When an app is downloading....and I "toggle" out to let's say the browser....does the app continue to download?

Yes, in my experience.

There are no silly questions, unless it is a question not asked (don't know who said this before...) ;o)
Apps are downloaded in the background, no need to wait the download to finish before doing something esle (iPad2, iOS5)

Actually, the answer is a bit more complicated. For example, if you're downloading a book or issue of a magazine it's likely that the download will cease if you exit. Apps, on the other hand, usually do complete. The difference is that a developer has the option of "finishing" a task in background but even if that option is chosen, there is a time limit on the completion of the task. Thus, most apps will "finish" if they've begun when you exit the app but some apps (such as those with large datasets such as map apps) will fail to complete if you remove it from the foreground.

It's not quite clear to me how the "update all" option in the app store works if there are many updates to apply. I sometimes find that after selecting "update all" for a group of, say, a dozen apps the updating ceases after downloading several. I haven't tested it thoroughly but I have a feeling that one may have to return to the app store and select remaining apps that failed to download the first time around. As I said, I haven't tested it thoroughly so that may not be the case.

Originally Posted by jsh1120

Actually, the answer is a bit more complicated. For example, if you're downloading a book or issue of a magazine it's likely that the download will cease if you exit. Apps, on the other hand, usually do complete. The difference is that a developer has the option of "finishing" a task in background but even if that option is chosen, there is a time limit on the completion of the task. Thus, most apps will "finish" if they've begun when you exit the app but some apps (such as those with large datasets such as map apps) will fail to complete if you remove it from the foreground.

It's not quite clear to me how the "update all" option in the app store works if there are many updates to apply. I sometimes find that after selecting "update all" for a group of, say, a dozen apps the updating ceases after downloading several. I haven't tested it thoroughly but I have a feeling that one may have to return to the app store and select remaining apps that failed to download the first time around. As I said, I haven't tested it thoroughly so that may not be the case.

That's true. I've found downloading updates not a prob in the background, but I usually have only a few to update all at once.

My husband, who rarely uses his iPad, often has 30-50 un-updated apps, and when I go update those, invariably something hangs and I have to nudge the Update All to get it going again.

When I buy books on Kindle, for instance, the download is quick, but I also am downloading only a few at a time.

Your wifi connection also comes into it. If you have a slow connection, maybe things are more likely to hang up.

Originally Posted by jsh1120

Actually, the answer is a bit more complicated. For example, if you're downloading a book or issue of a magazine it's likely that the download will cease if you exit. Apps, on the other hand, usually do complete. The difference is that a developer has the option of "finishing" a task in background but even if that option is chosen, there is a time limit on the completion of the task. Thus, most apps will "finish" if they've begun when you exit the app but some apps (such as those with large datasets such as map apps) will fail to complete if you remove it from the foreground.

It's not quite clear to me how the "update all" option in the app store works if there are many updates to apply. I sometimes find that after selecting "update all" for a group of, say, a dozen apps the updating ceases after downloading several. I haven't tested it thoroughly but I have a feeling that one may have to return to the app store and select remaining apps that failed to download the first time around. As I said, I haven't tested it thoroughly so that may not be the case.

Interesting. Thanks for the detail!