iOS 9 Includes New Auto App Delete/Reinstall Feature for OS Updates on Devices With Insufficient Space

Developers who are installing the second beta of iOS 9 have discovered a highly useful iOS 9 space management feature, which will help users who have little space on their devices install major operating system updates.

When attempting to install iOS 9 on a device with insufficient space, there's a popup that offers to temporarily delete some apps in order to make room for the update. Apps that are deleted are then reinstalled and replaced after the operating system update is completed.

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With iOS 8, many users with 16GB devices were disappointed with the large installation size of the operating system. As it was over 4GB, few users with 16GB devices had the space for the update, which may be one of the main reasons that iOS 8 installation rates were slow for several months following release. Given the disappointment that many customers expressed with the install size of iOS 8, Apple's made efforts to make iOS 9 much more space efficient.

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Apple has significantly reduced the installation size of the operating system to just 1.3GB to make it easier for people to find the space for an update, and this new auto app deletion feature will ensure that almost all customers can upgrade their devices with little hassle. Other features, such as app thinning for developers, will also help free up space on devices by installing only the necessary app assets for each device.

Related Forum: iOS 9

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Top Rated Comments

BreuerEditor Avatar
131 months ago
But the REAL question is does it put the data back for the app(s) or just reinstall the app?
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AngerDanger Avatar
131 months ago
Originally codenamed Flappy_Bird_Removal_Initiative, this feature will go public in iOS 9.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
greg8799 Avatar
131 months ago
I'm still waiting for Apple to increase the iPhone's storage. Why not drop the ancient 16GB and finally start at 32GB?! Now that would be a better solution.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Twimfy Avatar
131 months ago
Now that is quite a cool idea.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
soupcan Avatar
131 months ago
If they only did this for some of the stock iOS apps nobody ever uses, and then permanently. If I want to "Find my friends" I'll install the app when I need it, thank you.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sampaul Avatar
131 months ago
Now thats Apple being Apple.

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Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)