Offload Unused Apps On iPhone: What It Means & Why You Should!

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• Apple offloaded an app I use regularly when they were pulling it from the app store. I used the app Thursday and it was gone Saturday, and it was pulled from the app store. The app was for the Prynt instant photo printer, so now I have a piece of hardware I can’t use either.

• Hey all,

  Thank you for sharing this article or rather writing the article, it’s very nice and informative… but the one thing that not just your, but what all of these articles keep leaving out is the one and most important aspect and CRUCIAL DETAIL.

  Can anyone or does anyone know what I’m Looking for or at least what I'm about to ask? No? Hmmmm…well I guess it must just be me but when there are offloaded apps, there’s an icon left behind and that icon does have the other icon on top of it to download this icon but where is the name of the icon or the app that’s been modified and why should it be left, not just offloaded or uninstalled?

  Why should it be left with just half an icon? Because I don’t know what half of those offloaded apps are and if we’re automatically installing it just by touching it, does that mean Apple is going to automatically recharge you? You know like when they end up automatically charging you because you want to see how an app works as they did me and that was $300 99 times for an app that I couldn’t use and didn’t know what it was and never even was able to load it nor can seven other technical support representatives?

  Where did that leave me personally? I had no Christmas, on New Year’s they ended up closing my business account because Apple decided to overdraft my account my thousand dollars and so on.

  Well that’s just one of the problems. The other main problem, which also can lead up to that problem, is there’s only a partial icon. Can any of you honestly say that for you tap it, you know what you’re reinstalling? How large that file is going to be and how much space it’s going to take by utilizing not only it’s developers programming codes but also whatever else that it has inherited from the cellular information structure, and its counterpart’s necessities to be updated and compatible with any new software in order to function as it’s supposed too. Aha, bet you didn’t see that coming now did ya?

  Ok, the fact that at least with my iPhone and several others that I’ve seen that when the apps are offloaded, the app it creates a Modified new style of icon leaving only a part of the original icon and now with a symbol meaning “download” and the signifying it still lives in the Cloud along with a Single Set or Single String of Instruction(s) when someone touches or taps on it (even if your finger hovers or gets too close the newly modified icon). With No Interaction and no Agreement To This Automatic and sometimes unjustified installation of a possibly a forgotten application that is going to re-install itself back onto your iPhone whether you like it or not you have no say in the matter! This is your iPhone’s Feature? Annoying isn’t it?

  Ok, ok, Auto-Install or Auto-Recovery? Features blah blah blah, here’s a scenario, yes My Scenario, nevertheless, hopefully it will make you think and so that this feature is not only not outside the box, it’s stuck inside the box in the corner I can’t get to, or at least not know it can't get out in a while.

  My point is I am someone who likes to test out apps software in order to see the ease of use whether you’re young, old, blind, deaf, business, personal whatever...I like to see what makes it tick and if it can be useful in more than just one way and to see what those ways are.

  Granted if I have the time and it keeps my interest long enough then you’re going to end up keeping the app eventually, it’s going to be offloaded because one thing or another will come up without expectations and you want to know what caught your interest in the first place.

  You want to to keep it on your phone right, but why would you want an automatic construction of installation if you don’t remember the details until you see the name or the icon or something that will ring a bell and say, "Oh yeah, now I remember the app." The problem is that when modified the icon during the offloading there is a “PROBLEM”, the "PROBLEM” being there is not enough of the original icon to help in the decision-making process, which should ALWAYS Be to install or not to install! Details!

  Name of App, Alternate Text When Your Finger, Mouse, or Stylus Hover’s over the graphics, it does this on any desktop software or other devices, at least in most cases. Why? I thought that was the developer's right and it wouldn’t infringe on any copyrights.

  To me, that just infringes on everything and who has that control. Whoever altered the icon to make it an automatic installation kind of sounds like the Microsoft company and they the Applesauce Fruit company that means that it’s giving No TAKING Control Your Control to have all control over what where and when ever it wants to install, delete, and or make changes with or without you or your say so! I guess that’s the Whole point to the Whole icon thing (get it?)

