How to permanently delete a free iPad app?

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Level 4

1,361 points

How to permanently delete a free iPad app?

I had downloaded a free app in my iPad, discovered it was really stupid and worthless, so deleted it. But then when sync'ing with iTunes, it reappeared. So in iTunes, I deleted it again. I clicked "REMOVE" when it asked me, "are you sure you want to remove the app *** from the iPad...?" But sync'ing again to the iPad made it reappear. I go through this several times. Each time I sync the iPad in iTunes, it reappears!

How can I delete this stupid haunting annoying free app?

What's the best way to permanently delete iPad apps in general?

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7.4), and iPad

Posted on Jun 16, 2012 10:15 AM

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Answer 1

Demo

Level 10

166,500 points

Jun 16, 2012 10:21 AM in response to Ken2G5

Did you follow the prompt about moving the app to the trash?

Launch iTunes (not with the iPad connected). Click on Apps under the Library Heading on the left side of iTunes. Find the app that you want to delete. Right click on the app icon or the app in the list - and select Delete.

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Answer 2

King_Penguin

Level 10

334,150 points

Jun 16, 2012 10:21 AM in response to Ken2G5

Is the app still in your computer's iTunes library ? If so then you may want to remove it from there so that iTunes isn't able to try and sync it back to the iPad.

You can't currently permanently delete apps (or any other content) from your purchase history, but you can hide it so that it's less visible when browsing through your purchased tabs : http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4919

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Answer 3

Ken2G5 Author

Level 4

1,361 points

Jun 16, 2012 12:39 PM in response to Demo

Well that's what I'm saying. I go to iTunes to the app section to delete it. I follow two prompts. One says something like, "are you sure you want to delete it from the iTunes Library?" I click Delete App. The next prompt says something like, "do you want to move it to the trash?" I click Move to Trash.

Then when I re-connect the iPad, sync the iPad, the free app reappears!

This morning I was successful in making one go away for good (fingers crossed), when I deleted it again in the iPad, then IMMEDIATELY go through the above iTunes deletion routine, then re-sync'ing again. So it was at least two iterations of iPad delete + iTunes delete of the same app.

The peculiarity of that particular app was that it had some kind of residual "icon" in the File Sharing section of iTunes/ Devices/ iPad/ Apps/ File Sharing/ Apps

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Answer 4

Ken2G5 Author

Level 4

1,361 points

Jun 16, 2012 12:41 PM in response to King_Penguin

Thank you both, by the way.

And, by the way, the annoying app this morning (now hopefully gone) was some Japanese keyboard app, I forget the name but it was something like IKKone. It didn't function as advertised. It wasn't even English.

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Answer 5

Jul 10, 2013 10:38 AM in response to Ken2G5

While restoring purchases on a new/replaced device from iCloud, if iOS does not restore HIDDEN apps from my iTunes account, that would be the right solution. If I need to reinstall a hidden app, I just unhide it and restore. This way, all the apps are there in our account but only the VISIBLE apps are downloaded to our device.

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