Learn how to prioritize app installations on your iPhone or iPad to speed up specific app downloads or updates from the App Store so the ones you need most finish first.
When you’re downloading more than one app at a time, it can seem like it takes forever. You might be setting up a new device and have tons of downloads, or let your updates pile up on the App Store and are downloading them at once.
Not all apps take priority when you’re downloading either. You might really want an email app available before a game. Luckily, there is a way to speed up downloads or updates for specific apps by prioritizing them, and here’s how.
Prioritize app downloads on iPhone
When your app downloads or updates begin, you’ll see them pending on the Home Screen. While this is happening, touch and hold an app icon on your iPhone Home Screen or App Library and tap “Prioritize Download” from the pop-out menu.
You can also delay the download of a specific app by tapping the circular progress bar on its icon. After that, you’ll see it has a small pause icon on it and shows “Paused” where the app name would be. This is handy for those apps that you might want to download last. Just tap the paused app when you’re ready to resume the download.
And, of course, there’s an option to Cancel Download if you change your mind about the app.
This feature isn’t exactly new, but it’s one of those hidden gems that you need to know about to use. Hopefully, you’ll find it helpful for your next batch of downloads or updates.
Also, check out: How to stop an iOS update that has already started downloading