The basic steps for removing an app
Deleting an app from your phone is straightforward on both Android and iPhone, though the exact steps differ slightly. On an iPhone, press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap "Remove App" and confirm by selecting "Delete App". On Android, press and hold the app icon, then tap "Uninstall" from the menu that appears, or go to Settings > Apps, find the app you want to remove, and tap "Uninstall".
The app and all its data will be removed from your phone when ready. If you change your mind later, you can reinstall it from the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android) at no cost if it was free originally.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, hold the app icon and select "Remove App," then confirm the deletion.
- On Android, hold the app icon and tap "Uninstall," or use Settings > Apps to find and remove it.
- Deleting an app removes both the program and the data it stored on your phone.
- You can reinstall any free app later from the App Store or Google Play Store without paying again.
- Some built-in apps that came with your phone cannot be deleted, though you can often disable them instead.
Why you might want to delete an app
Apps take up storage space on your phone, and removing ones you no longer use frees up room for photos, messages, and other data. If your phone is running slowly or you are running low on storage, deleting unused apps can help. You might also delete an app because you no longer need it, switched to a different one that does the same thing, or want to reduce the number of notifications cluttering your phone.
Deleting an app also removes any data it collected while you were using it — your login information, saved preferences, messages within the app, and any files you created in it. If you think you might use the app again later, consider whether you want to keep that data before you delete it.
The difference between deleting and disabling
Some apps came pre-installed on your phone by the manufacturer or your phone carrier. These built-in apps often cannot be deleted, but you can usually disable them instead. Disabling an app hides it from your home screen and stops it from running in the background, but it stays on your phone taking up a small amount of space.
To disable an app on iPhone, you cannot remove most built-in apps, but you can hide them by holding the icon and selecting "Remove App," then choosing "Remove from Home Screen" instead of "Delete App". On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select the app, and tap "Disable" if that option appears. The app will no longer show up or run, but you can re-enable it later from Settings if you change your mind.
Checking how much space an app uses
Before you delete an app, you can see how much storage it is using. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, and you will see a list of apps ranked by size. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select an app, and look for "Storage" or "App Size" to see how much space it uses.
Apps vary widely in size. A straightforward app like a calculator might use only a few megabytes, while a game or photo editor can use hundreds of megabytes or even a gigabyte. If your phone is running out of storage, deleting large apps you do not use regularly can free up significant space.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
When you delete an app, your phone removes both the app itself and any data stored locally on your device — your login credentials, saved settings, messages within the app, photos you edited in it, or files you created. However, if the app synced data to the internet (like a cloud backup service or email app), that data usually remains on the company's servers and will reappear if you reinstall the app and log back in.
Before deleting an app that contains important information, check whether it has a backup or export feature. Some apps let you save your data as a file before you delete them. If you are unsure whether the app backs up your data automatically, you can look this up on the app's website or support page before removing it.
Reinstalling an app you deleted
If you delete an app and later decide you want it back, you can reinstall it for free if it was free when you first downloaded it. On iPhone, open the App Store, tap the search icon, find the app, and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow to reinstall it. On Android, open Google Play Store, search for the app, and tap "Install".
When you reinstall a free app, you will not be charged. If you originally paid for an app, you can reinstall it without paying again — your purchase is tied to your account. After reinstalling, you will need to log back in if the app requires an account, and you may need to reconfigure your settings since the local data was deleted.
Freeing up storage without deleting apps
If you want to keep an app but need more storage space, you have other options. Delete old photos and videos you no longer need, clear your browser cache and cookies, or remove old text message conversations. On iPhone, you can also enable iCloud Photos to move your photo library to cloud storage. On Android, Google Photos offers free backup for compressed versions of your photos.
You can also check whether apps have cached data — temporary files they store to load faster next time. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, select an app, and tap "Offload App" to remove it temporarily while keeping your data; reinstalling it later will restore everything. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select an app, tap "Storage," and select "Clear Cache" to remove temporary files without deleting the app itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I delete an app that came with my phone?
Most built-in apps cannot be deleted, but you can disable them so they no longer appear or run. On iPhone, you can hide most pre-installed apps from your home screen. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, select the app, and tap "Disable" if available. The app remains on your phone but will not bother you.
Will deleting an app delete my account?
No. Deleting an app removes only the app and its local data from your phone. Your account with that service remains active on their servers. When you reinstall the app and log back in, your account and any cloud-backed data will be there.
How do I delete an app if I cannot find it on my home screen?
Go to Settings > Apps (Android) or Settings > General > iPhone Storage (iPhone) to see all installed apps, including ones not on your home screen. Select the app and tap "Uninstall" or "Delete App" from there.
What if an app keeps coming back after I delete it?
Some apps are set to reinstall automatically through your phone's backup or account settings. On iPhone, check Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage to see if the app is backed up. On Android, go to Settings > Accounts and disable automatic app restoration if you do not want deleted apps to reinstall.