You recently retired your old mobile phone and bought a new smartphone by starting to download the apps available on the store of the latter. It’s just a pity that the situation has gotten a bit out of hand and that now your beautiful phone is practically unusable due to the memory full of applications that, in reality, you don’t know what to do with it.
Given the situation, let me give you a very trivial (but very often underestimated) tip: delete the apps you don’t need! How do you say? Don’t know how to do it? Or maybe your problem is that you don’t know how to delete the applications that are running on your device? Don’t worry, if you want, below you will find everything explained in great detail.
So? Would you like to put the gossip aside and get to the heart of the matter? Yup? Great. I therefore suggest that we immediately begin to get busy. Whether you own an Android smartphone (or even a tablet) or an iPhone (or iPad), it makes no difference: I will show you how to proceed in all cases. Enjoy the reading!
Index
- How to delete apps on Android
- How to delete apps from mobile
- How to clear default apps on Android
- How to clear open apps on Android
- How to delete uninstalled apps
- How to delete apps from iPhone
- How to delete apps from mobile
- How to clear default apps on iPhone
- How to clear open apps on iPhone
- How to delete uninstalled apps
- How to delete apps from PC
- How to delete apps from Mac
How to delete apps on Android
Do you have an Android smartphone and would like to know how to delete installed apps? Nothing simpler! Find all the information you need in the next chapters.
How to delete apps from mobile
On Android , to delete the installed apps you can act in different ways, all equally valid, so it’s up to you to choose the method that is most comfortable for you.
First of all, you can easily remove an app by acting from the home screen or from the drawer (the screen that groups all the apps). In this case, keep your finger pressed on the icon of the app to be deleted and select the Delete item (twice in a row) from the box that is shown to you.
In previous versions of Android, instead of this item, a trash can icon will be available at the top or a wording that recalls it (for example Uninstall ): then drag the app icon to this wording and confirm the operation by pressing the button OK in the box below.
As an alternative to the procedure I just indicated, you can also delete apps on Android via the device settings. To do this, start the Settings app , select the App> App management items , locate the name of the application to uninstall and press the Uninstall button on the screen that opens.
For more information about the procedures in question and to know more details about the deletion of apps on Android, I suggest you take a look at my tutorial on how to uninstall Android apps .
How to clear default apps on Android
Some Android devices come with predefined apps that cannot be deleted in any way with the method indicated in the previous chapter .
Of these apps, some are system apps and their removal could cause stability problems in the system. Other apps, on the other hand, are from third parties, installed on the device by the manufacturer due to partnership agreements.
In case you want to remove the default apps on Android, to avoid any problems whatsoever that may arise, you can proceed with their deactivation .
Therefore, launch the Settings app and select the App> App Management items and locate the name of the default app you want to disable. Once this is done, click on the Deactivate button and then on Disable app in the bottom box to confirm the operation. Disabled apps are available in the App> Disabled apps section and then be restored by tapping on their name and then pressing the Activate button .
In case you are unable to remove a default app with the above method or you simply want to completely delete it from the Android device, in this case you may need root permissions : I have talked about it in detail in this tutorial .
How to clear open apps on Android
Do you want to close an open app on Android but don’t know how to do it? Nothing could be simpler: first of all, tap on the ☰ icon that you find at the bottom right, on the home screen, between the navigation buttons.
Once this is done, swipe left or right to find the app you want to close and then do another swipe from bottom to top on the app preview to close it. Alternatively, you can close all apps with a single “tap” by simply pressing the Close All button .
In addition to the above procedure, you can proceed in another way: start the Settings app , select the App> App management items and locate the name of the app to close. Once this is done, between the buttons at the top, press the one called Force stop (twice in a row), so as to close it.
This procedure is only recommended in case of freezes or other serious problems with the apps involved. More info here .
How to delete uninstalled apps
If, after uninstalling an app, you also want to delete it from your Google account on the Play Store, you can proceed as follows. First, launch the Play Store app and tap your profile photo at the top.
