diff --git a/mod/update_contact.php b/mod/update_contact.php
index 5fb62e6a0..4863ad02d 100644
--- a/mod/update_contact.php
+++ b/mod/update_contact.php
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ use Friendica\Module\Contact;
 
 function update_contact_content(App $a)
 {
-	if ($_GET["force"] == 1) {
+	if (!empty($_GET['force']) || !DI::pConfig()->get(local_user(), 'system', 'no_auto_update')) {
 		$text = Contact::content([], true);
 	} else {
 		$text = '';
diff --git a/src/Module/Settings/Display.php b/src/Module/Settings/Display.php
index 644453756..bde049718 100644
--- a/src/Module/Settings/Display.php
+++ b/src/Module/Settings/Display.php
@@ -197,7 +197,7 @@ class Display extends BaseSettings
 			'$itemspage_network'        => ['itemspage_network'       , DI::l10n()->t('Number of items to display per page:'), $itemspage_network, DI::l10n()->t('Maximum of 100 items')],
 			'$itemspage_mobile_network' => ['itemspage_mobile_network', DI::l10n()->t('Number of items to display per page when viewed from mobile device:'), $itemspage_mobile_network, DI::l10n()->t('Maximum of 100 items')],
 			'$ajaxint'                  => ['browser_update'          , DI::l10n()->t('Update browser every xx seconds'), $browser_update, DI::l10n()->t('Minimum of 10 seconds. Enter -1 to disable it.')],
-			'$no_auto_update'           => ['no_auto_update'          , DI::l10n()->t('Automatic updates only at the top of the network page'), $no_auto_update, DI::l10n()->t('When disabled, the network page is updated all the time, which could be confusing while reading.')],
+			'$no_auto_update'           => ['no_auto_update'          , DI::l10n()->t('Automatic updates only at the top of the post stream pages'), $no_auto_update, DI::l10n()->t('Auto update may add new posts at the top of the post stream pages, which can affect the scroll position and perturb normal reading if it happens anywhere else the top of the page.')],
 			'$nosmile'	                => ['nosmile'                 , DI::l10n()->t('Don\'t show emoticons'), $nosmile, DI::l10n()->t('Normally emoticons are replaced with matching symbols. This setting disables this behaviour.')],
 			'$infinite_scroll'          => ['infinite_scroll'         , DI::l10n()->t('Infinite scroll'), $infinite_scroll, DI::l10n()->t('Automatic fetch new items when reaching the page end.')],
 			'$no_smart_threading'       => ['no_smart_threading'      , DI::l10n()->t('Disable Smart Threading'), $no_smart_threading, DI::l10n()->t('Disable the automatic suppression of extraneous thread indentation.')],
diff --git a/src/Module/Update/Community.php b/src/Module/Update/Community.php
index e0bc6c067..b064b4e86 100644
--- a/src/Module/Update/Community.php
+++ b/src/Module/Update/Community.php
@@ -37,7 +37,10 @@ class Community extends CommunityModule
 	{
 		self::parseRequest($parameters);
 
-		$o = conversation(DI::app(), self::getItems(), 'community', true, false, 'commented', local_user());
+		$o = '';
+		if (!empty($_GET['force']) || !DI::pConfig()->get(local_user(), 'system', 'no_auto_update')) {
+			$o = conversation(DI::app(), self::getItems(), 'community', true, false, 'commented', local_user());
+		}
 
 		System::htmlUpdateExit($o);
 	}
diff --git a/src/Module/Update/Profile.php b/src/Module/Update/Profile.php
index 662042eb1..38ef3b09e 100644
--- a/src/Module/Update/Profile.php
+++ b/src/Module/Update/Profile.php
@@ -42,8 +42,6 @@ class Profile extends BaseModule
 			throw new ForbiddenException();
 		}
 
-		$o = '';
-
 		$profile_uid = intval($_GET['p'] ?? 0);
 
 		// Ensure we've got a profile owner if updating.
@@ -57,6 +55,12 @@ class Profile extends BaseModule
 			throw new ForbiddenException(DI::l10n()->t('Access to this profile has been restricted.'));
 		}
 
+		$o = '';
+
+		if (empty($_GET['force']) && DI::pConfig()->get(local_user(), 'system', 'no_auto_update')) {
+			System::htmlUpdateExit($o);
+		}
+
 		// Get permissions SQL - if $remote_contact is true, our remote user has been pre-verified and we already have fetched his/her groups
 		$sql_extra = Item::getPermissionsSQLByUserId($a->profile['uid']);