diff --git a/esphome/components/it8951/display.py b/esphome/components/it8951/display.py
index 57bf86c4c6..b5f3019a12 100644
--- a/esphome/components/it8951/display.py
+++ b/esphome/components/it8951/display.py
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ from esphome.const import (
     CONF_UPDATE_INTERVAL,
     CONF_WIDTH,
 )
-from esphome.core import ID
-from esphome.cpp_generator import MockObj, RawExpression, TemplateArgsType
+from esphome.cpp_generator import RawExpression
 from esphome.final_validate import full_config
 from esphome.types import ConfigType
 
@@ -61,7 +60,6 @@ VCOM_REGISTER_OPTIONS = (VCOM_REGISTER_DEFAULT, VCOM_REGISTER_ALT)
 
 it8951_ns = cg.esphome_ns.namespace("it8951")
 IT8951Display = it8951_ns.class_("IT8951Display", display.Display, spi.SPIDevice)
-IT8951UpdateAction = it8951_ns.class_("IT8951UpdateAction", automation.Action)
 
 # Hardware waveform modes exposed to YAML. Strings are mapped to the C++
 # UpdateMode enum so the runtime can store the mode as a uint16_t rather
@@ -80,6 +78,7 @@ UPDATE_MODE_OPTIONS = {
     "A2": UpdateMode.UPDATE_MODE_A2,
     "FAST": UpdateMode.UPDATE_MODE_DU,
     "FULL": UpdateMode.UPDATE_MODE_GC16,
+    "DEFAULT": UpdateMode.UPDATE_MODE_NONE,
 }
 # Maps the YAML mode string directly to the C++ UpdateMode enum value, so the
 # config option and the it8951.update action share one validator.
@@ -419,26 +418,13 @@ async def to_code(config: ConfigType) -> None:
         cg.add(var.set_transform(RawExpression(str(transform_value))))
 
 
-@automation.register_action(
+automation.register_apply_action(
     "it8951.update",
-    IT8951UpdateAction,
     automation.maybe_simple_id(
         {
             cv.Required(CONF_ID): cv.use_id(IT8951Display),
-            cv.Optional(CONF_MODE): cv.templatable(update_mode),
+            cv.Optional(CONF_MODE, default="DEFAULT"): cv.templatable(update_mode),
         }
     ),
-    synchronous=True,
+    automation.ApplyField(CONF_MODE, "update_mode", UpdateMode),
 )
-async def it8951_update_action_to_code(
-    config: ConfigType,
-    action_id: ID,
-    template_arg: cg.TemplateArguments,
-    args: TemplateArgsType,
-) -> MockObj:
-    display_var = await cg.get_variable(config[CONF_ID])
-    var = cg.new_Pvariable(action_id, template_arg, display_var)
-    if mode := config.get(CONF_MODE):
-        mode = await cg.templatable(mode, args, UpdateMode)
-        cg.add(var.set_mode(mode))
-    return var
diff --git a/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.cpp b/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.cpp
index 237f1c3c8b..a6511b63c4 100644
--- a/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.cpp
@@ -777,12 +777,12 @@ void IT8951Display::update() {
 }
 
 void IT8951Display::update_mode(UpdateMode mode) {
-  if (!this->is_ready())
-    return;
   if (mode == UPDATE_MODE_NONE) {
-    ESP_LOGW(TAG, "Unknown update mode");
+    this->update();
     return;
   }
+  if (!this->is_ready())
+    return;
   this->start_update_(mode);
 }
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.h b/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.h
index a5ed03e8c4..fcdc6d1d19 100644
--- a/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.h
+++ b/esphome/components/it8951/it8951.h
@@ -6,7 +6,6 @@
 
 #include "esphome/components/display/display.h"
 #include "esphome/components/spi/spi.h"
-#include "esphome/core/automation.h"
 #include "esphome/core/component.h"
 #include "esphome/core/helpers.h"
 
@@ -350,24 +349,4 @@ class IT8951Display : public Display,
   uint8_t dev_info_attempts_{0};
 };
 
-// --- Automation action ---
-template<typename... Ts> class IT8951UpdateAction : public Action<Ts...> {
- public:
-  explicit IT8951UpdateAction(IT8951Display *display) : display_(display) {}
-  TEMPLATABLE_VALUE(UpdateMode, mode)
-
- protected:
-  void play(const Ts &...x) override {
-    if (!this->display_->is_ready())
-      return;
-    if (this->mode_.has_value()) {
-      this->display_->update_mode(this->mode_.value(x...));
-    } else {
-      this->display_->update();
-    }
-  }
-
-  IT8951Display *display_;
-};
-
 }  // namespace esphome::it8951
diff --git a/tests/components/it8951/test.esp32-s3-idf.yaml b/tests/components/it8951/test.esp32-s3-idf.yaml
index c362f7f28c..922e7d0ed3 100644
--- a/tests/components/it8951/test.esp32-s3-idf.yaml
+++ b/tests/components/it8951/test.esp32-s3-idf.yaml
@@ -59,6 +59,7 @@ display:
   - platform: it8951
     spi_id: spi_bus
     model: seeed-reterminal-e1003
+    update_mode: DEFAULT
     cs_pin:
       allow_other_uses: true
       number: GPIO5