Apps make the smartphone world go 'round, and there are tons and tons to pick from. But like anything else, you don't want to keep all of those apps forever. Maybe your phone is low on storage, or you've canceled a subscription and want to do a little cleaning on your device. Whatever the reason may be, uninstalling apps is quick and easy, and we'll show you just how to do it.
Hit the break for instructions.
Method 1: Your home screen
- Go to your phone's home screen or anywhere on the launcher where apps are pinned.
- Choose the app you'd like to uninstall from your device and then long-press on the app icon. Depending on the version of Android or your home screen launcher, you'll see two different things here. Some phones will give you the older style uninstall shortcut at the top of the screen, and you'll have to drag the app to that word to delete it. Newer phones will display Android's newer app shortcuts, one of which will be to uninstall the app.
- Now you'll be prompted to complete the uninstall process. After confirming your decision, the app will quickly be uninstalled and completely removed from your device. Easy!
Method 2: Google Play Store
- Open up the Play Store. From here you'll be able to uninstall any app that was installed from Google's app store by sliding out from the left, or tapping the menu button.
- This menu has a ton of shortcuts to different areas in the Play Store. Tap My apps & games to see the list of apps installed on your phone.
- Pick the installed tab in your library, and this will show you a list of every app you have currently installed from the Play Store. Tap the app you want to remove.
- See that Uninstall button? You know what to do. Tap it to begin the uninstall process.
- You'll once again be asked to confirm that you really do want to delete the app. Tap OK, and your phone will handle the rest.
Method 3: App manager
- Find the Settings menu in your phone and look for an entry called “Applicatons” or “App Manager.” This will take us to the full list of every app installed on your smartphone.
- Go down the list of apps on your device and find the one you'd like to uninstall. Tap it.
- Once you've selected the app you'd like to uninstall, you'll see another uninstall button. Just like every other method, you'll want to tap that to begin the uninstall process.
- Of course, you'll be asked to confirm your decision before the app is actually uninstalled.
That's all there is to it!
There are three ways to clean your device up, and all of them work equally well. Using the home screen method is probably the easiest for most people, but some apps may not have icons for that to work. And some apps aren't installed from the Play Store, so you'll need to dig into the settings menu to take care of it. Whatever situation you're in, you'll know how to handle it next time.
google and its apps are nothing more than a virus. google needs to be sued.
But how to get rid of folders left behind after uninstalling the apps?
Wrong. This is not correct for apps that have been preloaded. There is no SIMPLE way at this time. However, I’ve read that there is a way to do it that involves a more advanced knowledge that I’m too chicken to try.
Most people know how to delete apps that they have installed. The issue faced is removing pre-loaded bloatware apps like crappy music players that phone manufacturers try and force you to use.
Often the bloatware causes issues when the user installs their preferred (better) app. In my case, the Android phone I have ships with a music player I hate, which often launches when I don’t want it to. The options to disable, delete etc have been greyed out.
Offering an article on how to permanently delete these putrid bloatware apps would be infinitely more useful.
I know how to uninstall a app but how about times when the app reappears the neXT day after switching it on? You could think that after deleting ‘uber’ app it would be gone but no the next day..it’s back!? How can you block a app for good?
Hilarious article Capt.Obvious but what about the MANY applications that are installed by Samsung, Verizon, etc…that do not show up using these methods? Samsung print service? Verizon One Talk, etc.. Users know hour to disable or uninstall the obvious ones. USEFUL information would be how to find and get rid of the useless bloatware. Most of them, if you can find them can’t even be disabled let alone uninstalled.
Good article, but it’d be nice to know if there was a way to delete system apps. I have at least a dozen system apps I’ve never used since I’ve had my phone. They’re not apps working in the background that I never see. They’re apps like Kindle. It’d be nice to free up that space for apps I need, but can’t download because these system apps take up so much space.
Unless you root your phone, there’s no way to get rid of pre-installed apps on most phones. You can, however, disable them but that’s not solving the space issue.
Uninstalling may work but the app never really gets deleted. That’s why I just did a reset on my phone. Tonnes of memory being taken up by apps that had been uninstalled. Android needs to fix this problem.
An app on my phone cannot be uninstalled. It is an app called Quice. I cannot remove it. Please help.
how can we empty d “remove apps” coz still stay in my andro tab space ? help plis ,anyone who can ,tell me.n thanks
How do I delete games that were on the phone when I got the phone that do not have an uninstall button? Sony Ericson Xperia Play.
how can I delete the apps that I have already uninstalled?.
They show up in the ALL category on my app store. I have a Samsung Galzxy S II
And that’s easy is it?
How about find the app to delete, press and hold down until app wobbles and hit the X. Simples!
There are other ways of unistalling an app. You can for instance use an app to quickliy uninstall and there are even apps that let you select all the apps you want to uninstall and they are uninstalled as a batch. Ex: app backup & restore, or hasta la vista.