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How do I delete an iPhone application from iTunes?

Now that I have a shiny new iPhone, I've gone a bit wild adding applications from the iTunes Application Store. So many applications that it's out of control. Now I want to delete some, but each time I delete them on the iPhone then hook the phone up to the computer, they reappear! :-(

Dave's Answer:

You aren't the only person to be puzzled by this problem, from what I have been reading on blogs and discussion boards, so don't feel like you're doing something wrong. :-)

The trick is to realize that you probably have iTunes configured to automatically sync all of your Apps with your Apple iPhone. Which means that if you delete it on your phone, iTunes dutifully adds it back, just like it's supposed to do so.

One solution you can do is to stop syncing, but what I think works better is to just delete the apps you don't want from the iTunes application on your computer and your iPhone will only have what you want without you fiddling with it directly or fighting the sync process.

Here's how I deleted an unwanted application and what happened when I resync'd the iPhone afterwards. First, here's a small subset of the apps I've already downloaded:

It's not obvious what to do here, but if you hold down the Control key and click on an application icon. You see:

Choose "Delete" as I am doing, and the icon -- and application -- vanishes. Well, not without you confirming that's really what you want to do:

You can, of course, check "Do not ask me again" if you'd rather not have this extra confirmation window each time you axe an app. But there's still another one left:

Choose "Move to Trash" if you're truly done with this iPhone application and don't want to ever drop it on your phone again, otherwise you can opt to "Keep Files" if you want.

Next time you sync, here's what you should see if you haven't also manually deleted the app on your shiny new iPhone too:

I have to admit that at this point I found things a bit confusing: i selected "Don't Transfer", on the belief that it meant that the apps from my iPhone wouldn't then be copied back onto the computer and it didn't, but it also didn't actually copy the new apps I'd downloaded from the iTunes Application store until the second time I sync'd up my phone. Your experience may vary, but don't be surprised if you have to sync once or twice extra before everything's all as you want.

Finally, if you haven't been here before, I encourage you to check out the extensive iPhone help offered here, all gratis, of course.

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Categorized: Cell Phones and Mobile Phones (Article 8397)
Tagged: apple iphone, apple itunes, iphone apps, itunes application store, sync
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Comments

Ya I couldn't figure out the apps delete either its such an easy fix I'm glad Dave figure it out I also figure out u need more than one app for the applications icon to show up in itunes or maybe my itunes is being funny but it worked for me. So simple but awesome advice!!

Posted by: Andy at July 19, 2008 1:26 PM

Regarding the second question about whether or not you want to keep the app. I said yes. And now I want to restore it. I'm sure it is probably very simple to do, but I don't know how. When I look in Google I see how to do it on a jailbroken phone, but I have no jailbroken phone. Let's just say I deleted scrabble.ipa. Where is it kept and what do I do with it to restore it. As I remember it is still in something like the mobilesynch folder and I know to use Tinkertool if it is hidden. I've already made a backup copy of all my .ipa files.

Posted by: Bonnie Rottstin at September 8, 2008 2:33 PM

I've got two Macs, a work system and a home system. I did all of my new iPod touch setup on the home system, including downloading a bunch of music & apps. I just plugged the iPod into my work system to charge the battery and it proceeded to wipe all of my music and my apps!!! The only question it asked is if I wanted to BACKUP my apps.

Rude behavior to say the least. Any known fix for this?

Posted by: Peter at September 9, 2008 7:19 PM

my iPhone do not sync an application from iTunes

Posted by: Chris at December 14, 2008 12:10 AM

i have a question.

i bought an unlocked iphone from ebay and now the applications close after about 3 seconds, and i want to delete the applications but they arent in my itunes library just on my phone, how else do i delete them permanently ?
please someone reply

Posted by: liam at January 6, 2009 3:06 PM

I have a quick question, I purchased a iphone straight from china and I was going through it and noticed that it did not have Itunes App on it. If im not mistaken when you purchase an iphone from the Apple Store,does it not already have the Itunes App on it ? If not how do you add that App to it?

Because what it does when I hook it up to my computer - it comes up with USB option.

I downloaded Itunes8.0 and after I plugged in the phone and it does not show up in Itunes -

Please help

Posted by: Marc Michaud at March 31, 2009 12:46 PM

On The Weather Channel, I use several cities while traveling, but cannot DELETE them out of the second box (Recents) - no edit or delete button there. I don't want cities piling up. How do I delete?
Ipod Touch

Posted by: Snapdragon at May 25, 2009 7:51 AM

I have a lot to say, but ...

I have a lot to say, and questions of my own for that matter, but most of all I'd like to say thank you for all your efforts on this Web site by buying you a chai!

I do have a comment, now that you mention it!