How to delete, hide or offload apps on your iPhone 13 [All Models]

On your new iPhone 13, you may encounter multiple apps you never use, it may be time to delete, hide, or offload them. 

Uninstalling or deleting an app is possible in every version of iOS. In iOS 15 on your iPhone 13, you can hide an app from your Home Screen while keeping it in the App Library. 

On iOS 11 and later, you can also offload an app – which deletes the app but keeps all its data on your iPhone's storage. 

How to delete apps on an iPhone 13, 12 and 11

First, here is how to find out the iOS version running on your iPhone so that you can follow the appropriate steps.

Open the Settings app, tap “General,” and “About.” Your current iOS version will be listed next to “Software Version.”

Now let's see how you can delete apps on each iOS version from iOS 15 and backward.

How to delete apps on iOS 15

1. Press and hold your finger down on the icon of the app you want to delete.
2. Select “Remove App” from the pop-up menu.
3. In the next pop-up, select “Delete App” and tap “Delete” again.

How to delete apps on iOS 14

The process is similar for iOS 14:

1. If you want to delete an app, find its icon and press and hold your finger down on it.
2. From the menu, select “Remove App.”
3. After you have selected “Delete App,” tap “Delete” again in the second pop-up window.

How to delete apps on iOS 13

The process is quite different for iOS 13:

1. Find the app you want to delete on your Home Screen, then hold down your finger on its icon to delete it.
2. Tap “Rearrange Apps” in the menu that appears. 
3. All your apps will start jiggling, and small “X” icons will appear at the top of all the ones you can delete.
4. You can delete any app by tapping the “X” button on the top right corner of its icon.
5. An option will appear for you to confirm deleting the selected app.
6. Tap “Delete” to delete the app. 

In iOS 12 and earlier

Deleting apps on iOS 12 is similar to deleting apps on iOS 13:

1. Press and hold the icon of the app you want to delete on the Home Screen. After a few seconds, all the icons on your screen start flickering, and little “X” marks are at the top of the icon.
2. Tap the “X” in the top-left corner of the app you wish to delete. 
3. When the pop-up appears, click “Delete.” Otherwise, click “Cancel” and repeat the process with the correct app.

Note that you can't undo app deletions – you must re-download the app from the App Store if you accidentally delete an app.

However, if you want to remove an app while keeping its data, you should try hiding it from your Home Screen or offloading it, as described below. 

How to hide apps on an iPhone 13, 12, and 11 with iOS 14 and 15

On iOS 14, 15, and later, you can hide apps from your Home Screen and keep them in your App Library. 

1. Press and hold your finger down on the icon of the app you want to delete.
2. Select “Remove App” from the pop-up.
3. Afterward, select “Remove from Home Screen.” The app will now be hidden from your Home Screen and moved to your App Library. 
4. You can access your App Library by swiping to the right-most page of your Home Screen.
5. If you are looking for an app using the search bar at the top, or if you are browsing the categories, you can do so. 

How to offload an app on an iPhone 13

An app can be offloaded instead of deleted, including the data it contains. Offloading removes the app from your iPhone 13 but archives its data, allowing you to reinstall the app and pick up where you left off. 

1. Go to your iPhone's Settings. 
2. Then, go to the “General” tab.
3. You can access your iPhone's storage by tapping “iPhone Storage.”
4. To find your desired app, scroll down and tap it.
5. Click “Offload App,” then tap “Offload App.” This will delete the app but keep its documents and data.
6. On the iPhone Storage page, you can also select to automatically delete unused apps if your iPhone is running low on storage.
7. Enabling the feature is as simple as tapping the button.