Plus: how to run iPhone-only apps and games on an iPad, and how to run run iPad-only apps on iPhone. And if you buy the app for one you'll be able to download it on another format for free.
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You know how it is. Over the last several months, you’ve downloaded a bunch of apps, because hey most of them are free, right? And after trying them out, you decide some are just not for you. Or you find another one you like better. Or you play a game until you’re tired of it and now you’re never going to touch it again.
For whatever reason, it doesn’t take long before your phone is just loaded with apps. Now you’re low on storage space and you’ve got four home screens full of app icons, most of which you haven’t touched in ages.
Here’s how to delete or offload apps in iOS 12 and clear up some storage space.
Method one: Tap and Hold
The simplest way to delete an app is to do it directly from the home screen. It couldn’t be easier: just tap-and-hold on any icon or folder.
After a couple seconds, all your icons and folders will start to do a little wiggle dance, and the app icons will get an (X) icon in the upper left.
If you have a device with 3D Touch, be careful not to press too hard; a hard press will probably pop up a contextual menu rather than putting the home screen in its rearrangement mode.
You can now drag around your app icons to move them, or drag them on top of each other to make folders. If you tap that (X) icon, it will delete the app.
Don’t worry about throwing away the money you spent on paid apps, though. Once you pay for an app, that purchase is attached to your Apple ID, and you can re-download it from the App Store without paying again. (In-app purchases may or may not be able to be restored, it depends on the app.)
If you want to delete apps within folders, just tap on a folder to expand it, either before or after you tap-and-hold.
Method two: The Settings app
There’s another way to remove unwanted apps, and while it’s a little more involved, it’s a lot more useful. A few layers deep within the Settings app, you can see a list of all your apps and how much storage space they’re taking up. You can then either delete the app, or simply “Offload” it to remove the app but keep all its associated data (in case you want to re-install later).
Open the Settings app, then tap General, then iPhone (or iPad) Storage.
You’ll see a list of all the apps on your phone, along with the amount of storage space they’re using.
Above that list, you’ll see a diagram of all the storage on your phone, and might even see a suggestion to enable “Offload Unused Apps.” (If you don’t see this, you’ll find the option in the iTunes & App Store section of the Settings app.)
This feature won’t do anything if you have plenty of storage space on your iPhone or iPad. But when you start to run out of storage space, your iPhone will automatically offload apps that you haven’t used in a long time in order to clear up some space.
An offloaded app is not quite like a deleted app. When offloaded, the documents and data used by the app are saved on your phone, so if you ever re-download the app, nothing will be lost. What’s more, the icon for the app remains on your home screen with a little cloud icon next to it, indicating that tapping on the icon will automatically re-download the app.
If you tap on any app in the iPhone/iPad Storage screen, you will see the app’s version, developer, and the amount of storage used by the app itself along with its documents and data. You are also given the option to either Offload the app, or Delete it entirely.
So, you don’t have to enable the global “Offload Unused Apps” setting, you can choose to Offload select apps individually. This can be quite handy: some apps, like image editors or music apps, are often relatively small but store lots of data. Offloading those won’t clear up a lot of space. Other apps, like games, are often quite large but store very little data. Offloading those apps can free up a lot of space without losing any progress.
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Getting your first iPhone or iPad is just the beginning. Thousands of developers have made over a million apps and games that can totally transform the device your holding in your hands. With each new app it can become your constant Facebook friend, your gateway to Snapchat, a tool to learn new languages, a way to brush up on math or science, your ticket to car services, a personal scanner, a way to edit documents on the go and, of course, an incredible portable gaming console. All you need to do is get started!
How to search for apps in the App Store
Though the App Store is getting a facelift with iOS 11, you still search for apps the exact same way:
- Launch the App Store.
- Tap the magnifying glass on the bottom right of your screen.
- Type in your search query and tap the search button.
And away you go.
How to download apps and games from the App Store
Once you've searched for the app you want, it's time to download and install it.
- Tap the app or game you wish to purchase or download for free.
- Tap Get if it is free, or the price of the app if it is paid.
- Place your finger on the Home button to activate Touch ID
How to update apps on iPhone and iPad
- Open the App Store app.
- Tap Updates on the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the Update button next to an app or game that needs to be updated.
How to search for apps and games in the App Store in iOS 10 and older
The first thing you need to do is find the apps and games you want to add to your collection.
- Open the App Store app.
- Tap the Search icon at the bottom of the screen.
- Enter the app name that you are looking for.
- Tap Search on your keyboard.
Search by Top Charts
You can also just browse the app store for interesting apps. One way to find popular apps is by tapping Top Charts at the bottom of the screen, which shows a list of the top Paid, Free, and Grossing apps in the App Store.
Search by category
You can find trending and spotlighted apps by selecting a specific category. Tap Categories in the upper left corner of the App Store screen. Then, select a category to view popular and noted apps within it.
How to download apps and games from the App Store in iOS 10 and older
OK, So, you've found the perfect app or game, or maybe you just found something that looks interesting. Now it's time to download and install it on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap the app or game you wish to purchase or download for free.
- Tap Get if it is free, or the price of the app if it is paid.
- Tap Install or Buy when the icon switches.
- Enter your Password or use Touch ID when prompted.
- Wait for the download to finish.
- Press the Home button to go back to your device's Home screen.
Once the app or game download and installation is complete, it will appear on your Home screen. Tap it to open and begin using it.
How to update apps and games from the App Store
After a short time in the Apple ecosystem, you'll discover that a lot of apps and games get regular updates. Sometimes, they are fixing bugs and glitches, other times, they are adding new content. You can find out about apps that need updating in the App Store app.
- Open the App Store app.
- Tap Updates on the bottom of the screen.
- Tap the Update button next to an app or game that needs to be updated.
The update works similar to downloading a new app or game. It will download and install onto your iPhone or iPad. When the installation is complete, you can tap the app or game to open and use it.
How to automatically download apps and games you buy on one device onto others
If you own more than one Apple device, like an iPhone and an iPad, or an iPad and an iPod touch, or all three, you can automatically download apps and games onto all of them if they are all under the same Apple ID. Well, you can't download iPad-only apps onto an iPhone or iPod touch, but that is the only restriction.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap iTunes & App Store.
- Under Automatic Downloads, tap Apps to toggle the switch on.
You can also turn on automatic downloads for music, iBooks, and audiobooks the same way.
How to automatically install apps and game updates
Apple gives you the option to have app updates take place automatically. That way, you don't have to keep checking to see what needs an update.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap iTunes & App Store.
- Under automatic downloads, tap Updates to toggle the switch on.
When enabled, app updates will automatically take place every day.
How to disable app updates over cellular
If you have concerns about using up too much of your cellular data, it is a very good idea to disable downloading updates over cellular, especially if you have automatic updates turned on.
How To Download Ipad Apps On Iphone 7
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap iTunes & App Store.
- Tap Use Cellular Data to toggle the switch off.
Anything else?
Do you have any questions about downloading apps and games from the App Store? If so, let us know in the comments section.
Updated October 2017: Updated with new steps for iOS 11.