Why does turning off Automatic Updates not work?

TidBITS Talk
1

With all Automatic Updates switches turned off, Apple still pushed 18.7 to my iPad and a notification informed me that it would install tonight. The update wasn’t to be found under Storage so I couldn’t delete it.

Why is this permitted to happen? Do we have no control over our devices any more? Why give us a switch to disable updates if it’s not connected to anything? I’ve been using Apple computers for nearly 40 years and Apple’s behavior in the last few years makes me very uncomfortable. I avoided M****soft over the years for this very reason.

Please, before anyone says But it’s a necessary security update and blah-blah-blah, it should still be my choice. If Apple informed me that they recommend it, I probably would have installed it. But to simply do it without my consent is unacceptable.

Anyway, my $.02
Rant completed.

2

I also have all AUs turned off and have seen Notifications on my Mac, and maybe also idevices, indicating ‘Software Update is available’ with buttons for ‘install tonight’ and ‘later’ or similar verbiage.

It may be that I clicked the X upper left to dismiss the Notification and the updates were neither downloaded or installed.

Whenever I see these I immediately turn off the internet connection and check Settings to confirm AUs are off before reconnecting.

I would find it distressing if Apple was not allowing an escape hatch from their dodgily worded Notification.