How do I remove and reinstall Mail under iOS?

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Level 1

8 points

How do I remove and reinstall Mail under iOS?

My Mail program with both my iPad 2 and my iPhone 4S keeps growing constantly in size. My iPad Mail is now at 1.7 GB. ALL messages are deleted, trash is deleted, etc. The program just isn't reclaiming storage after deletions.

I filed a bug with Apple as an Apple Developer but, after about 3 weeks, I got a message from Apple indicating that the bug had been removed because it was a duplicate. In other words, other people also have this problem (it is possible that ALL people may not have it).

Two upgrades ago, my iPad had to totally re-install from scratch (something went wrong with the upgrade). The Mail program went back to about 50 MB. As mentioned, it has now grown back to 1.7 GB (on iPad 2, only 1.4 GB on my iPhone). At this size, it is taking a significant amount of my RAM -- it was probably the reason the upgrade failed two times ago (not enough free RAM).

I need to remove my mail program and reinstall it -- or even completely refresh my iPhone/iPad. I keep hoping Apple will fix the problem but 7.1.2 still hasn't fixed it.

How do I remove and reinstall Mail (or -- at the worst -- refresh the entire iOS device (using backups from iCloud for important settings)?

Thank you. It will probably be up to 2+ GB by the end of July.

Posted on Jul 1, 2014 7:39 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

robdrage

Level 4

2,830 points

Jul 1, 2014 10:58 AM in response to CKSummers

You can't remove the app itself, but you can delete the accounts under settings>mail and then I would suggest a backup and restore with itunes (to recover the space) then set the accounts back up.

HTH,

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Answer 2

Jul 1, 2014 12:07 PM in response to CKSummers

You may a bit mixed up in your terms.

RAM in an iPad/iPhone is like the RAM in your computer. It's used to run the operating system and open apps.

On the other hand, your storage space (16GB, 32GB, etc) is like the capacity of your computer's hard drive.

If you are short of storage space, look at these links.

iPhone, iPad, and iPod: Understanding capacity

http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1867

How much space is used by your Other? You may be able to reduce.

How Do I Get Rid Of The “Other” Data Stored On My iPad Or iPhone?

http://tinyurl.com/85w6xwn

How to Remove “Other” Data from iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch

http://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-remove-other-data-from-iphone/

With an iOS device, the “Other” space in iTunes is used to store things like documents, settings, caches, and a few other important items. If you sync lots of documents to apps like GoodReader, DropCopy, or anything else that reads external files, your storage use can skyrocket. With iOS 5/6/7, you can see exactly which applications are taking up the most space. Just head to Settings > General > Usage, and tap the button labeled Show All Apps. The storage section will show you the app and how much storage space it is taking up. Tap on the app name to get a description of the additional storage space being used by the app’s documents and data. You can remove the storage-hogging application and all of its data directly from this screen, or manually remove the data by opening the app. Some applications, especially those designed by Apple, will allow you to remove stored data by swiping from left to right on the item to reveal a Delete button.

What is “Other” and What Can I Do About It?

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-5142

iPhone or iPad Ran Out of Storage Space? Here’s How to Make Space Available Quickly

http://osxdaily.com/2012/06/02/iphone-ipad-ran-out-of-available-storage-space-ho w-to-fix-quick/

6 Tips to Free Up Tons of Storage Space on iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch

http://osxdaily.com/2012/04/24/6-tips-free-up-storage-space-ipad-iphone-ipod-tou ch/

Also,

How to Clear Message/iMessage Cache on iPhone & iPad And Reclaim Lots of Free Space

http://www.igeeksblog.com/how-to-clear-message-imessage-cache-on-iphone-ipad/

What is Stored in iCloud and What is Not

https://sites.google.com/site/appleclubfhs/support/advice-and-articles/what-is-s tored-in-icloud

 Cheers, Tom 😉

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Answer 3

CKSummers Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 1, 2014 4:01 PM in response to robdrage

If doing the backup and restore is what clears the memory, then is it necessary to delete the email accounts? I am willing but, until Apple fixes this bug, I expect to have to do it every 3 to 6 months. There is "no mail" in the Inbox, Trash, Sent messages, VIP box, etc. but General/Usage/Mail shows Mail using 1.7 GB (and it will grow -- it got up to 3.2 GB before the upgrade that wiped my iPad). Thank you once again.

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Answer 4

CKSummers Author

Level 1

8 points

Jul 1, 2014 4:06 PM in response to Texas Mac Man

You're right, Tom, I misspoke. It isn't RAM -- although SSD comes awfully close to it, it's not the same since the storage for files has a file system.

I will take a peek at the various storage saving places that you mention. I know that my son's iPod touch had a lot of "Other" data in use and cleaning that up did help. However, what I am trying to do at the moment is to get rid of the bloat in Mail which, according to Settings/General/Usage/Mail, is now at 1.7 GB and still growing.

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your thoughts.

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