How To Delete All Apps on the iPhone

When it comes to iPhones and iPads, it’s pretty clear that storage is Apple’s main currency. Due to the lack of external storage support, internal storage is the main differentiator between the products of the same generation.

This is a struggle that many iPhone users who opt for a lower-storage model face. Eventually, they run out of space on their device, so they take every chance they get to free it up.

There are a lot of ways to free-up storage on an iPhone but most users underestimate the number of Gigabytes that applications actually use. So, whether you’re trying to start over fresh or you simply want to free up some space, we’ll cover how to delete all of the apps on your iPhone below.

Can You Delete All iPhone Apps at Once?

Well, yes and no. Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t give us the option to quickly flip a switch and delete all of our apps at once. But that doesn’t mean that you’re completely out of luck.

There are some official (and not so official) ways to keep your phone’s memory free and clear in regards to apps. Let’s get started with your options.

Multi-Delete Apps Using the Jailbreak Method

If you’re running a jailbroken device, look for the MultiDelete app on the Cydia store. After you’ve found it, take the following steps:

1. Once you’ve installed MultiDelete, you’ll see a new panel within the Settings menu. Open it, then toggle MultiDelete on.
2. Go to your Home screen and press and hold on any app that you want to delete until all of them start wiggling. Tap on the middle of each app you want to delete to select it.
3. Tap the X button on any of the selected apps and tap Delete when you see the pop-up menu.

If you haven’t jailbroken your iPhone and are considering it to get this tweak, you might want to think twice before you do it. Even though jailbreaking opens new possibilities, it voids your warranty, and paying for the repair if anything goes wrong can be quite costly.

Unfortunately, Apple doesn’t include the mass select option when it comes to apps. This means that you won’t be able to delete multiple apps at once. Your only option is to factory reset your iPhone and start fresh. If you don’t already know this, this will also remove everything else, so backing up your data would be a good idea. Let’s go over the necessary steps.

Factory Resetting an iPhone

The first thing you’ll want to do is to back up the device. However, if your backup includes all your apps, they will all automatically start downloading once you restart your phone and migrate the data back to it.

You will thus end up where you began. This is why you should choose the data that you want to backup. Here’s how to do it:

1. Go to Settings > iCloud.
2. Select iCloud Backup > Manage Storage. If you’re using iOS 11, go to Manage Storage > Backups.
3. Tap the name of your device.
4. Tap Choose Data to Back Up, then turn off all apps that you won’t need.
5. Select Turn Off & Delete.

 
Once you’ve done this, your data will be safe. After you’ve reset your iPhone, you’ll be able to migrate it back.

When you’re sure that the backup process is finished, you can go ahead and reset your device. Here’s what you have to do:

1. Go to Settings > General > Reset
2. Tap Erase All Content and Settings
3. Type in your passcode (if you have one) to confirm this action.
4. You’ll see a warning box with the Erase iPhone Tap on it.
5. Type in your Apple ID password to finalize the process.

After you do this, all data from your device will be wiped, and you’ll see the setup screen that you first saw when you bought it. When prompted, choose the Restore from iCloud Backup option, and all your backed up data will be downloaded, while all the apps will be left behind.

Offload Unused Apps

Both of the methods mentioned above are quite extreme. If you’re looking for a simple solution to reduce storage, this is it. Apple really thought this through in recent years and it may be the perfect solution to your ‘too many apps’ predicament.

What Does it Mean to Offload Apps?

There are a few differences between offloading applications and uninstalling them:

• The apps still appear on your phone’s screen but don’t take up the storage space.
• All of your information is still saved within the application so you don’t have to sign back in or start a game over.
• It’s much simpler to offload apps than it is to uninstall them individually, jailbreak your phone, or perform a factory reset.

If storage space is your main reason for clearing up space, this is the method for you. Of course, if you’re trying to sell your phone or gift it to someone else, follow the instructions above to factory reset it.

How to Offload Apps – Manually

If you’d like to manually offload your applications you can. Just do this:

1. Open the Settings on your iPhone and select ‘General.’
2. Tap on ‘iPhone Storage.’
   
3. Locate and tap on the app you’d like to offload.
   
4. Tap ‘Offload App.’
   

Keep in mind, you can also delete apps individually by following these steps. Simply click on the ‘Delete App’ option and confirm. For some, this may be an easier method than long-pressing the app on the phone’s home screen and tapping on the ‘Delete App’ option.

How to Offload Apps – Automatically

If you’d like to set your apps to automatically offload when they haven’t been used in a while, do this:

1. Open the Settings on your iPhone and tap on ‘App Store.’
2. Scroll down and toggle the ‘Offload Unused Apps’ option on so that it turns green.
   

Now, you can have peace of mind that your applications won’t take all of your storage on your iPhone.

The Wrap Up

Unless you’ve jailbroken your iPhone, deleting multiple apps isn’t the most convenient process. Apple is likely aware of this, so we might see this issue fixed in future software updates.

Until then, performing a selective backup and restoring only the data that you want is the way to go unless you want to delete each app manually.