In Settings -> System apps updater, I've turned "Auto updates" to OFF. However, I've just received a message "5 apps updated". In fact it has updated Gmail, Maps, Chrome, Google Photos and Telegram.
It has changed a number of settings on those apps WHICH I DON'T WANT TO CHANGE.
Among those apps I only want to update Telegram, so why do the rest of them update against my will and change it's configuration?? I can't believe how far is Google going on forcing users to do what they don't want to.
How can I effectively tell Android that I don't want it's updates?
EDIT: Besides the information Matthew Read pointed, one can uninstall these updates on Settings -> Installed apps -> [Each app], so one can free a great quantity of space.