Is there any way to tell which apps have updated without opening each app? Would like to know if apps have changed so I might try them o if installed apps have changes so I can use the new features.
Most updates are bug fixes/patches so it'll be hard to tell without looking at the change log in the Play Store. Other than that, you get a notification when each app has been updated and that doesn't go away until you clear it manually
Go to the App Store, upper left hand corner has 3 horizontal bars, touch that, go to purchased. All pending updates appear in a list. In Google Play its "My Apps" in both Samsung stores "Galaxy Apps" and inside Gear Manager Gear Apps, its "Purchased".
The best thing could be to update manually instead of auto. Go to settings in Play store and select "don't auto update". You can click the box to get a notification every time an update is available.