Date: 201601
Local time of day: 1801-2400
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Light: Night
Aircraft: Medium Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Operator: Air Carrier
Operating under: Part 121
Flight plan: IFR
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Aircraft component: Tablet
Component problem: Design; Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Air Carrier
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Human-Machine Interface; Confusion; Communication Breakdown
Second reporter function: Pilot Not Flying; First Officer
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural FAR; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Aircraft In Service At Gate
Result: Flight Crew Overcame Equipment Problem
Contributing factors: Chart Or Publication
Primary problem: Chart Or Publication

Narrative: Software did an update on its own with no way to cancel it; or skip the update. My iPad went to a black screen; then on its own; went back to the home screen. When selecting the software button the last page I had up was the ground taxi page for ZZZ. That page was frozen and you could not select any other function. After a few minutes the iPad would go back to the home screen. We were parked at the gate in ZZZ when this happened.The X app is an inferior product. I don't trust this app for correct information. The lives of the passengers and the flight crew are at risk using this app.


Second narrative: Just prior to pushback for scheduled flight; the FO and I began to setup our iPads for the flight. Within the X application on our company provided iPads we selected our departure airport. Within seconds after doing so; there was a pop up stating that my last download was some time ago and that it was now installing the map revision from that previous download. Both of our iPads were in airplane mode and not connected to any wifi network. The install appeared to stop at 10% for some time and after approximately 10-15 minutes the install completed. During this time the iPad was unusable. There was no option to cancel or pause the automatic install. We have also been told not to attempt to interrupt the application in any way during an install as it will cause the app to crash. If X app had been our primary source of navigation information we most likely would have needed to delay our pushback/departure.Also on first glance of the new and most current enroute charts; the Class B airspace is depicted years out of date. The most recent Jepp place depicting the current Class B airspace is dated over 2 years behind on this change. We were fortunate to be at the gate awaiting pushback when this even took place. It goes without saying it would be more than just an inconvenience if the same thing were to happen during a critical phase of flight if X app was our only source of navigational information. There should be some sort of function to alert the user that an install is available and let them decide if the time is appropriate to complete that task. Minutes prior to pushback; or during any phase of flight for that matter; is not the time for the iPad to lock into an install that is unstoppable without the potential of crashing the app.


Synopsis: Air carrier flight crew reported the iPad's navigational software did an update automatically causing it to go to a black screen then to the home screen. This causes the iPad as a navigation aid to be undependable.