How to get rid of stubborn apps that just won't go away
By Adam Shepherd | PC Advisor | 07 October 14
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We’ve all got apps that we’d like to get rid of; whenever we get a new smartphone or tablet, the temptation is always to head straight to the Google Play or App store and download everything in sight, like a kid in a digital candy shop. However, more often than not this leaves us with piles of apps that we’re bored with after five minutes and that can often be difficult to shift from your accounts. So, if you’re having trouble ditching that stubborn Flappy Bird clone, here’s our guide on how to delete unnecessary apps for good.
How to permanently delete unwanted apps on Android
First, go into your device settings. Then, find and open the apps section. By default, it should open onto a list of your downloaded apps. We’d advise staying in this tab in order to minimise the risk of accidentally deleting a crucial system process.
Next, scroll down the list of apps until you find the one you’d like to remove. Tap to open it, select the uninstall button at the top of the page and confirm the deletion. This will remove the app from your phone or tablet.
Even if you delete an app from one device, the Google Play store will still retain it on your list of downloaded apps, should you wish to reacquire it. To delete this record as well, navigate to the Google Play store, open the navigation tab in the top-left hand corner, select the ‘My apps’ option, and swipe left to move from the list of just apps installed on that device to the ‘all’ tab.
This will take you to a master list of all your downloaded apps, where you can simply find the app you wish to delete and click on the cross in the right-hand corner to erase it from the list.
How to permanently delete unwanted apps on iOS
Removing apps from your Apple device is simple: just long-press on the app’s icon until it starts jiggling around, and a little cross appears at the corner. Tap the cross, confirm the deletion, and the app goes bye-bye. Press the home button to restore your app icons to normal, non-jiggly functionality.
Note that this will only work with apps downloaded from the App Store, and not for Apple’s pre-installed software like Newsstand or Safari.
If you sync your device to a Mac or PC on a regular basis, you’ll also have to remove these apps from your iTunes library in order to prevent the deleted apps re-downloading whenever you sync. In order to do this, open iTunes on your Mac or PC and go to the apps section of your library. Find the app you deleted from your device, right-click it, and select delete.
iTunes will, however, still remember that you’ve purchased them, and list them in the 'Purchased’ section of your account. Removing them permanently is less than easy – in fact, it’s currently impossible. If you’re worried about friends or family uncovering embarrassing app downloads, the best solution is the relatively low-tech option of simply signing out of your iTunes account before handing over your device.
