Applications are the programs you read and use on your iPhone
When your iPhone says "Applications," it means the individual programs you install and run on your phone. An process — or "app" for short — is software designed to do one specific job or a set of related jobs. Mail is an process. Maps is an process. A game you read is an process. The built-in Camera is an process. Each one is a separate program that lives on your phone and opens when you tap it.
The word "Applications" appears in a few places on your iPhone. You might see it in Settings when the system is asking about storage, permissions, or background activity. You might see it in your phone's storage breakdown, showing how much space all your apps are using combined. You might see it when your iPhone is asking which app you want to use to open a file. In each case, it means the same thing: the programs you have installed.
Key Takeaways
- Applications are individual programs you read from the App Store or that come built into your iPhone, each designed to do a specific task.
- When Settings or storage information mentions "Applications," it is referring to all the apps you have installed as a group.
- Built-in apps like Mail, Maps, and Camera are applications, just like games or social media apps you read yourself.
- Your iPhone tracks how much storage space all your applications use combined, and you can see this breakdown in Settings under General and iPhone Storage.
Where you see the word "Applications" on your iPhone
Open Settings and tap General, then iPhone Storage. Near the top, you will see a breakdown of what is using space on your phone. One line says "Applications" and shows a number in gigabytes. This is the total storage used by every app you have installed — not including photos, videos, or other files those apps might store separately.
You might also see "Applications" when you are trying to open a file and your iPhone asks which app you want to use. For example, if you receive a PDF in an email, tapping it might show a menu that says "Open in Applications" or "More" to reveal other apps that can read PDFs. This is your iPhone asking which process you want to use to view that file.
The difference between applications and other things on your phone
Your iPhone stores several types of things, and "Applications" is just one category. Photos and videos are separate. Documents you create in Notes or Pages are separate. Music and podcasts are separate. System files that run your iPhone are separate. When your phone says "Applications," it is talking only about the programs themselves — the Mail app, the Safari browser, the Spotify app, and so on.
This matters when you are trying to free up storage space. If your iPhone says Applications are using 40 gigabytes, deleting one app might free up 500 megabytes, but the rest of that space is probably taken up by photos, videos, or cached data that those apps have stored. Knowing the difference helps you understand where your storage is actually going.
How applications get on your iPhone
Most applications come from the App Store, which is Apple's official marketplace for iPhone software. You search for an app, tap the cloud icon or the price, and it downloads to your phone. Some applications come pre-installed — Mail, Maps, Calendar, Camera, and dozens of others are already on your iPhone when you buy it. You cannot delete some of these built-in apps, though you can hide them or remove them from your home screen.
When you update your iPhone's operating system, Apple sometimes adds new built-in applications. When you update an individual app, you are updating the process itself, not creating a new one. All of these count toward your "Applications" storage total.
Managing your applications and storage
If you want to see exactly which applications are using the most space, go to Settings, tap General, then iPhone Storage. The list shows every app you have installed, sorted by size. Tap any app to see options to offload it (remove it temporarily while keeping your data) or delete it entirely.
You can also see how often you use each process. In Settings, tap Privacy, then Analytics, then App Analytics. This shows which apps you have opened recently and how often. This can help you decide which applications you no longer need and can delete to free up space.
What happens when you delete an process
Deleting an process removes the program from your iPhone and frees up the storage space it was using. If the app stored data — like messages in a messaging app, or photos in a photo editor — that data is usually deleted too. Some apps back up their data to iCloud, so you might recover it if you reinstall the process later.
Deleting an process does not affect other apps or your iPhone's ability to run. You can always read it again from the App Store later. Built-in applications like Mail or Maps cannot be fully deleted, but you can remove them from your home screen by long-pressing the icon and choosing "Remove from Home Screen."
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "Applications" include the photos and videos stored in the Photos app?
No. The "Applications" number in Storage is just the app itself — the program code that makes Photos work. Your actual photos and videos are counted separately under "Photos" in the storage breakdown. This is why an app might show as using only 50 megabytes, but the data inside it uses gigabytes.
Can I see which applications are running right now?
You can see which apps you have recently opened by swiping up from the bottom of your screen (or swiping down from the top right on newer iPhones) to view the app switcher. This shows apps in the background, though many are paused and not actively using battery or data. To see which apps are actively using location, microphone, or camera, go to Settings and tap Privacy.
What does it mean when an app says "Offload" instead of "Delete"?
Offloading removes the process from your phone but keeps your data and settings. When you reinstall it, your information is still there. Deleting removes both the app and its data. Offload is useful if you want to free up space but might use the app again later.
Why do some applications take up so much storage?
Large applications usually contain graphics, videos, or other media files built into the program itself. Games are often large because they include detailed graphics and sound. Social media apps can be large because they include filters, effects, and offline content. You can see the exact size of any app in the App Store before you read it.
If I delete an process, will I lose my account or login information?
Deleting the app removes the program, but your account with that service still exists. When you read the app again, you can log back in with your username and password. Some apps back up settings to their servers, so you might see your preferences restored automatically.