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Uninstalling iOS apps leaves data behind

Morac

Morac

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Dec 30, 2009
2,330
693
My understanding was that uninstalling Apps from the App Store should clean up the data associated with that app (as opposed to ones installed from the Internet), but I'm finding that's not the case.

Case in point, I download an iPad app from the App Store and then decided after running it that I didn't want it and deleted it from the Launchpad page. After it was deleted, I noticed that there was still a folder for it in ~/Library/Containers containing several GB of data.

Shouldn't App Store apps (especially iOS apps) have their data removed when deleted?
 
No that wasn't the case. It just looks like removing an iOS app doesn't clean up the Containers data. In this cases there was a ton of stuff in the App's cache folder. I guess the good thing is that all the App's data appears to be in it's Container folder, but I don't know why that wouldn't be cleaned up when removing the app.

Edit:

I've confirmed this happened with 2 different iOS apps I've installed and removed. The data remained, even after I restarted my MacBook Air M1.
 
I concur this too...
I just go ahead and delete the leftovers in the Containers folder..
 
LuisN said:
It's normal. I use AppCleaner, it's free and M1 native https://freemacsoft.net/appcleaner/
Click to expand...

It’s normal for non-App Store apps, but I thought the whole purpose of App Store apps is that they behave differently. After all Apple makes deleting them work the same way they do under iOS and that cleans up the data. Yet uninstalling iOS apps under MacOS does not? That makes no sense.
 
Morac said:
It’s normal for non-App Store apps, but I thought the whole purpose of App Store apps is that they behave differently. After all Apple makes deleting them work the same way they do under iOS and that cleans up the data. Yet uninstalling iOS apps under MacOS does not? That makes no sense.
Click to expand...

It doesn't make sense to me either - but it has been consistently like this in my experience, and is why I use an app cleaner too, and have done for a few years.

While Apple are likely to be aware of this, there is no harm, and potentially a lot of good, in posting this issue to Apple's feedback page at https://www.apple.com/feedback/

It may not result in any apparent action, but I suspect that to some degree their response depends on the volume of comments on a particular subject, hence leaving feedback may, if nothing else, help bring this to a critical weight of reports.
 
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Morac said:
It’s normal for non-App Store apps, but I thought the whole purpose of App Store apps is that they behave differently. After all Apple makes deleting them work the same way they do under iOS and that cleans up the data. Yet uninstalling iOS apps under MacOS does not? That makes no sense.
Click to expand...

Uninstalling macOS App Store apps leaves the containers behind too. It’s how macOS has behaved since sandboxing was introduced. It’s annoying because macOS doesn’t have a good way for a non-savvy user to clean this stuff up built-in.
 
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Ritsuka said:
Actually there is, Documents -> Containers in System Information.
Click to expand...

Huh, and it was added back in 10.12. Good job Apple. Great messaging on that one. :)

EDIT: Please don’t feel like I’m attacking your answer or anything. I’m just floored that I hadn’t learned about this tool myself before now.
 
Last edited:
Ritsuka said:
Actually there is, Documents -> Containers in System Information.
Click to expand...

Except it’s completely blank on my system with nothing listed under it.

Screen Shot 2021-04-16 at 11.46.11 PM.png
 
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