Where are the app store settings?
The store is the one screen on a modern device that is guaranteed to involve money, and it is also one of the deepest-buried settings we measured. We read the settings tree of all 43 systems in the catalogue and recorded where each one keeps it.
What each system calls it
24 of the 43 operating systems in our catalogue have this setting, and between them they use three different labels for it:
| Name on screen | Systems |
|---|---|
| Store | 15 |
| App Store | 6 |
| Play Store | 3 |
The most common is Store, on 15 of the 24. If that is not the word on your screen, the table above is the rest of the vocabulary to try.
Where it lives on each system
These are the shortest paths from the first settings screen on the newest release of each system. 8 of the 24 are within two taps; the rest sit deeper, and the table shows how much deeper.
| System | Path | Taps |
|---|---|---|
| iOS 27.0 | App Store | 1 |
| iPadOS 27.0 | App Store | 1 |
| watchOS 27 | App Store | 1 |
| macOS 27 Golden Gate | Notifications › App Store | 2 |
| Meta Quest v81 | Apps › Store | 2 |
| tvOS 27 | Apps › App Store | 2 |
| visionOS 27 | Apps › App Store | 2 |
| Zepp OS Zepp OS 6 | Watch Faces › Store | 2 |
| Android 17 | Apps › All apps › Play Store | 3 |
| ChromeOS 151 | Apps › Manage your apps › Play Store | 3 |
| Fire TV Vega OS | Preferences › Location › Store | 3 |
| HarmonyOS 6.0 | Storage › Apps › Store | 3 |
| iOS 6 6.1 | Privacy › Contacts › Store | 3 |
| One UI 9 | Parental controls › Content restrictions › Play Store | 3 |
| Windows 11 | Privacy & security › Account info › Store | 3 |
| BlackBerry OS 10 | Security and Privacy › Application Permissions › Camera › Store | 4 |
| Google TV 14 | Apps › Permissions › Location › Store | 4 |
| HyperOS 4.0 | Privacy protection › Authorization and revocation › Camera › Store | 4 |
| KaiOS 3.0 | Privacy & Security › App permissions › Location › Store | 4 |
| LG webOS webOS 26 | General › System › Location › Store | 4 |
| OxygenOS 16 | Security and privacy › Permission manager › Location › Store | 4 |
| Steam Deck SteamOS 3.8 | System Settings › Home Interface › Default view › Store | 4 |
| Wear OS 7 | Apps & notifications › App permissions › Location › Store | 4 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Clock, Language, and Region › Region and Language › Location › Store | 4 |
Each system name above opens the real menu in the simulator, so you can walk the path before you touch your own device.
Why the names came out this way
Store settings are deep because they are not really system settings — they belong to an app that happens to ship with the system. That is why the path so often runs through an Apps group first: you are navigating to the application, and only then to its preferences.
The names are brands rather than descriptions: App Store, Play Store, or just Store. If you are hunting for where automatic downloads or purchase confirmation live, you are looking for a company name, not a function.
Find it on your own device
If your system is not in the table, or the label on your screen is different again, there are three ways through it:
- Search every system at once for a setting by name — it looks inside all 43 trees, not just the one you are holding.
- Open your own system in the settings simulator and click to the screen without changing anything real.
- Follow the step-by-step guide to running a software update, or see where that setting lives on every system.
Related settings in the same part of the menu:
All of it comes from the same catalogue: 43 systems, 135 versions, published as an open dataset.
Try it yourself, on the real menusOpen any of 43 operating systems in your browser and walk the Settings tree exactly as it appears on the device. No download, no account.Frequently asked questions
Where are the app store settings on most systems?
On 8 of the 24 systems that have it, within two taps of the first settings screen. The most common label is “Store”, used by 15 of them. The table above gives the exact path for each system.
Why can I not find it by searching my settings?
Because settings search matches the label your system uses, and there are three different labels in use for this one setting. Searching for the word your previous device used is the single most common reason a setting appears to be missing.
How many systems have this setting at all?
24 of the 43 operating systems we catalogue. The rest either have no hardware for it or fold the behaviour into something else, which is why a feature that feels universal often is not.