What’s the Difference Between Offload and Delete App in iOS and iPadOS

Mehvish Mushtaq is a computer engineer by degree. Her love for Android and gadgets led her to develop the first Android app for Kashmir. Known as Dial Kashmir, she won the prestigious Nari Shakti award from the President of India. She has been writing about technology for 6+ years and her favorite categories include how-to guides, explainers, tips and tricks for Android, iOS/iPadOS, social media, and web apps.

Arshmeet has been a tech tinkerer since childhood, but she realized her love for technology and writing about 5 years ago. Since then, she has been honing her skills and helping people figure out how things work, troubleshoot problems, choose the right app and products, and dig deep into the new and old concepts of technology. She is a self-professed Apple Enthusiast who loves debating what’s good and what’s not. It is her passion for finding techniques, hacks, apps, and products that make everyday life simpler.

Difference Between Offload and Delete App

When you go toSettings→General→iPhone Storage→App name, you’ll observe two options, i.e., Offload and Delete app. But what’s the difference between them?

Note:You cannot offload or delete system apps such as Messages, Phone, Health, Safari, Photos, etc.

What Happens When You Offload or Delete Apps

Let’s see the aftereffects of offloading and deleting apps.

App Icons

Note: The app will also disappear from the main Settings list, but you can still see it under Settings → General → iPhone or iPad Storage.

Device Storage

An app’s total size is split into two ways, i.e., App Size and Documents & Data. The Documents & Data is home to the cached files, cookies, app login details, setting preferences, and downloaded files such as images, videos, audio, etc.

Offloadingan app will free up the amount of storage listed next to App Size, for only the app is removed and not its data. The App Size option will vanish after offloading an app. And the Offload button will be replaced by the Reinstall app.

Offloading vs. Deleting Apps Explained with Instagram, WhatsApp, and More

Let’s see what data gets affected by a few examples mentioned below.

What Happens When You Offload WhatsApp

Similarly, in other social media apps such as Facebook, Instagram, etc., offloading will preserve all the local data and preferences.

YouTube

Google Chrome

Note: Deleting any images or files downloaded through Chrome will not remove them. You can access them from supported apps, such as thePhotos app, for images and videos.

Games

For most games, deleting an app will remove your high score, level count, and similar things. That’s because such data is usually stored locally on your iPhone or iPad. Only if an app supports a cloud sync facility, such as Candy Crush, you won’t lose your levels.

However, deleting the app will nuke other items, such as bonus props, lives, etc., but that’s not the case with offloading a game; everything will remain as is.

How to Reuse Apps After Offloading or Deleting Them

In both cases, you must download the app again from the App Store. As is evident, that will require an internet connection. So, if you don’t have a working internet connection, you can’t access either the offloaded or deleted app.

To reinstall an offloaded app, tap on theoffloaded app iconon your iPhone or iPad’s home screen. Alternatively, go toSettings→General→iPhone Storage. Tap on the offloaded app you want to reinstall and thenReinstall app. You can also directly install the app from the App Store.

To reinstall a deleted app, open the App Store and search for the app name. Install the app by tapping the install icon.

Note:You can install a deleted or offloaded app only if it’s still available in the App Store. If the app no longer exists, you cannot install it back.

Should You Offload or Delete Unused Apps

Both Offload and Delete have pros and cons. For instance, offloading an app saves all the local data linked to it. It helps save storage space on the iPhone or iPad without affecting the app data. I like using it only for apps I need in certain places.

For example, I use some apps for services limited to specific regions. I don’t want to lose their data. So, offloading them makes sense until I need them again. That’s why you should offload apps that you rarely use.

Deleting an app will help you reclaim more space than offloading, but you will lose the associated data. Hence, I deleted apps that I no longer use. A good tip is to uninstall apps you haven’t used in 3-6 months.

However, both have a drawback: they need an internet connection to reinstall. If you are in a place with no or bad internet, you can’t use offloaded or deleted apps.

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Last updated on 10 June, 2024

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