Once this is done, in the box that you see, click on the Manage app and device items and then click on the Manage tab . In the drop-down menu at the top, select the Do not install option and put a check mark on the boxes next to the apps you want to hide. Then press on the trash can icon at the top and then on the Remove button to complete the operation.
How to delete apps from iPhone
If you have an iPhone (or iPad ), deleting apps is a breeze! How? In the next chapters I will explain in detail how to proceed through quick and immediate procedures.
How to delete apps from mobile
On iOS and iPadOS , to remove an app you can take action directly from the home screen or from the App Library. In this case, just locate the app icon you want to delete and keep your finger pressed on it. Once this is done, in the box that is shown to you, select the item Remove app and then Delete app from the box you see, so as to complete the operation.
Alternatively, start the iOS / iPadOS Settings app and select the General> iPhone Space (or iPad Space if you have an iPad) items. Then scroll the screen, locate the app to delete and then tap on the Delete app item (twice in a row).
If you want to know more about how to delete an app on your iPhone or iPad, then I suggest you deepen this topic by consulting my dedicated tutorial .
How to clear default apps on iPhone
On the iPhone , as well as on the iPad , there may be pre-installed apps (made by Apple) which, however, may not interest you. In this case, the only option you have is to remove them if you don’t use them.
In this regard, in order for you to delete a default app on the iPhone, you must follow the same instructions that I gave you in the previous chapter , without you having to install tools or perform special operations, even dangerous ones (such as jailbreak ).
Please note that, depending on the version of iOS / iPadOS (starting from iOS 12 ), it is possible to delete only some pre-installed apps: Calculator , Calendar , Compass , Contacts , FaceTime , File , Mail , Maps , Notes or Weather , just for give some of them. Find the complete list at this link .
How to clear open apps on iPhone
The procedure for closing an app on the iPhone (or iPad ) is very similar to the Android one I told you about in a previous chapter . Therefore, the first step to take is to access the section relating to apps open in the background.
If you have an iPhone with Face ID , from the home screen, swipe from bottom to top near the bottom edge of the display and stop in the center. On iPhones with the Home button , on the other hand, press the latter button twice.
Now, you will be shown a screen with all the previews of the apps open in the background on your device. Swipe from left to right or vice versa to find the app you want to close. Once this is done, swipe up on the app preview to close it. Simple, right?
I want to clarify that this procedure is often superfluous and, indeed, harmful to the performance of the smartphone. Run it only in case of freeze of the apps involved. More info here .
How to delete uninstalled apps
If you have uninstalled an app from your iPhone or iPad and also want to delete all traces of it from your Apple ID as well, then you can do another simple and immediate operation.
Launch the iOS / iPadOS App Store and tap your profile photo at the top. In the screen you see, select the item Purchases and then press the Not on iPhone tab (or on All if you prefer). Then scroll through the list and locate the app to hide from your Apple account. When you have found it, keep your finger pressed on it and select the Hide item from the on-screen panel.
How to delete apps from PC
If you have installed apps on your Windows PC through the Microsoft Store , you can uninstall them as you usually do for removing software from the system.
Through the Windows Settings panel , in fact, in the App and Features section you can see the list of apps and software installed on your PC and delete them using the appropriate button.
If you want to know more about how to do this, then I suggest you consult my tutorial on how to uninstall programs on Windows 10 (the procedures are also valid for Windows 11 ).
How to delete apps from Mac
If, on the other hand, you have a Mac and want to delete the apps you have downloaded and installed, you can go to the Applications folder of the Finder , locate the app you want to remove and drag it to the Trash icon on the Dock bar .
For Mac App Store apps, on the other hand, just long click on their icons in the Launchpad and press the x that appears at the top.
For more details on how to delete applications on Mac and to find out more alternative systems, I suggest you read my article on how to delete Mac applications .
