How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted: Resolved

How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted

Part of what makes the iPod Touch useful is its ability to download and use apps from the Apple App Store. However, you won’t need every app you download forever. To save space on your Touch’s internal storage, or just to remove unwanted apps, you will want to uninstall these apps. 

If you need to know how to delete apps on your iPod Touch that cannot be deleted normally, things can get a little more complicated. This guide covers every method you can use to get an unwanted app off your iPod Touch. 

How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted: Here Are the Solutions

There are several reasons why you might not be able to delete an app from your iPod Touch. Here are some solutions you can try when you come across this problem: 

Touch and Hold the App

Find the app that you want to remove on your home screen and press and hold the app icon for a few seconds. This action will bring up a menu for you to follow along with the next steps. 

How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted
How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted

Tap Remove App

In the menu that comes up, you should see one called Remove App. This is the option we want to uninstall an app from the iPod Touch. Tap that option to head to the next step. 

Tap Delete App, Then Tap Delete to Confirm

After choosing to remove the app, you have an option to remove the shortcut for the app or remove it entirely with the Delete option. Tap the Delete option to remove the app entirely from the device. 

If it doesn’t take at first, try selecting Delete again to ensure that your device read your input.

Disable Parental Controls

If you find you cannot delete an app, it could be due to parental controls enabled on the iPod Touch. To turn off parental controls, go to the Settings app and choose the Screen Time option. Find the Disable choice and select it, inputting the parental control ID as needed. 

Try Deleting the App Again

Once parental controls are off, you can return to your app and follow the previous steps to uninstall it from the iPod Touch. This time, when you select Delete, the app should remove itself from both the home screen and the device. 

If Home Screen and the Apps Start to Jiggle

The home screen and app jiggling animation happen when you want to edit how your apps display on your home screen. You can also use this as a chance to delete unwanted apps from the device by following these steps: 

Tap the Remove Icon in the Upper-Left Corner of the App

In the top left corner, you’ll see a list of options pop up after selecting one of the bouncing apps. One of those options will be the Remove Icon option. Select that option to get the uninstallation process started. 

Tap Delete App, and Then Tap Delete to Confirm

When you choose to remove the app, your Touch will ask if you want to delete the app or just remove the icon from the home screen. Removing the icon just gets rid of the shortcut, not the app itself. 

So, choose the Delete App option to delete the app from your device. 

Tap Done

Once you confirm that you want to delete the app, select the Done option to get the process started. After a few seconds, the app will disappear from your home screen, indicating that the device uninstalled the app and removed the shortcut icon. 

How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted
How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted

Delete an App From App Library and Home Screen

Finally, you can also remove apps from within the App Library. Follow these steps to do so: 

Touch and Hold the App in App Library

Inside your App Library, you’ll have a list of the installed apps, including the ones you picked up from the App Store. Look for the app you want to uninstall. Touch and hold the app to bring up a menu of options for the app. 

Tap Delete App

In addition to the other choices, you should see a Delete App option after holding your press on the app. This option will remove an app from your device and the App Library, requiring that you will have to find and reinstall the app through the App to get it back later. 

Tap Delete

Tap the Delete option to remove the app from your device and the App Store list. 

Why Are My Apps Not Deleting?

Sometimes, you will encounter issues when you try to uninstall an app from the iPod Touch. The reasons for this can vary, meaning it won’t be clear what causes the holdup without knowing what is going on. 

Here are some of the reasons why you might not be able to delete an app: 

Your Device Has Restrictions

Some devices have restrictions put on them through administrator or parental controls. These controls allow the owner of the device to control what the person using the device can or cannot do, including uninstalling important apps. 

Turning off these controls is the only way to overcome this hurdle. 

Apps Are Native to iOS and Are Not Removable

Some apps are native to iOS, meaning you cannot remove the app without damaging the software. These apps include the Settings menu and other apps that let you navigate the iPod Touch. 

Unless you want to mess around with third-party software, these apps will stay on your iPod Touch for as long as you have them. 

Apps Are Stuck in a Waiting Status

When updating apps, they go into a waiting status while the update downloads and installs. Usually, this process doesn’t take long since most updates don’t require huge amounts of data to install. However, if the connection gets interrupted partway through, your app might be stuck waiting for an update that never downloads. 

Reconnecting to the Internet or restarting the iPod will usually solve this issue. 

You Enabled Restrictions for Deleting Apps

Outside of parental controls, system admins can also set controls for apps before passing them over to users. Part of these controls allows admins to prevent users from deleting critical apps for things like business operations and contacts. 

These same controls can be activated if you go through the settings and turn something on by accident. Usually, you can turn these controls off by going through the settings and entering your Apple ID to turn them off. 

How Do I Force Delete an App?

If you need to know how to delete apps on your iPod Touch that cannot be deleted normally, you might have to force the issue. Here is how you do that: 

Open Your Settings App

As always, you have to go into your Settings menu to mess around with advanced tools. The good news is that forcefully deleting an app from your iPod Touch won’t take too much to do. 

Find your Settings app and tap on it to enter your iPod’s settings menu. 

How to Delete Apps on iPod Touch That Cannot Be Deleted

Go to the General Tab and Select Apps and Notifications

Find your General tab in the Setting menu and tap on it. This option brings up another menu that will have the option you want. 

Scroll through the options until you find one called Apps and Notifications. Tap that option to continue with the process. 

Tap on the Offending App

Tapping on Apps and Notifications will bring up a selection of options and a list of the apps installed on your Touch. Scroll through the list of apps until you find the one that you want to install. Tap on that app’s name to bring up another menu. 

Tap Uninstall to Remove It

When you select the app from the list above, you’ll enter a menu containing info about the app. This info includes the memory usage and size of the app as well as some usage stats. It also features an option to delete the app. 

Look for the Uninstall option and tap it. A pop-up will ask you to confirm your choice, so ensure that you do to uninstall the app. Once selected, the device will take a few moments to delete the app. 

Conclusion

You can remove an app from your iPod Touch using the home screen icon, the Apps and Notification menu, or the App Library itself. Regardless of which method you use, you will remove not just the shortcut icon on the home screen, but all of the data and storage required by the app. 

If you still have issues removing an app after following these tips, the next best option is to reach out to Apple Support. While it happens rarely, strange glitches do happen sometimes. 

FAQs

Here are some answers to the other common questions out there about deleting apps from the iPod Touch: 

How do I delete apps that won’t delete?

If your apps won’t delete from the home screen, you can go into the App and Notifications menu in your General settings to forcefully delete an app. In that menu, you’ll scroll through the list of apps on your device and choose the one you wish to delete using the Uninstall button. 

How do you delete apps on an old iPod touch?

All versions of the iPod Touch use the same menu scheme and controls to delete apps. Doing a long press on the app on the home screen or going through the Apps and Notifications menu will allow you to delete the app from your device.

Why are my apps not deleting?

Apps can get stuck during an update, preventing them from being removed. Also, some apps on the iPod Touch are part of iOS, meaning you cannot remove them using standard tools. Finally, some control measures, such as parental controls or admin rights, can prevent someone from deleting an app. 

Why won’t it let me delete apps from the library?

If you cannot delete apps from your library, you might have the setting to do so turned off. To turn this setting on, you will head to the Content and Privacy Restrictions menu under the Screen Time option in the General menu. Enable the setting that allows you to delete apps under the App Store Purchases section. 

Why won’t my iPad let me delete apps?

iPads follow the same guidelines as iPod Touch for checking if an app can be removed from the device or not. You’ll need to ensure you have the admin rights to delete apps and that the app is not part of iOS or is stuck looking for an update. 

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