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User profile for user: ChrizBeeArt
ChrizBeeArt Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

mystery apps suddenly appeared in settings but aren't actually on my phone

I used my iphone 12 pro to set up a new ipad yesterday and now I have two apps that appear in settings on my phone -- one in background app refresh and one in location services -- but they aren't actually on my phone and don't appear when I do a search of apps in my library. One is Astronomy and the other is Web. I've never tried to install any apps by those names. Is there a way to remove something that doesn't even exist in your app library?

iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Jan 17, 2023 8:10 PM

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User profile for user: TammyW_03
TammyW_03
User level: Community Specialist

Jan 20, 2023 1:17 PM in response to ChrizBeeArt

Hello ChrizBeeArt,


Those are great details. If you haven't already, check the storage area to see if the apps appear in the list there so you can delete it (if that's what you want). To do that you'll tap Settings > General > iPhone Storage, then scroll through the list to see if the apps show there. If so, tap the name of the app to see if there are options to delete it. Those steps and more information can be found under "Use your device to check its storage" here: How to check the storage on your iPhone and iPad - Apple Support


Use your device to check its storage

1. Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage. You might see a list of recommendations for optimizing your device's storage, followed by a list of installed apps and the amount of storage each one uses.
2. Tap an app's name for more information about its storage. Cached data and temporary data might not be counted as usage.

In the detailed view you can:

• Offload the app, which frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data.
• Delete the app, which removes the app and its related data.
• Depending on the app, you might be able to delete some of its documents and data.

If your device is almost full and can't free up space, you might get a Storage Almost Full alert. If you see this alert, you should check the storage recommendations or you need to offload some less-used content like videos and apps. 


Let us know what you find.


Take care!

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User profile for user: destiny241
destiny241
User level: Community Specialist

Jan 19, 2023 10:49 AM in response to ChrizBeeArt

Hello ChrizBeeArt,


Do you happen to have "Automatically download apps purchased on your other Apple devices" enabled, as mentioned here: Manage App Store purchases, subscriptions, settings, and restrictions on iPhone


Change your App Store settings

1. Go to Settings  > App Store, then do any of the following:

- Automatically download apps purchased on your other Apple devices: Below Automatic Downloads, turn on App Downloads.


In case that wasn't the issue, do you share this device or the related account (Apple ID) with anyone else? We ask because this may result in apps being downloaded when you're unaware. Apple does not recommend to share an Apple ID.


If you believe your account may be compromised, see related steps in: If you think your Apple ID has been compromised


Let us know if that helps out or not, take care.

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User profile for user: ChrizBeeArt
ChrizBeeArt Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Jan 20, 2023 9:37 AM in response to destiny241

I have always had automatic downloads turned off on my phone. It was enabled on my older ipad and ipad mini, but I have never downloaded the apps in question -- Astronomy and Web or WebSheet -- to any of my devices. My husband and I just started using Family Sharing for iCloud, but he doesn't have these apps on any of his devices either.


To the best of my knowledge, my account hasn't been compromised -- I'm not someone who falls for phishing attempts.


When I replaced my phone about 18 months ago, I tried to change my Apple ID because the email address I used is no longer my primary email address. I could change it on everything but my laptop, which is about 8 years old, so I ended up sticking with my original ID. But the problem with the mystery apps appearing on my phone is something that just happened, so I don't think there's any connection.

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User profile for user: ChrizBeeArt
ChrizBeeArt Author
User level: Level 1
9 points

Jan 25, 2023 9:28 AM in response to TammyW_03

Thanks for that suggestion. I checked the storage and neither Astronomy nor Web/WebSheet appears in the list of apps on my phone. As the next reply points out however, Astronomy is one of the (new?) wallpaper choices, so it must have been added by Apple. I changed my wallpaper a month or so back, but Astronomy wasn't even an option at that time as far as I recall.


The mystery apps no longer appear in the list of apps wanting to do background app refresh, but both Astronomy and WebSheet still appear in the list of apps that want to use location services.


FWIW, I just updated my iOS this morning to 16.3 (before I saw your reply and checked various settings) and discovered that Apple apparently added Freeform to my phone as part of that update. But I could see that app on my home screen as well as in various lists in the Settings. I've never seen either Astronomy or WebSheet on my home screen.

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mystery apps suddenly appeared in settings but aren't actually on my phone

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