appstorelogocleanWith so many paid-for and free apps available on the App Store these days, it's easy to reach a point where you have so many of them on your iPhone or iPad that a sizable proportion are simply forgotten about, and soon storage space starts to become an issue.

Fortunately, there's an easy way that you can keep tabs on which apps you use the most and which ones have basically become redundant to you, and are just adding needless clutter to your home screen and eating up storage. Follow the steps below to learn how it's done.

How to Identify and Delete Redundant iOS Apps

  1. Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.

  2. Tap General.

  3. Tap iPhone Storage.

  4. A list of all the apps (including stock apps) on your iOS device will load in order of size, with the largest apps listed first. Scroll down the list and look at the Last Used: date underneath the title of each app. If it's been several weeks or months since you opened an app, or it says Never Used, then consider uninstalling it – tap the app in the list.
    identify redundant ios apps

  5. Two uninstall options are presented on this screen. Tap Offload App to unload the app but preserve any documents and data (these are reinstated if you later reinstall the app) or tap Delete App to remove the app and all related data from your device.

If you tend to download a lot of apps that often get left unused, consider enabling the iPhone Storage menu recommendation to automatically Offload Unused Apps when you're low on storage. If you uninstall a purchased app but later decide that you want to use it (and it's still available in the App Store) simply follow the steps below.

How to Reinstall Deleted Apps

  1. Launch the App Store app on your iPhone or iPad.

  2. Tap the Today tab if it isn't selected already.

  3. Tap your circular profile photo at the top-right of the Today screen to access the account settings screen.

  4. Tap Purchased.
    restore deleted ios apps

  5. In the Purchased screen, tap the Not on this iPhone/iPad tab.

  6. Scroll through the list of purchased apps to find the one that you want to reinstate, and tap the cloud download icon next to it to re-download and install.
Related Forum: iOS 11

Top Rated Comments

amcomis Avatar
82 months ago
We need an easy way to clear the 'cache' in apps. I often want to KEEP the app. But delete the data. iOS offers the reverse. I want to keep the NY Times app, but I want to clear its 400mb of meaningless data. Of course, there is sometimes a clear cache option, but there often isnt and it should be in IOS
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Telos101 Avatar
82 months ago
I'm not sure how this article is about "redundant" apps? Unnecessary, maybe - but redundant?
The dictionary definition of redundant is "unnecessary or no longer useful; superfluous." Seems to fit the bill here, I'd say?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
69650 Avatar
82 months ago
I often download free apps for possible future use because you can’t add apps to your wish list anymore.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
timmyh Avatar
82 months ago
I've changed redundant to unnecessary in the title to avoid any potential for confusion.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
riverfreak Avatar
82 months ago
I wish Apple would add some way to permanently delete apps from your account. Even if you delete them from your phone, they still end up reappearing in the App Store purchased list or if the developer makes some minor update to bump its revision history.

Aside from that, this is a really good tip! I didn’t know you could delete from the storage settings page.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
usarioclave Avatar
82 months ago
When did Apple finally add the "last used" information? People have been asking for that for years. Nice to know!
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.1 With Apple Intelligence: New Features, Release Date, and More

Thursday October 10, 2024 8:26 am PDT by
iOS 18.1 will be released to the public in the coming weeks, and the software update introduces the first Apple Intelligence features for the iPhone. Below, we outline when to expect iOS 18.1 to be released. iOS 18.1: Apple Intelligence Features Here are some of the key Apple Intelligence features in the iOS 18.1 beta so far: A few Siri enhancements, including improved understanding...
iPhone 17 Slim Feature Single Camera 2

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Tuesday October 8, 2024 5:45 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
space black mbp

Apple Potentially Facing Worst Leak Since iPhone 4 Was Left in a Bar

Monday October 7, 2024 3:03 pm PDT by
Alleged photos and videos of an unannounced 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M4 chip continue to surface on social media, in what could be the worst product leak for Apple since an employee accidentally left an iPhone 4 prototype at a bar in California in 2010. The latest video of what could be a next-generation MacBook Pro was shared on YouTube Shorts today by Russian channel Romancev768, just...
iPad mini review thumb

iPad Mini 7 Coming Next Month: What to Expect

Tuesday October 8, 2024 6:16 am PDT by
Rumors strongly suggest Apple will release the seventh-generation iPad mini in November, nearly three years after the last refresh. Here's a roundup of what we're expecting from the next version of Apple's small form factor tablet, based on the latest rumors and reports. Design and Display The new iPad mini is likely to retain its compact 8.3-inch display and overall design introduced with...
apple tv 4k yellow bg feature

Waiting for a New Apple TV? Here's What the Latest Rumors Say

Tuesday October 8, 2024 8:57 am PDT by
The current Apple TV was released two years ago this month, so you may be wondering when the next model will be released. Below, we recap rumors about a next-generation Apple TV. In January 2023, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new Apple TV was planned for release in the first half of 2024:Beyond the future smart displays and new speaker, Apple is working on revamping its TV box....
When Will Apple Launch More M4 Macs Feature

Will Apple Release M4 Macs Soon? Here's What the Latest Rumors Say

Thursday October 10, 2024 6:22 am PDT by
Apple often releases new Macs in the fall, but we are still waiting for official confirmation that the company has similar plans this year. We're approaching the middle of October now, and if Apple plans to announce new Macs before the holidays, recent history suggests it will happen this month. Here's what we know so far. As of writing this, it's been 220 days since Apple released a new...