  It’s so that you don’t know what you’re really installing. Isn’t that the purpose of informing and showing the security measures that need to be taken for consumers, to keep your information your financials safe, your privacy private, and your Identity safe? To keep them to and for yourself, to shelter the children, safe financially physically virally and anti-virus-ly? If it’s something that you forgot about, it should always have some detail some information before there is anything especially before any automatic install it should never be!!!

  That’s what started passing the Viruses through, What I Southern Belle Call “The Digital Pandemic”. Did you receive your Vaccinations and Your Boosters?

  Help Stop The Spread of These Corporate Conglomerates and The Digital Pandemic in your Cyber-Communities!
  We All Have To Do Our Part and Pitch-In If We Want Our Children’s Futures To Be a Safe Future!

  ~~ Long But Informative Long ~~

  Thank You Kindly,
  Southern Belle

• Hi there! Offloading my apps has been a lifesaver in providing some extra space on my iPhone XS Max (yes it is time for a new phone)... However, as this particular model is notorious for it's habitual boot loop issues... my question is ...If I am currently stuck in a boot loop and the normal quick fixes have not provided the wanted outcome...this means I will probably have to resort to recovery mode, etc. With that being said ... what would happen to those "offloaded" Apps that I now cannot access for long enough to reload onto my phone before having to reset it. Will the data that has been temporarily "offloaded" with these Apps be permanently lost ? Or will it also be retrievable ?? Thanks so much in advance for any advice you can throw my way, Cheers ~A. Jayne

• I don’t have an Offload Unused App in my storage settings. I have a brand new iPhone 13 Pro Max. I watched a tutorial and it’s not under the storage count bar where it should be located. Any hindsight? I’d appreciate it. Mahalo, Rodmann Y.

  • Hi Rodmann! Is your iPhone running the latest iOS? You can check by going to Settings -> General -> Software Update. If you see that an update is available, I'd suggest installing it then checking your Storage Settings again. Hope this helps!

• So when looking at apps folders how can I tell by looking if it has been offloaded? When I tap it begins to reinstall. It said they would be grayed out but they're not.

• Why does my iPhone XR reload the app I have offloaded? Is it something I am doing or do they automatically come back on after so long?

  • Did you enable “Offload Unused Apps” instead of offloading manually (you select which apps to offload)? If you selected that option, once your iPhone has enough space, those apps will automatically reinstall. Take the advice from this article and offload the apps manually by selecting each app separately.

  • You must have tapped it

• my phone doesn’t offer off load unused apps. What do I do to off load some apps for space

  • Your phone may be too old to support this feature. You may need to upgrade to a newer device like the iPhone 12 or iPhone SE!

• Thank you! So data is saved if I offload an app. Does this include favorites/bookmarks? If so, where do I find them once the app is offloaded?

• Thank you! So data is saved if I offload an app. Does this include favorites/bookmarks? If so, where do I find them once the app is offloaded?

• This was a clear concise explanation. Thank you!

• I've got the iPhone 6 and I went into settings and iPhone storage and I didn't see the recoemdations but what can I do to free up space on my iPhone 6 I can't even update my Apple iPhone 6.

• After how many days of not using does this setting consider it unused?

• I accidently deleted my downloaded music app and it's not anywhere to be seen. Is it gone for good? I went through the above instructions and it's not there.

• Extremely Helpful - Stright to the point and easily Understood.
  Thanks for taking the time to FYI fellow Apple Users of these benefits !

• Do I lose my music if I offload it?

• What if Im not able to use the Cloud?
  Im on my friends family plan with AT&T and she told me not to use the Cloud. She said that they dont use it but Im not sure if I believe that. I cant go ahead and use it because I dont know her husbands login. Can I still somehow get the iCloud just for myself so I can offload some of my apps? I am out of storage. I would love it if you would help me as soon as possible because its keeping me from recording a video that I really want from the SNL special Christmas show and Im sure it will be expiring soon after Christmas.

• How can I reverse the 'Enable' setting?

  • How can I reverse the enable setting please?

• Walt Dittrich

• Go into Settings > iTunes and App Store > Click Offload Unused Apps to set the setting back to "Off" (no green showing)

• I recovered my playlist, but the contents are empty; music is gone. Any way to recover the music in my playlist?

• No. You can still download it again.