No storage on your iPhone? 10 preinstalled apps you can delete without worry

Indian Express

24-05-2025

There are many apps that come pre-installed on a brand-new iPhone, when you first unbox it and turn it on, which is generally a good thing. Without going to the App Store and downloading a slate of new apps, pre-installed apps help users quickly start using the web, checking their emails, streaming music, taking notes, and more. However, not everyone is going to make use of all of these pre-installed apps.
Hence, by uninstalling the apps you don't actually need, you can save space on your phone and bandwidth as well, without app updates. Apple has made an increasing number of apps optional in recent years, so you can now remove more apps than you might have thought possible. The App Store makes it simple to download them, in case you find you are in need of these apps again.
– Books: If you don't want to read any digital books, you can delete Apple's e-book library from your iPhone. It has been a part of iOS since 2014.
– Compass: If you're sure you won't need it, you can safely uninstall this lesser-known app. The app was launched in 2009 along with iOS 3.
– Freeform: It is an Apple-developed virtual brainstorming app that first became available in iOS in 2022. It is safe to remove from your iPhone without causing any issues.
– Home: The Home app was initially introduced for iPhones in 2016. But you can remove this app without any problems as Apple's smart home platform hasn't been its biggest success.
– Journal: Since 2023, Journal has been available on iPhones, enabling users to document recollections on a daily basis. But you can remove this app if journaling isn't for you or if you've discovered a better alternative.
– Magnifier: Although it may have gone unnoticed on iOS, the Magnifier app has been a stand-alone, preinstalled app on iPhones since 2020.
– Measure: Since iOS 12, this utility app has been included free of charge with every iPhone. It can be taken off if you don't need to measure anything on your iPhone.
– News: You can easily delete this if you're not getting your news fix via Apple's News app. The first time it appeared in iOS was in 2015.
– TV: All of your Apple films and television series are available through the Apple TV app, which has been available as a stand-alone app since 2016. But if you don't have an Apple TV subscription, you have the option to remove the app.
– Reminders: Reminders, which have been a part of iOS since 2011, can be removed if you're utilising a different app for this purpose.
While other apps such as Health, Mail, Maps, Contacts, Notes, Playground, Passwords, Podcasts, Shortcuts, Stocks, Tips, Translate, Watch, and Weather can also be uninstalled, these pre-installed apps could end up coming in handy. Hence, it would not be a good idea to uninstall them unless there is no other option to increase storage on your iPhone.
(This article has been curated by Disha Gupta, who is an intern with The Indian Express)