Will updating my iPhone to iOS 18.3 affect my TikTok account?

SwampThing51 wrote:

Nobody knows apparently one chick asked the question one dude said no, then she called him rude and then he back tracked and said yes it would delete, then another guy gave a badly translated response about backing up your phone on your MacBook and turning off automatic updates. I came in here to ask the same question. And I can’t make headway either.

Users who have found it removed have turned on the setting to Offload Unused Apps when storage space becomes constrained. It has nothing to do with iOS 18.3 other than the fact that with that setting turned on, apps may be offloaded to make room to download the update. The location of this setting is at Settings > App Store > Offload Unused Apps. As described in the setting, it will automatically offload apps when space is needed. It starts with the apps that are not used frequently, but there is no control on which apps it will offload.

That is why some users say it does not remove the app and others say that it does. It just depends on the amount of storage that is available and whether that option has been turned on. When viewing the storage on your device, that is one of the recommendations to save storage space along with Optimized Storage.

emma-lynn289 wrote:

Can someone tell me if I update my phone to iOS 18.3 will tiktok disappear off of my phone??

If you turned on Optimized Storage, you have told your device to delete apps when storage space becomes constrained. It is off by default, so you would have had to turn that on yourself. It is possible that apps will be deleted to make room for the iOS download with that turned on, but no, TikTok is not being targeted to delete in the update.

Dilly70 wrote:

TL;DR - If you have “offload unused apps” turned on when you update TikTok might be deleted. Switch off before update to be safe. If you need instructions on how to check “Big Mac Jimbo the 499th” has the instructions literally highlighted in their post. 

Macadamia James the IOS Defender’s post

Keep doing you, “Macintosh Jimminy Interior Designer”, bot or not you real to me. Didn’t directly reply because most people probably missed your comment because it was a reply to “WetlandDudeArea51” (the ONLY other helpful poster), and reading past “show more” is a step too many won’t take.

Yea, I'm the real deal not a bot. All we can do here is try and help. I understand the frustration of looking through many posts to find a correct answer, The forums used to have a "Apple Recommended Post" that would be the one shown on the top. but now relies more heavily on a user voting system. Many times it does get bogged down by "me too" posts,, I figure if TikTok users can spend hours scrolling through videos, it is not too bad to spend 15 minutes reading.

Anyways, welcome aboard and hope you stick around to share your wisdom. FYI, I added a few punctuation errors for your entertainment to prove I am not a bot,

Last post I promise, I just downloaded and updated to 18.3, the only “issue” I had was it froze when I opened it. I closed all the windows I had open then opened it again and it works fine.

TL;DR - If you have “offload unused apps” turned on when you update TikTok might be deleted. Switch off before update to be safe. If you need instructions on how to check “Big Mac Jimbo the 499th” has the instructions literally highlighted in their post. 

Macadamia James the IOS Defender’s post

If you’re customer service thanks and good job; if “MJID” is a bot who teaches non-bots how to use technology please let me stay ignorant (I'm googling whether an iPhone update will delete TikTok; I clearly can’t handle anymore stress at this time). Keep doing you, “Macintosh Jimminy Interior Designer”, bot or not you real to me. Didn’t directly reply because most people probably missed your comment because it was a reply to “WetlandDudeArea51” (the ONLY other helpful poster), and reading past “show more” is a step too many won’t take. I’m rambling now, but if you reply to a comment and people want to read it they shouldn’t need to hit “show more” and get to scrolling to see what you actually said. Scrolling through the same comment 20 times (which at its best was unhelpful, and it’s worst “rude” lol) was annoying enough for me to make a username just to say thank you to the comment that put an end to it. Honestly it’s not difficult to hit the “show more” , just poor design. I’d guess most people in an Apple discussion are looking for direct answers and are already frustrated. Shoutout to the people who make my internet as easy as possible.

Lookin at you “Machine Jimothy Internet Diety” & “QuagmireObject the official 51st state”

If you want all the benefits of the new ios update your device to a preferred version including apps and data and not risk tiktok being automatically removed since its not in the app store anymore you can even do a hard backup and copy your phone to your MacBook to be extra safe. Turn off automatic app updates under setting

I would say the people who should be concerned are those with limited storage space on their phones. If the TikTok app hasn’t been used for a while, your device might offload TikTok to make room for an iOS update. This will prevent you from downloading it again if your phone offloads it.

Ok I can tell you is that it didn’t delete mine. I don’t know if there are certain parameters that could make this different. All I can attest to is that it didn’t delete mine!

emma-lynn289 wrote:

Lol but will it or no? Some people are saying yes but some are saying no so idk what’s true?

Do you have Optimized Storage turned on?

• Yes, then it will depend on if you have enough free storage space to download/install the update without having to remove apps to make room.
• No, then it will not remove any apps including TikTok.

emma-lynn289 wrote:

Rude much?? I was just asking a question?? 🤔

NO it not rude, did you Jim Mac to replied a 3rd time saying the same thing over and over again. Just to have to reply back with the same nonsense?

And I even replied to the OP with a no.

You want to find out for sure then update to ios 18.3, having or not having tiktok isn't the end of the world.

Nobody knows apparently one chick asked the question one dude said no, then she called him rude and then he back tracked and said yes it would delete, then another guy gave a badly translated response about backing up your phone on your MacBook and turning off automatic updates. I came in here to ask the same question. And I can’t make headway either.

swampthing51 you see what I mean one person says yes and the next person says no and people wanna be rude in the comments when I’m asking a simple question and can’t get a yes it will delete TikTok or no it won’t delete TikTok 🤦‍♀️

auwaab wrote:

I use an iPhone 16 and I got it two weeks ago and my TikTok isn’t working

I even deleted the app and reinstalled it but still it’s not working so yes it will not work

And what does not working mean:

• App launches , but won't let you sign in
• App does not launch
• No connectivity when on Cellular
• Any error messages you see

Isabellaa_a wrote:

I wanna update my phone to IOS 18.3 but I’m scared It’s gonna delete my TikTok.

No it won't delete.

Yes