Apple’s Latest Update May Install Previously Removed Apps on IPhone
Uninstalling an app from your iPhone is easy. In fact, it only takes a few taps. If you want, you can even remove purchases from your Apple account entirely . So it might come as a surprise if you see this app randomly appearing again. By the way, some users see exactly this.
MacRumors found several threads on both Reddit and Apple’s community support site, all with the same complaint: users noticing apps they didn’t choose to download appear on their iPhone. Some of the affected users had previously uninstalled these apps months or years ago and were confused as to why they came back. Others, however, didn’t remember ever downloading the app in question.
The account Someandroiduser created a community support thread claiming that the previously deleted “Last War Survival” app was back on their iPhone. Redditor dURDENN7 posted the same thing , without specifying the name of the app in question. It’s worth noting that some commenters on this thread said they also had “Last War Survival” downloaded on their iPhone, including one who said he had never downloaded the app before.
Reddit user illiyas reported that they found the game “Ingress” installed on their iPhone, despite the fact that they don’t play games on their phone at all. Another commenter said their iPhone loaded “Cooking Mama” onto the home screen, although the App Store still showed an option to “Get” the app, implying that the user had never installed the app before. Another user shared a similar story with the game “Bit City”.
Is iOS 18.4 responsible for this?
While it’s not entirely clear what’s behind these app downloads, it looks like iOS 18.4 is one of them. The update officially went live on Monday , adding new features and security fixes to compatible iPhones. Unfortunately, Apple may have missed the bug in beta testing, as many user complaints note that these apps mysteriously appeared after installing the latest iOS update.
MacRumors notes that automatic downloading, a feature that installs previously downloaded apps on other connected Apple devices, doesn’t seem to be at fault here, as many affected users only have iPhones. In addition, the publication noted that these devices were not jailbroken and did not use a third-party application store .
To Apple’s credit, I didn’t have that experience with the newest update. I installed iOS 18.4 on my iPhone, and as far as I can tell, not a single new or previously downloaded app has made it into my App Library . This is a problem, however: you shouldn’t expect apps you previously deleted to reappear on your device, and you definitely shouldn’t see apps you never downloaded to begin with.
Apple has not made a public statement regarding this problem, and there is little you can do to prevent it. If you happen to notice an app that you previously uninstalled (or never downloaded in the first place), your best bet is to simply uninstall it and hope it doesn’t show up again.