How do I delete apps from my phone?

Deleting apps from your phone helps free up storage space and improve device performance. You can remove apps by dragging them to an uninstall option, using your phone's settings menu, or selecting multiple apps at once through the app drawer. The process varies slightly between Samsung Galaxy devices and other Android phones, but most methods are straightforward and take just a few taps.

What's the easiest way to delete apps from your phone?

The simplest method to delete apps from your phone is to drag the app icon to the “Uninstall” or bin option that appears on your screen. Here are the most effective approaches:

Drag-to-Delete Method

On Samsung Galaxy devices, press and hold any app icon on your home screen or in your app drawer, then drag it to the “Uninstall” text that appears at the top of your screen. This method works from both locations and provides instant removal with minimal steps.

Settings Menu Method

For a more detailed approach, remove apps through your phone's settings menu:

• Navigate to Settings > Apps
• Find the app you want to remove
• Tap “Uninstall” and confirm your choice

This method works consistently across most Android devices and gives you more information about each app before removal, including storage usage and data details.

The settings menu approach provides additional benefits, such as showing how much storage each app uses before you decide to remove it. This helps you prioritise which apps to delete when you're trying to optimise phone storage space.

Why can't you delete some apps from your Samsung phone?

Some apps cannot be deleted because they are pre-installed system apps that Samsung or Google considers essential for your phone's basic functionality. These restrictions exist for several reasons:

Types of Undeletable Apps

• Samsung core applications: Samsung Health, Galaxy Store, Bixby
• Google services: Gmail, Google Play Services, Chrome
• System components: Phone, Messages, Settings

Alternative: Disable Instead of Delete

Instead of deleting these apps, you can disable them to prevent them from running and taking up active memory:

1. Go to Settings > Apps
2. Select the app you want to disable
3. Tap “Disable” and confirm

This stops the app from updating, sending notifications, or consuming system resources, though it remains installed on your device. The difference between disabling and uninstalling is significant: disabled apps don't appear in your app drawer but still occupy storage space, while uninstalled apps are completely removed.

How do you delete multiple apps at once on Samsung Galaxy?

Samsung Galaxy devices offer efficient methods to remove multiple apps simultaneously, saving time during device cleanup:

App Drawer Multi-Select Method

1. Open your app drawer
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top-right corner
3. Select “Edit”
4. Tap multiple apps you want to remove
5. Tap “Uninstall” to delete all selected apps

Settings-Based Bulk Removal

For strategic app removal based on storage impact:

• Navigate to Settings > Apps
• Tap “Sort by” and choose “Size”
• Identify large apps consuming significant storage space
• Remove storage-heavy applications first

For optimal results, combine both approaches: use size-sorting to identify storage-heavy applications, then use the app drawer's multi-select feature to remove several smaller apps that clutter your device interface.

What happens when you delete an app from your phone?

When you uninstall an app from your phone, several types of data are affected differently:

What Gets Permanently Removed

• Application files and installation data
• Cached data and temporary files
• Local user settings and preferences
• Offline files and downloaded content
• Saved login credentials

What May Be Preserved

• Cloud-synced data: Photos, messages, and account information stored on company servers
• Google backup data: Some app data backed up to your Google account
• Online accounts: Your user profiles and server-side information

Data Recovery Considerations

Before removing apps with significant local data, consider these factors:

1. Check if important files need manual export
2. Verify which data syncs to cloud services
3. Review your backup settings in Settings > System > Backup
4. Ensure game progress or custom settings are backed up

Android's automatic backup feature may preserve some app data in your Google account, depending on the app's design and your backup settings. This backup system can restore app data when you reinstall applications, though the extent of data recovery varies by app.

Managing your phone's apps effectively involves knowing which applications you can safely remove and understanding the various methods available for app removal. Whether you're freeing up storage space or simply organising your device, these techniques help you maintain a cleaner, more efficient smartphone experience. We hope this guide helps you better manage your Samsung Galaxy or Android device's applications and storage space.