iOS 13 life skills: How to delete apps on iPhone or iPad

Love the French bulldog in this picture, but think it can probably handle the walk.

Apple has made a fundamental change in how to delete apps you no longer need on your iPad or iPhone, transforming one of its oldest UI elements in the process.

How we’re used to deleting apps

Over the years, iPhone users have grown accustomed to being able to press and hold an app icon to make all the icons wriggle around. While in this mode, we would move apps around, pop them into the Dock, nest them together to create folders – or tap the small x on the corner of the app to delete it.

How to delete apps in iOS 13

In iOS 13, when you press and hold an App icon you’ll get a new message.

The content of the message changes, but it usually includes Rearrange Apps and Share [app name]. The icons don’t wriggle. There is no x to tap.

To delete apps now you must choose Rearrange Apps – or keep pressing the app icon until the new message appears and then gently move the icon. This invokes the original behaviour.

One more way to delete apps

There is another way to delete apps which hasn’t changed.

Open Settings>General>iPhone/iPad Storage and you’ll see information on how much space your device has left to fill. You’ll also see a list of apps. If there’s an app you want to delete, you can tap its name in the list and then choose Delete App on the next page.

I do hope this helps.

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