A common problem that occurs for users of the Apple iPhone or iPad is the inability to delete apps. When you tap and hold the screen, an ‘X’ doesn’t appear in the upper-left corner of the icon as expected. Here is a list of possible resolutions to this common problem.
Resolution 1 – Tap Lightly
If you are using an iPhone that detects the pressure of your tap, be sure that you lightly touch and hold the app icon for about 2 to 3 seconds, then the “X” should appear. When you’re done, press the “Home” button to return to the normal Home screen. This seems to be the most common issue.
Resolution 2 – Restart
I personally experienced this problem with the “Yelp” app. I had two icons on my home screen for Yelp. I deleted on of them, but the other remained. I could not get the “X” to appear on the second icon. A simple restart solved this for me.
- Press and hold the Sleep/Wake button until an option to “slide to power off” appears.
- Slide the power icon to the right, then wait for your device to power down.
- After about 15 seconds, press and hold the Sleep/Wake button to turn the device back on.
I hope the icon is now gone as happened for me.
Resolution 3 – Restrictions
Another common reason there is no “X” is a restriction setting. Perhaps this setting was accidentally set and forgotten about.
- Open “Settings“.
- Select “General“.
- In iOS12 and higher choose “Screen Time” > “Content Privacy & Restrictions” > “Content Privacy” > “iTunes & App Store Purchases“. In iOS 11 and lower, choose “General” > “Restrictions“.
- Enter the password set for restrictions.
- Set the “Deleting Apps” setting to “On/Allow” so that it is allowed.
Once you ensure this setting is on, you should be able to remove apps without a problem.
Resolution 4 – Profile
A profile may be on your device that is enabling certain restrictions on your device. This could be a profile provided by your employer or school. You can usually remove profiles under “Settings” > “General” > “Profiles“.
If you are unable to remove the profile and your device was provided by an employer or school, contact the IT department for assistance.
Resolution 5 – Not All Apps are Removable
Another reason the X may not appear is that it is an app that is built into Apple iOS. Apps such as Notes, Newsstand and Calendar cannot be removed. Other apps may be removed from “Settings” > “General” > “Storage and iCloud usage” under “Storage” select “Manage” > “Select App” > “Delete App“.
Roxane says
April 25, 2019 at 9:31 pmI downloaded the Hi voicemail app bevause i didnt know how to set up my voicemail on my iphone 10. Now im trying to set up my voicemail, i deleted the Hi voicemail app but when people call me they still hear the Hi voicemail app greeting. How is this possible if the app was deleted. ,?? Please help me
Randy says
April 2, 2019 at 9:19 amFix it! Solution #3 Restrictions caused my problem. I had a Work email account on my Personal iPhone that I removed but left a screen icon i couldn’t remove. The Work email software apparently installed restrictions that needed to be removed after I deleted the Work email account (that I didn’t need anymore).
Joy says
March 25, 2019 at 10:15 amI’m trying to delete the health app on an iPhone 5. I don’t use it; there is NO data in it, yet it’s using 451 KB of the storage on my phone! It won’t delete and trying to delete data doesn’t work because it says NO Data for each of its parts. Help!
Joan Rumrill says
January 22, 2019 at 7:59 amIt almost helped. There’s a mistake though, in solution 3. Delete step 2 for Solution 3. “Screen Time” is under “Settings”, not “General”. Joan R