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How to Offload Unused Apps on iPhone

Delete an iPhone app but keep all data intact

By Saikat Basu Saikat Basu Writer University of Pune (India) Saikat has been a technology writer for 12+ years. His writing has appeared at MakeUseOf, OnlineTechTips, GoSkills, and many others. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on August 26, 2021 Reviewed by Ryan Perian Reviewed by Ryan Perian Western Governors University Ryan Perian is a certified IT specialist who holds numerous IT certifications and has 12+ years' experience working in the IT industry support and management positions. lifewire's editorial guidelines Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email iPhone & iOS Switching from Android

What to Know

To automatically offload apps, go to Settings > App Store > Offload Unused Apps.To manually offload apps, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Offload Unused Apps.To reinstall the offloaded app, tap on the app icon to download it again. This article explains how to use the Offload Unused Apps feature on iPhones running iOS 11 and later and how you can use it to avoid the Storage Almost Full alert.

How to Automatically Offload Unused Apps on an iPhone

iPhone recommendations ensure you always have enough space for your next download. If you don’t want to drill down to each app’s storage and free some space, then Offload Unused Apps can work in the background to recover space while keeping the app data backed up. Open Settings. Select App Store > Offload Unused Apps. Toggle the Offload Unused Apps switch to on.

How to Manually Offload Unused Apps on an iPhone

Use the manual option to offload apps one at a time. It can also be an excellent way to remove addictive social apps from the screen while keeping their data. Open Settings. Select General > iPhone Storage. Go to Offload Unused Apps and select Enable. Go through the list of apps and choose an app to offload manually. In this example, we'll use the Google Assistant app. Remember, manual offloading is optional as iOS automatically offloads unused apps when it’s low on storage. Tap Offload App, then tap Offload App again to confirm.

What Does It Mean to Offload an App on an iPhone

The iPhone optimizes storage space with a three-pronged strategy. Users can trash documents and files, remove an app with all its data, or offload an app. The Offload Unused Apps feature is a nice compromise when you want to free up space taken up by an app but keep its data. If anyone asks, “Does offloading an app free up space?” the answer is yes. Offloading an app is different from deleting an app on an iPhone. The Offload Unused Apps feature frees up the storage used by the apps but keeps all documents and data intact. It helps you avoid the monotony of configuring an app from scratch. The app's icon and user data will remain on the iPhone. The icon will display a cloud with a downward arrow. When you want to use it again, tap the icon and download it again. Storage space is necessary to keep iOS updated. So, this feature working under the hood gives you the flexibility to uninstall apps without losing data. As it only removes unused apps, you shouldn’t miss them too much.

Reinstating the Offloaded App

When you download the app again, it should be available on the App Store. You also might have to sign in again with your username and password if required. An offloaded app displays the usual icon but not the cloud icon in Spotlight. Tap the icon to launch the app from the search results, and iOS will display an alert that you’re trying to open an app that is not currently installed. Tap OK to download the app. There’s no download progress indicator, so you have to go to the last known location of the app. FAQ How do you delete apps? On Android, press and hold your finger on the app you want to delete until a menu pops up. Choose App info > Uninstall. On iOS, tap and hold on the app, then select Remove app > Delete app > Delete. How do you hide apps on iPhone? With iOS 14, Apple added an App Library that organizes all of your apps and displays them on their own separate page to the right of the Home page. To remove an app from the Home screen, press and hold your finger on the app's icon until the menu pops up, then select Delete App. You then have the option of removing the app from the Home screen or deleting it completely. How do you update apps? On Android, open the Google Play app, select your profile icon, then select Manage apps & device. Select Update All to download patches for everything, or select Update next to individual apps to patch them. On iOS, open the App Store, select your profile icon, then select Update next to apps or select Update All. How do you move apps to a SD card? To move apps to a SD card on Android, first make sure the SD card is properly formatted. Then, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > App info and select the app you want to move. Select Storage > Change and choose the SD card from the list of options. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Delete Apps From Your iPhone Can You Delete the Apps That Come With the iPhone? How to Clear Your iPhone Cache How to Delete Apps on iPhone 12 How to Fix It When Snapchat Is Not Working on an iPhone How to Delete Apps on an Android Tablet How to Clear Cache on an iPad How to Change the Color of Apps on iOS 14 How to Fix Incorrect Windows 11 Audio Icons How to Fix It When Facebook Keeps Crashing How to Lock Apps on Any iPhone How to Save Storage Space on Your iPad How to Fix It When WhatsApp Images and Videos Are Not Showing in Gallery How to Free Up Space on Android Phones How to Delete Apps on iPhone 13 How to Unhide Apps on an iPhone Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies