Deleting and removing apps from your iPhone can help free up storage space, declutter your home screens, and improve overall device performance. Here is a step-by-step guide to deleting and removing apps from an iPhone device.
Table of Contents
Delete Individual Apps
- Find the app you want to delete – Locate the app on your iPhone’s home screen or in the App Library.
- Long press the app icon – Press and hold your finger on the app icon until the icons begin to shake and a small “x” appears in the corner of each app. This may take 1-2 seconds.
- Tap the “x” – While still holding your finger on the screen, tap the “x” on the app you want to delete.
- Confirm deletion – A prompt will appear asking if you want to delete the app. Tap “Delete” to confirm.
- Stop apps shaking – Press your home button or tap an empty area of the screen to stop the apps from shaking.
- The app is now deleted from your iPhone.
Delete Multiple Apps
You can delete multiple apps at once by following these steps:
- Enter jiggle mode – Long press anywhere on your home screen until all app icons begin to shake.
- Tap the “x” – Tap the “x” on each app you want to delete while the apps are still shaking.
- Confirm deletions – A prompt will appear for each app asking if you want to delete it. Tap “Delete” to confirm the deletion of each app.
- Stop apps shaking – Press the home button or tap an empty area when you are finished to stop the apps from shaking.
All selected apps will now be deleted.
Delete All Apps
To delete all apps from your iPhone:
- Open Settings – Tap the Settings app icon to open your iPhone settings.
- Tap General – Scroll down and tap “General”.
- Tap iPhone Storage – Under the list of options, tap “iPhone Storage”.
- Review all apps – This screen shows a list of all apps installed on your device along with the storage space they are taking up.
- Tap each app – Tap into each individual app.
- Tap “Delete App” – An option to “Delete App” will be available inside each app’s storage settings. Tap it to delete that app.
- Confirm each deletion – A prompt will ask if you want to delete each app. Tap “Delete” to confirm.
Repeat steps 5-7 to cycle through and delete all apps from your iPhone.
Reinstall Deleted Apps
If you delete an app by accident or change your mind later, you can easily redownload it from the App Store:
- Open the App Store app
- Tap your profile icon in the top right
- Tap “Purchased”
- Find the deleted app and tap the download button to reinstall
Apps you’ve previously downloaded should appear in your purchase history for you to download again for free.
Permanently Deleting Apps
In addition to deleting apps from your home screen, you can take further steps to permanently delete app data and remove apps from your iTunes purchase history:
- Offload unused apps in iOS 11+
- Turn off app syncing in iTunes & App Store settings
- Delete apps from your iTunes purchase history
- Erase all content and settings (reset device to factory settings)
These additional measures may be necessary if you want to ensure an app and all associated data is permanently gone from your device and Apple ID account.
Conclusion
- Deleting apps frees up storage space and declutters iPhone home screens
- Apps can be deleted individually, in multiples, or all at once
- Deleted apps can easily be redownloaded from the App Store purchase history
- For permanent deletion, offload apps, turn off syncing, or reset device
Taking the time to prune unused apps improves iPhone performance over time. Following this guide makes it quick and simple to remove apps as needed.
