How to prioritise iOS App Downloads in iOS 10

Have you ever downloaded or updated a bunch of iOS apps all at the same time, then realized you really need to use one of those apps? The problem now is that the app is stuck in a download queue.

iOS 10 has a nice new feature : you can now Prioritise iOS App Downloads by specifying a downloading app so that it jumps to the front of the download queue, without having to cancel the other downloads first.
Some users opt to set their iOS Devices to automatically update apps when updates become available, so this scenario is unlikely to arise.
However, for myself and many other iOS users, we prefer not to enable the automatic download of App updates and therefore can sometimes find a whole bunch of apps are listed in the App Store as ready to update all at the same time.
There are three main reasons why I do not enable automatic downloads.
Firstly, quite simply I like to choose when my devices are downloading, so I can ensure I am on a reliable, decent speed Wi-Fi before downloading commences.
The second reason is my IT brain kicking in stating that I should perform a backup before any changes are made to software.
And the last reason is also a technical one, I like to know WHAT I’m updating to. So I like to read the Apps’ ‘What’s New’ info before I update them.
Now onto the new iOS 10 Feature. As I mentioned above, when updating multiple apps at once, you can now specify which app will download first.
The bad news. This is only available to users that have an iOS device with 3D Touch technology. 3D Touch was a new technology released with the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus devices which senses how deeply users press the display, enhancing the Multi-Touch interface experience.
So here’s the scenario. My App Store app on my iPhone has notified me that there are updates to some apps on my iPhone. I’ve launched the App Store app and taken a look at what updates are available :

I’ve decided to go for it and apply all updates so they all get added to the download queue at the same time :

Now i know there’s only 2 updates here, that was all that was available at the time I wrote this blog. Often though, i find that by not automatically applying updates, sometimes there can be 10 or more apps ready to be updated by the time i get round to applying them.
All is going well, then i realise that i really want to use one of the apps that is currently being updated.
In the past i have either had to wait for the update to finish, or cancel the update.
Now, in iOS 10, i can just perform a 3D Touch gesture (firm press) on the app icon that i wish to prioritise downloading and i can access its’ Quick Actions :

From this Quick Actions menu i can tap the “Prioritise Download” option :

The app will now jump to the front of the queue for downloading and installing, moving to a position right behind any apps that have already begun the process.
Naturally I’ve chosen Facebook here to update as quick as possible!
Before the app download can commence, you may need to wait for other in-progress downloads to complete first.
As well as prioritise downloads, you can also pause in-progress downloads using the same 3D Touch gesture and selecting the Pause Download option instead :

Once a download is paused, it frees up another slot for a new download, allowing the prioritised app to commence downloading sooner.
Notice that there is also a ‘Cancel Download’ option in the Quick Actions 3D touch menu too!
Blog Summary
I hope you have found this blog useful and look out for other iOS new features, tips and tricks on our Blog.
Disclaimer:
While the author has taken care to provide our readers with accurate information, please use your discretion before acting upon information based on the blog post. Amsys will not compensate you in any way whatsoever if you ever happen to suffer a loss/inconvenience/damage because of/while making use of information in this blog.
This blog was written and demonstrated using an iPhone 6s running iOS 10.0.2, which was the latest release of iOS at the time of writing.