you choose an app that has a high-end functionality with respect to taking care of your trojan attacks.

Well, that was all we have with respect to how to take care of a situation where your Android is installing its apps on its own. The tips above should ideally be helpful for you in more ways than one. Timmappa Kamat is interested in technology and allied subjects and loves sharing the knowledge through the tech-savvy websites as a freelancer.