The basic way to delete an app depends on your phone type

On an iPhone, press and hold any app icon on your home screen until a menu appears, then tap "Remove App" and confirm. On an Android phone, press and hold an app icon, tap "Uninstall" or the trash icon, and confirm. Both methods remove the app and free up storage space on your device.

Some phones also let you delete apps through the Settings menu instead. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, find the app you want to remove, tap it, and select "Offload App" or "Delete App". On Android, go to Settings > Apps, find the app, tap it, and select "Uninstall".

The difference between these methods matters: "Offload" on iPhone removes the app but keeps your data in case you reinstall it later, while "Delete" removes both the app and its data. On Android, "Uninstall" removes everything.

Key Takeaways

  • On iPhone, hold down an app icon and tap "Remove App", or go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage and select the app to delete it.
  • On Android, hold down an app icon and tap "Uninstall", or go to Settings > Apps, find the app, and tap "Uninstall".
  • Deleting an app removes it from your phone and frees up storage space, but you can reinstall it later from the App Store or Google Play.
  • Some built-in apps that came with your phone cannot be deleted, though you may be able to hide or disable them.

Built-in apps you cannot delete

Your phone comes with certain apps that the manufacturer or your phone carrier installed. These system apps — like Phone, Messages, Camera, and Settings — usually cannot be deleted because the phone needs them to work properly.

On iPhone, you can hide built-in apps by holding down the icon and selecting "Remove App" > "Remove from Home Screen". The app stays on your phone but disappears from your home screen. On Android, you can disable some built-in apps by going to Settings > Apps, selecting the app, and tapping "Disable" or "Turn Off". Disabling stops the app from running but does not remove it.

If you see a message that says an app cannot be uninstalled, it is a system app. You can still hide it or disable it to keep it out of your way.

What happens when you delete an app

Deleting an app removes it from your phone and frees up storage space. The amount of space you recover depends on the app — some take up only a few megabytes, while others can use hundreds of megabytes or even a gigabyte.

When you delete an app, any data it stored on your phone is also removed. This includes login information, saved settings, and files the app created. If the app backed up your data to the cloud — like photos in Google Photos or messages in iCloud — that data stays in the cloud and you can access it if you reinstall the app later.

You can reinstall any app you deleted by going to the App Store (iPhone) or Google Play (Android), searching for the app by name, and tapping "Get" or "Install". Reinstalling is free for apps you already owned.

Deleting apps to free up storage space

If your phone is running low on storage, deleting unused apps is one way to make room. To see which apps are taking up the most space, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage (iPhone) or Settings > Apps (Android). Both show you a list of apps sorted by size.

Apps that use the most storage are often games, video apps, and social media apps. Deleting one large app can free up several gigabytes. After you delete apps, your phone may run faster because it has more room to work with.

If you want to keep an app but reduce the space it uses, you can try clearing its cache instead of deleting it. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap the app, and select "Offload App" — this removes the app but keeps your data. On Android, go to Settings > Apps, tap the app, select "Storage", and tap "Clear Cache".

Recovering an app you deleted by mistake

If you deleted an app and want it back, you can reinstall it for free. On iPhone, open the App Store, tap the search icon at the bottom, search for the app by name, and tap the cloud icon with a down arrow to reinstall it. On Android, open Google Play, tap the profile icon in the top right, go to "Manage my apps & games", tap the "Manage" tab, find the app in your list, and tap "Install".

Reinstalling takes a few minutes depending on the app size and your internet speed. When the app finishes installing, it will appear on your home screen or in your app drawer. If the app backed up your data to the cloud, your settings and saved information will return when you open it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete apps that came with my phone?

Most built-in apps cannot be deleted, but you can hide them on iPhone or disable them on Android. Some newer phones let you delete certain pre-installed apps like Maps or Notes, but core apps like Phone and Settings will always stay on your device.

Will deleting an app delete my photos or messages?

Deleting an app only removes the app itself and data it stored on your phone. Photos and messages stay safe unless they were stored only inside that app. If you use a messaging app like WhatsApp, deleting it removes messages stored in that app, but text messages through your phone's Messages app stay intact.

How much storage space will I free up by deleting apps?

It varies by app. Small apps use a few megabytes, while games and video apps can use hundreds of megabytes or more. Check Settings > General > iPhone Storage or Settings > Apps to see exactly how much space each app uses before you delete it.

What if I delete an app and then want to use it again?

You can reinstall any app you deleted by searching for it in the App Store or Google Play and tapping "Get" or "Install". Reinstalling is free, and if the app backed up your data to the cloud, your settings will return when you open it.

Can I delete multiple apps at once?

On iPhone, you can select multiple apps by holding one icon, then tapping others while still holding. On Android, most phones do not support bulk deletion, so you delete apps one at a time. Both methods take only a few seconds per app.