The simplest way to remove an app from your Apple Watch
You can delete an app directly from your Apple Watch by pressing and holding its icon on the home screen, then tapping the trash icon that appears. This removes the app from your watch but does not uninstall it from your paired iPhone — the app stays on your phone unless you delete it there separately.
The watch home screen shows your installed apps as a grid of icons. Find the app you want to remove, press and hold it for about two seconds until a menu appears, and tap the trash icon (it looks like a circle with a line through it). The app disappears from your watch when ready.
This method works on all Apple Watch models running watchOS 6 or later. If you do not see a trash icon after pressing and holding, your watch may be running an older version — check your watch settings under General > About to see which watchOS version you have.
Key Takeaways
- Press and hold any app icon on your Apple Watch home screen, then tap the trash icon to remove it from your watch.
- Deleting an app from your watch does not remove it from your iPhone — you must delete it separately from your phone if you want it gone completely.
- You can also remove apps through the Watch app on your iPhone by unchecking them under the App Library section.
- Some built-in Apple apps like Fitness and Messages cannot be deleted, though you can hide them from your home screen.
Removing apps through the Watch app on your iPhone
If you prefer to manage your watch apps from your phone, open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap the App Library tab at the bottom. Scroll through the list of installed apps and find the one you want to remove.
Tap the app name to open its details page. At the top, toggle off the switch next to "Show on Apple Watch." This removes the app from your watch home screen without uninstalling it from your iPhone. If you want to uninstall it completely from both devices, you must delete it from your iPhone separately through the App Store or Settings app.
This method is useful if you want to keep an app on your phone but do not want it cluttering your watch. You can turn it back on anytime by returning to the Watch app and toggling the switch back on.
What happens to your data when you delete an app
When you delete an app from your Apple Watch, any data stored only on the watch is lost. This includes saved settings, cached information, or files the app stored locally on your watch.
Data synced between your watch and iPhone — such as messages, calendar events, or fitness records — remains on your iPhone and in iCloud. Apps like Mail, Messages, and Health sync their data across your devices, so deleting the watch version does not erase the information from your phone.
Before deleting an app, check whether it stores important information you might need later. Some apps let you export data before removal, though most watch apps do not offer this option.
Built-in apps you cannot delete
Apple Watch comes with several built-in apps that cannot be deleted: Fitness, Messages, Phone, Siri, and a few others depending on your watch model. These apps are part of the core watchOS system and remain on your watch even if you hide them from your home screen.
If you do not want to see these apps, you can hide them by pressing and holding the icon and tapping "Remove from Home Screen" (not the trash icon). The app stays installed but disappears from your home screen. You can still access it through Siri or by swiping up from the watch face to open Control Center.
Third-party apps — anything you downloaded from the App Store — can always be deleted completely using the trash icon method.
Freeing up storage space on your watch
Apple Watch models have limited storage, typically between 8 and 16 gigabytes depending on the model. Deleting unused apps is one way to free up space, though watch storage rarely fills up unless you have many large apps installed.
If your watch is running slowly or you are getting storage warnings, check how much space each app uses. Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to General > Usage, and scroll through the list. Apps are listed by size, with the largest ones at the top. Removing the biggest unused apps will give you the most space back.
You can also reduce storage use by clearing cached data. Go to Watch app > General > Reset and tap "Erase Apple Watch Content and Settings" — but this removes everything from your watch, so only do this if you are planning to sell it or start fresh.
Reinstalling an app you deleted
If you delete an app and later want it back, you can reinstall it through the App Store on your iPhone. Open the App Store app, search for the app by name, and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow to reinstall it.
The app will read to your iPhone first. If the app has a watch version, it will automatically install on your Apple Watch once the iPhone installation is complete. You may need to wait a few minutes for the watch to sync with your phone.
If the app does not automatically appear on your watch, open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to App Library, find the app, and toggle "Show on Apple Watch" back on.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does deleting an app from my watch also delete it from my iPhone?
No. Deleting an app from your Apple Watch removes it only from the watch. The app remains on your iPhone unless you delete it separately through the App Store or Settings app on your phone.
Can I delete built-in Apple apps like Fitness or Messages?
No, you cannot delete built-in Apple apps. You can hide them from your home screen by pressing and holding the icon and tapping "Remove from Home Screen," but they stay installed on your watch.
Will I lose my data if I delete an app?
Data stored only on your watch will be lost. However, data synced to your iPhone or iCloud — such as messages, calendar events, or health records — remains safe on your other devices.
How do I reinstall an app after deleting it?
Open the App Store on your iPhone, search for the app, and tap the cloud icon to reinstall it. The app will read to your phone and automatically sync to your watch if it has a watch version.
What is the difference between deleting and hiding an app?
Deleting removes the app from your watch completely. Hiding removes it from your home screen but leaves it installed — you can still access it through Siri or Control Center, and you can unhide it anytime.