diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/common/environment.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/common/environment.ts
index dad4ea1cc5f2a..2dd0c004b8746 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/common/environment.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/common/environment.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ export interface ParsedArgs {
 	'disable-telemetry'?: boolean;
 	'export-default-configuration'?: string;
 	'install-source'?: string;
+	'disable-updates'?: string;
 }
 
 export const IEnvironmentService = createDecorator<IEnvironmentService>('environmentService');
@@ -106,4 +107,5 @@ export interface IEnvironmentService {
 	nodeCachedDataDir: string;
 
 	installSource: string;
+	disableUpdates: boolean;
 }
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
index 2396982a61fa0..b82511d8c71a2 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/argv.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ const options: minimist.Opts = {
 		'nolazy',
 		'skip-getting-started',
 		'sticky-quickopen',
-		'disable-telemetry'
+		'disable-telemetry',
+		'disable-updates'
 	],
 	alias: {
 		add: 'a',
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
index 0270370c755dc..f5637497e53ea 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/environment/node/environmentService.ts
@@ -125,6 +125,8 @@ export class EnvironmentService implements IEnvironmentService {
 	@memoize
 	get nodeCachedDataDir(): string { return this.isBuilt ? path.join(this.userDataPath, 'CachedData', product.commit || new Array(41).join('0')) : undefined; }
 
+	get disableUpdates(): boolean { return !!this._args['disable-updates']; }
+
 	readonly machineUUID: string;
 
 	readonly installSource: string;
diff --git a/src/vs/platform/update/electron-main/updateService.ts b/src/vs/platform/update/electron-main/updateService.ts
index 70571cda7ab6a..2dbdbbf6d1ce1 100644
--- a/src/vs/platform/update/electron-main/updateService.ts
+++ b/src/vs/platform/update/electron-main/updateService.ts
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@ import product from 'vs/platform/node/product';
 import { TPromise } from 'vs/base/common/winjs.base';
 import { IUpdateService, State, IAutoUpdater, IUpdate, IRawUpdate } from 'vs/platform/update/common/update';
 import { ITelemetryService } from 'vs/platform/telemetry/common/telemetry';
+import { IEnvironmentService } from 'vs/platform/environment/common/environment';
 
 export class UpdateService implements IUpdateService {
 
@@ -87,7 +88,8 @@ export class UpdateService implements IUpdateService {
 		@IRequestService requestService: IRequestService,
 		@ILifecycleService private lifecycleService: ILifecycleService,
 		@IConfigurationService private configurationService: IConfigurationService,
-		@ITelemetryService private telemetryService: ITelemetryService
+		@ITelemetryService private telemetryService: ITelemetryService,
+		@IEnvironmentService private environmentService: IEnvironmentService
 	) {
 		if (process.platform === 'win32') {
 			this.raw = new Win32AutoUpdaterImpl(requestService);
@@ -99,6 +101,10 @@ export class UpdateService implements IUpdateService {
 			return;
 		}
 
+		if (this.environmentService.disableUpdates) {
+			return;
+		}
+
 		const channel = this.getUpdateChannel();
 		const feedUrl = this.getUpdateFeedUrl(channel);
 
diff --git a/test/smoke/src/spectron/application.ts b/test/smoke/src/spectron/application.ts
index 77ef6fd4207a5..72ebd5a1e7ca3 100644
--- a/test/smoke/src/spectron/application.ts
+++ b/test/smoke/src/spectron/application.ts
@@ -127,9 +127,12 @@ export class SpectronApplication {
 		// Prevent Quick Open from closing when focus is stolen, this allows concurrent smoketest suite running
 		args.push('--sticky-quickopen');
 
-		// Disable telemetry for smoke tests
+		// Disable telemetry
 		args.push('--disable-telemetry');
 
+		// Disable updates
+		args.push('--disable-updates');
+
 		// Ensure that running over custom extensions directory, rather than picking up the one that was used by a tester previously
 		args.push(`--extensions-dir=${EXTENSIONS_DIR}`);