As a long time iPhone and Windows user, the only Apple app I’ve ever downloaded is iTunes and that too because there is no other way for me to add music to my phone. Unfortunately, Apple makes it a point to push the iCloud desktop app and QuickTime on to Windows users through the Apple Software Update app that anyone running iTunes is stuck with. The app pops up regularly telling you that updates are available and you can download these two apps. If you want to stick to just using iTunes and want Apple Software Update to stop badgering here’s how you can make it stop.
In the Windows search bar or in Cortana, type Apple Software Update to open it.
It will automatically check for new updates available and give you the choice to install them. Ignore that and go to Edit>Preferences. In the schedule tab, you can see how often the app checks for updates. You can set it to never check for updates if you prefer or you can set it to check for updates monthly as opposed to daily.
If you’ve had Apple Software Update popping up repeatedly in the past, it’s likely that it’s added as a scheduled task in Windows. It’s worth checking otherwise despite the setting to never check for updates, it might still run. To check if it’s been added as a scheduled task, open Windows Task Schedule and see if there’s a folder named ‘Apple’ inside it. Inside this folder is an Apple Software Update entry that you should delete to permanently stop the app from popping up.