Happened again!
In your late-night, bleary-eyed iPhone app cleanup, you delete an app you desperately need the next day.
We’ve all done frantic searches in the app store, trying to rediscover that app that disappeared.
But what if we told you that recently deleted apps didn’t actually disappear? Your iPhone has a secret “trash folder” where abandoned apps live, and we’ll show you how to access it.
Join us to learn how to easily recover accidentally deleted apps and recapture lost data or photos.
Preview Deleted Apps
Have you ever deleted an iPhone app in a hurry, only to regret it immediately?
While clicking on the dangerous “x” icon might seem permanently damaging, your apps aren’t actually gone forever once they’re deleted.
In this article, we’ll show you an extremely simple method.
Read on to learn how to easily find and preview apps you thought were long gone with just a few taps.
To view previous downloads, follow these steps:
Step 1: Open the App Store and tap on your profile picture in the upper right corner.
Step 2: Tap Purchases.
Step 3: Tap Not on this iPhone.
Should you opt for the “All” section, you will have access to a complete list of applications associated with your account. The apps that are currently installed will display an “Open” button towards the right, whereas the ones you’ve removed will be represented by a small cloud icon.
How to Restore the Apps
Well, if you want to restore those apps that were deleted months ago, it’s actually quite easy. There are several ways to help you.
App Store
Since you’re already familiar with accessing the “Not on this iPhone” section, there’s no necessity to reiterate the procedure.
When you arrive at this tab, peruse the roster of removed applications and simply tap the cloud icon to initiate the reinstallation process. For verification and app download, you will be prompted to input your Apple ID password.
After tapping to reinstall the app, you will see a small blue circle that shows the download progress. Once the app has finished downloading, the Open button will be displayed next to the app icon.
A very useful aspect of this app restore feature is that you will not be charged again for restoring previously purchased apps – the restore process retrieves them for free.
So you don’t need to worry about paying twice for apps you had already bought before deleting them! Simply reinstalling brings them back without additional cost.
Name Search
You can also search for deleted apps directly in the App Store. Just tap the magnifying glass and type the app name. Since the App Store tracks your purchases, it will show the app to download again. This speeds up finding deleted apps versus browsing your full not-on-iPhone list.
The cloud icon appears under the name of the app; just tap on it to reinstall the app.
Perform a Restoral Using iTunes
In older versions of iTunes prior to 12.7, there used to be an Apps tab that provided the ability to restore deleted iPhone apps through iTunes on your computer.
However, Apple removed this Apps tab in iTunes 12.7 and later versions. So if you have an older iTunes version that still has the Apps tab accessible, you can connect your iPhone, click on your device, select the Apps category, and then click “Install” next to any deleted apps you want to restore.
This iTunes restore option is only available in versions before 12.7, as Apple discontinued the Apps tab in more recent iTunes updates.
Apps Gone Missing
You could observe the absence of certain apps in your collection, despite not deliberately removing them. However, there’s no cause for concern, as these apps haven’t been permanently deleted.
Starting from iOS 11.0, Apple introduced the Offload Unused Apps feature, designed to remove applications that remain unused.
All the apps that have been offloaded can be easily reinstalled through the App Store. If you find this automatic feature undesirable, deactivating it is a straightforward process.
Step 1: Go to Settings and tap on App Store.
Step 2: Scroll down to Offload Unused Apps.
Step 3: Toggle the switch to turn off the function.
Through the above three steps, you can quickly retrieve the disappeared app.
Frequently Asked Questions About iPhone Deleted Apps
Can I recover apps I’ve deleted on my iPhone?
Yes, you can. If you’ve deleted an app from your iPhone, you can reinstall it from the App Store. Whether you’ve purchased the app or it’s a free download, you can always restore it as long as it’s still available in the App Store.
What happens to my app data when I delete an app?
When you delete an app from your iPhone, the app itself is removed, but your app data might still be saved if the app supports cloud storage or account syncing. However, for apps that don’t use these features, deleting the app might result in the loss of local data associated with it.
How do I re-download previously purchased apps?
If you’ve purchased an app in the past, you don’t need to buy it again. You can go to the App Store, find the app in your purchased history, and re-download it for free. Just make sure you’re using the same Apple ID that you used to purchase the app originally.
What is the “Offload Unused Apps” feature?
The “Offload Unused Apps” feature is available in iOS and iPadOS. When enabled, it automatically removes apps that you haven’t used in a while to free up storage space on your device. However, this doesn’t delete your app data. You can re-download the offloaded apps from the App Store if needed. If you prefer, you can disable this feature in your device settings.
The Bottom Line
The tips in this guide let you easily restore recently deleted apps on iPhone and iPad. For longer term data recovery, a tool like EaseUS MobiSaver can retrieve lost data even after the 30-day window. Having both app restore and a data recovery safety net ensures you can get back missing apps and irreplaceable data.
