You can uninstall apps you've installed on your phone. If you remove an app you paid for, you can reinstall it later without buying it again. You can also disable system apps that came with your phone.
Important: Some of these steps work only on Android 13 and up. Learn how to check your Android version.
Delete apps that you installed
- Open the Google Play Store app .
- At the top right, tap the Profile icon.
- Tap Manage apps & devices Manage.
- Tap the name of the app you want to delete.
- Tap Uninstall.
Tip: If you delete or disable an app, you can add it back to your phone. If you bought an app, you can reinstall it without buying it again. Learn how to reinstall and re-enable apps.
Disable apps that came with your phone
You can’t delete some system apps that came pre-installed on your Android phone. But on some phones, you can turn them off so that they won't show on the list of apps on your phone. To learn how to disable apps, contact your device manufacturer.
It's so easy to install games and other apps in the Google Play store, that you might have an unmanageably large number of apps installed on your Samsung Galaxy. The good news is that almost any app can be deleted, and it's a simple process to do that.The only apps you can't delete are some pre-installed apps which are a part of the Android operating system. Many of these apps can instead be disabled, however, which removes them from the list of apps and prevents them from using system resources, which is the next best thing.
Check out the products mentioned in this article:
Samsung Galaxy S10 (From $899.99 at Best Buy)
How to delete apps on a Samsung Galaxy
1. Start the Settings app and tap "Apps."
2. In the list of apps, find the app you want to delete.
You can find a complete list of all apps installed on your phone in the Settings app.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
3. Tap "Uninstall."
Use the Uninstall button at the top of the app's details page to remove it from your Galaxy phone.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
There's another way to delete an app without opening the Settings app. You can just tap and hold an app icon anywhere on the Home screen or app pages, and wait until a pop-up menu appears. Then tap "Uninstall."
If the app had been pinned to your Galaxy's Home screen and you don't want to delete it entirely, you can also tap "Remove from Home." This returns the app to the app screen and removes it from its prominent position on the Home screen.
How to disable built-in apps that you can't delete on a Samsung Galaxy
Some built-in apps can't be deleted, but can instead be disabled. Of course, there are some apps so essential to the proper operation of your phone that they can't be disabled either.
Here's how to disable apps through a Galaxy's settings:
1. Start the Settings app and tap "Apps."
2. In the list of apps, find the app you want to disable.
3. Tap "Disable."
You can only disable certain built-in apps rather than deleting them.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
You can also tap and hold an app to disable it, as depicted in the above section for deleting an app. If the Disable button is greyed out, you can't disable or delete that app.
Tap and hold an app you can't delete to see if you can disable it. If the disable option is greyed out (as pictured here), you can't disable or delete it.Dave Johnson/Business Insider
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Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.