How to Identify and Remove Unnecessary Apps on Your iPhone and iPad

[MacRumors]

With so many paid-for and free apps available on the App Store these days, it's easy to reach a point where you have so many of them on your iPhone or iPad that a sizable proportion are simply forgotten about, and soon storage space starts to become an issue.

Fortunately, there's an easy way that you can keep tabs on which apps you use the most and which ones have basically become redundant to you, and are just adding needless clutter to your home screen and eating up storage. Follow the steps below to learn how it's done.

How to Identify and Delete Redundant iOS Apps

1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
   Tap General.
   Tap iPhone Storage.
   A list of all the apps (including stock apps) on your iOS device will load in order of size, with the largest apps listed first. Scroll down the list and look at the Last Used: date underneath the title of each app. If it's been several weeks or months since you opened an app, or it says Never Used, then consider uninstalling it - tap the app in the list.
   
   
   
   Two uninstall options are presented on this screen. Tap Offload App to unload the app but preserve any documents and data (these are reinstated if you later reinstall the app) or tap Delete App to remove the app and all related data from your device.

If you tend to download a lot of apps that often get left unused, consider enabling the iPhone Storage menu recommendation to automatically Offload Unused Apps when you're low on storage. If you uninstall a purchased app but later decide that you want to use it (and it's still available in the App Store) simply follow the steps below.

How to Reinstall Deleted Apps

1. 
   Launch the App Store app on your iPhone or iPad.
   Tap the Today tab if it isn't selected already.
   Tap your circular profile photo at the top-right of the Today screen to access the account settings screen.
   Tap Purchased.
   
   
   
   In the Purchased screen, tap the Not on this iPhone/iPad tab.
   Scroll through the list of purchased apps to find the one that you want to reinstate, and tap the cloud download icon next to it to re-download and install.

Article Link: How to Identify and Remove Unnecessary Apps on Your iPhone and iPad

 

[keithnwhs]

I'm not sure how this article is about "redundant" apps? Unnecessary, maybe - but redundant?

 

[PlayUltimate]

Agree, redundant is the wrong word. A simple how-to article.

 

[Telos101]

I'm not sure how this article is about "redundant" apps? Unnecessary, maybe - but redundant?

The dictionary definition of redundant is "unnecessary or no longer useful; superfluous." Seems to fit the bill here, I'd say?

 

[newyorksole]

I hate clutter whether it be digital or physical. Drives me crazy how people have sooo many apps they don’t even touch.

I have a few apps where it’s been months since I’ve opened them, but not a whole folder full Lol.

 

[timmyh]

I've changed redundant to unnecessary in the title to avoid any potential for confusion.

 

[riverfreak]

I wish Apple would add some way to permanently delete apps from your account. Even if you delete them from your phone, they still end up reappearing in the App Store purchased list or if the developer makes some minor update to bump its revision history.

Aside from that, this is a really good tip! I didn’t know you could delete from the storage settings page.

 

[usarioclave]

When did Apple finally add the "last used" information? People have been asking for that for years. Nice to know!

 

[ChpTrk]

I wish Apple would add some way to permanently delete apps from your account. Even if you delete them from your phone, they still end up reappearing in the App Store purchased list or if the developer makes some minor update to bump its revision history.

Aside from that, this is a really good tip! I didn’t know you could delete from the storage settings page.

You can hide them in the purchased list: In the AppStore, look at your list of purchased apps. Swipe right.

 

[nwcs]

I wish Apple would add some way to permanently delete apps from your account. Even if you delete them from your phone, they still end up reappearing in the App Store purchased list or if the developer makes some minor update to bump its revision history.

Aside from that, this is a really good tip! I didn’t know you could delete from the storage settings page.

You can hide them by going to your purchased list and swipe right to left. But, yes, there should be a way of permanently deleting apps — especially ones you can never use again such as 32 bit apps if you don’t intend to have an old device lying around.

 

[amcomis]

We need an easy way to clear the 'cache' in apps. I often want to KEEP the app. But delete the data. iOS offers the reverse. I want to keep the NY Times app, but I want to clear its 400mb of meaningless data. Of course, there is sometimes a clear cache option, but there often isnt and it should be in IOS

 

[thisrocks]

Never used Inbox? Damn, it’s my primary email client and sits down in the big 4. The icon even suits the look more than Apple’s mail.

Good tip though.

 

[69650]

I often download free apps for possible future use because you can’t add apps to your wish list anymore.

 

[JosephAW]

Okay how do I delete the Software Update menu so it stops downloading and nagging to install iOS 11?

 

[ILikeAllOS]

We need an easy way to clear the 'cache' in apps. I often want to KEEP the app. But delete the data. iOS offers the reverse. I want to keep the NY Times app, but I want to clear its 400mb of meaningless data. Of course, there is sometimes a clear cache option, but there often isnt and it should be in IOS

No need for that.
iOS automatically deletes the cache for apps on your phone if you try to download/store something and there isn't enough space. This behavior has existed for years in iOS; possibly since the first version?

 

[C DM]

No need for that.
iOS automatically deletes the cache for apps on your phone if you try to download/store something and there isn't enough space. This behavior has existed for years in iOS; possibly since the first version?

But it generally does it when it's basically almost completely out of space whereas it can be useful for people to be able to free up unnecessary space at some point earlier than the last moment if they might want to or need to do it.

 

[C DM]

I have deleted most of my photos, but the storage of my iPhone still shows low memory .... How to expand the memory?

You can't expand, you can just remove whatever you don't need or can be without. Make sure to empty the deleted album in photos after you delete them to actually free up the space.