How come it takes several seconds to download and install an app, but when you remove it, it takes just a split second? I dont think it is removing all instances of the app from my device. Is there a way to full remove an app? Anyone know?
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Uninstalling apps?
- Thread starter Gix1k
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When you install an app, the app has to be copied to your iphone over an USB cable or over the air. That takes time. Deleting an app is an operation that involves your device only. Hence a lot quicker.
When you copy a file to a computer or other device, every bit of information must be written.
When you delete, you usually only remove the file name and address from the system directory, you are not "zeroing out" or actually deleting ervery bit of data. This is why file recovery works (and why you have to overwrite and wipe hard drives to ensure security.
When you delete, you usually only remove the file name and address from the system directory, you are not "zeroing out" or actually deleting ervery bit of data. This is why file recovery works (and why you have to overwrite and wipe hard drives to ensure security.
I have uninistalled apps and then reinstalled them again at a later date and my settings have automatically been entered the way they were when I first had it installed. So not everything is being deleted when you uninstall an app. Plus, it's a lot quicker to just delete files then to download to the device and then install. Installing requires individually unpacking each file in a certain order and sometimes registering these files to verify that they don't get corrupted. That's like saying, why does it take longer for a website to load up then it does to close it out?
Exactly right.
When Installing the iPhone does this:
- Fetch app over network to temp directory
- Decompress and write app to proper location
When removing:
- Write to filesystem that nothing exists in app location (Basically tells the phone it can re-use the space the app took without writing zero to the whole location)
- LEAVES the settings .plist file in your user's home directory. This directory gets backed up every time you plug in your phone as well. This is why your settings carry over through reinstall and restores.
You can jailbreak and delete the settings .plist file if you are paranoid, but it's rarely over 1kb...
LOL...is there an app for that?
Does this space now show as free space? Or is it taking up the same amount of space on the disk?
This is how I know it does not remove everything. I have installed several apps and removed them to later install again. The settings are exactly the way they were for first install. Well, how could that be. Has to be cause all is not removed.
No there's no app for that.
It does show as free space after. This is how computers work too.
The only way to delete the plist would be to reset all app settings in your settings app or to jailbreak and delete it manually with either iFile or MobileTerminal. If you're worried about privacy, it doesn't matter because nobody can see that anyways unless you're jailbroken and you're browsing the filesystem. If you're worried about free space, don't worry either. Not only is it super small, it is also mounted on a different partition than where apps get installed. So it's taking up space you can't even use. Apple uses 500mb for root partition and the rest for the apps and songs and stuff. The settings (total of less than 1mb) don't fall in that portion you can use unless you are jailbreaking.
Did you not read all the posts? Look up.
I typed that first and didn't edit it out after I read yours.