How to turn off “Offload Unused Apps” on iPhone?
While Android recently introduced the offload feature to Android OS phones, Apple has been using it for a very long time. This fantastic feature can save about 60% space of your iPhone.
Anyways, inside the settings of your iPhone, you can navigate to the “iTunes and Apps” option where you can turn off the offloading feature. Offloading apps can be really helpful to reduce the extra load on your phone and save some storage space.
However, sometimes this can be a problem too if it automatically removes some apps that you still need. That’s why you may need to turn this automatic feature off and do offloading manually when you need to. So, let’s explore the features and the process in detail.
What Does It Mean To Offload Unused Apps On An iPhone?
Offloading unused apps means to temporarily delete an app which is rarely used from the iPhone without deleting the app data. Well, let’s elaborate.
Before iOS introduced this feature, there were only two options available to manage any apps on your iPhone. Either you’ve to keep the app, along with its associated data, which of course, will take a lot of space.
Or you can delete the app permanently from your phone. This will delete every data regarding this app and free up the space.
But after they introduced the “Offload unused app” feature, things became too flexible. For instance, suppose you don’t use a certain app for too long.
But you also don’t want to lose the data associated with the app. In such cases, you can use the offload feature.
This will delete only the app but will keep the data. So, whenever in future you reinstall the app, the data will be synced and the app will work just like it was before. That’s why this feature seems so useful.
What Does Automatically Offload Unused App Features Do?
As you know what Offload unused app means, the phone doing it automatically serves nothing different from it. The only difference is, unlike before, you do not need to do it manually.
Rather, the phone will automatically clean the apps that are not in use for more than 2 or 3 months.
This can be very helpful sometimes. It’ll keep your phone clean from unnecessary apps and save storage. And you even need not to take any hassle for this. However, sometimes it can be irritating too.
If this function is On it can temporarily delete an app that you may need anytime but didn’t use recently. Though you’ll be capable of downloading it anytime if you’ve internet access, the situation can be unexpected.
How To Turn Off “Offloading Unused Apps” Feature On iPhone?
The process of turning off the feature Offload unused app is quite simple. All you need to do is to follow some steps. We’ll guide you through a step by step process here. So, let’s start.
- Find the settings on your iPhone.
- Tap on settings and look for “iTunes and App store”. Open it.
- Scroll down to see the option named “Offload Unused App”. Uncheck the box or tap the indicated button to disable the feature.
- Swipe up to return to home and you’re done.
Thus you can easily turn off the Offload unused app feature on your iPhone. The process is almost the same for every iOS update. You can see details in Apples official page.
Does Offloading Apps Reduce Storage?
No. Actually it does the opposite. That means, when you offload an app, the space that was occupied by the app will be released. So, the overall storage will increase.
But since the data is still stored in the device, you can reinstall the app when you want. Then after reinstalling the app, both the app and its associated data will reduce the storage.
So, offloading basically frees up some space that is occupied by the app itself. On the other hand, disabling offload will keep the app and data which will need more space.
When Should I Enable Offload Unused Apps On iPhone? [S]
It depends on how you use different apps on your iPhone to determine whether you should offload an app or not. In some cases, offloading can be really very useful.
So, Let’s see when you should enable the “Offload unused app” feature on your iPhone.
- If you haven’t used any app for a month or two, maybe it’s not much necessary. But if you’re not sure about whether you’ll need it in future, you can offload it temporarily.
- Sometimes, due to overflow of apps data or other files in the phone storage, the storage capacity can be occupied. Then you can free up some space by enabling this feature.
- Though this is a rare scene for an iPhone, sometimes a function may not work properly due to storage problems. Then you can enable the offload feature, save some space and after completing the task reinstall the app.
What Are The Differences Between Deleting and Offload Unused Apps?
There are not so many differences between these two methods. However, in terms of saving and not-saving data, you can see the following differences.
| Delete App | Offload Unused App |
| Deleting an app means it will be permanently removed from your device and there will be no further trace of it. | Offloading means the app will be deleted temporarily but the data will be saved for future use. |
| Every type of data is removed related to the app. | Only the app is removed. The cache data still remains in the storage. |
| In future you have to install the app from the beginning and it’ll start from scratch. | After reinstalling It’ll be synced with all previous data and you’ll be able to use the app like it was never deleted. |
FAQs
There is a clear difference between deleting and offloading an app on an iPhone. But if you’re still confused about it, let’s clear it by answering the following questions.
Is it better to offload or delete an app?
As per most users, offloading an app is better than deleting it if there’s a possibility to use the app in future again. But if you haven’t used an app for 3-6 months, you probably won’t use it further. Then you can delete it permanently.
Should I automatically offload unused apps?
Automatically offload unused apps can be problematic sometimes. For example, let’s say you didn’t use an app for a long time and this feature will automatically delete the app temporarily which may surprise you when you need it. So, manage it as you need it.
Does offloading apps increase system data?
Offloading an app will delete the system data but keeps the cached data in the storage. As a result, the overall phone storage will increase and the required data for the app like the password, will be kept safe.
Verdict
The feature of offloading unused apps is highly effective for users who do a lot of things on their iPhone. It helps them to manage the phone space as well as different apps when necessary.
But if it’s done automatically, then many apps that you may need in future can be offloaded without your permission.
So, disabling this automatic feature can be a good option. However, you can do it manually which gives you more flexibility.