How to stop apps
being deleted on iPhone

Quick path: Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps > Don't Allow.

This is the setting to use when you want to stop iPhone from removing apps or prevent apps from being deleted. Set a Screen Time passcode if another person uses the phone.

1. Open Screen Time. Go to Settings > Screen Time. Turn on App & Website Activity if Screen Time is not set up yet.

2. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions. Enter the menu, then open iTunes & App Store Purchases.

3. Disable deletion. Tap Deleting Apps, then choose Don't Allow.

4. Protect the setting. Set a Screen Time passcode if someone else should not be able to change the restriction.

5. Test without risking data. Touch and hold a third-party app and choose Remove App. Delete App should no longer be available. Do not test with an app or data you cannot replace.

Prevent deletion: The Screen Time setting above stops normal app removal. It is a broad device restriction, not a way to protect just one selected third-party app.

Remove an icon from the Home Screen: This is organisation, not deletion. The app can remain installed and available in App Library. It does not prevent someone from deleting it later.

Hide or lock an app: Apple can require Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to open a locked app. Hiding moves a downloaded app into the Hidden folder in App Library. Neither is the same as preventing uninstallation. See our guides to hide apps on iPhone and lock apps on iPhone.

Block access: App Limits, Downtime, and dedicated blockers affect whether an installed app can be used. For selected distracting apps, Fella blocks access; it is not an app-deletion-control tool.

Prevent new downloads: Deleting Apps does not stop installation. Use the separate Installing Apps control in iTunes & App Store Purchases. See how to block app downloads on iPhone.

Check Offload Unused Apps before assuming a person deleted anything. When storage runs low, iOS can automatically remove the app binary for apps you rarely open, while keeping the app's data and icon in place. The icon stays on the Home Screen with a small cloud or down-arrow badge; tapping it reinstalls the app and restores its data.

Turn it off if you want apps to stay fully installed. Go to Settings > App Store and turn off Offload Unused Apps, or check Settings > General > iPhone Storage for the same recommendation and disable it there.

An offloaded app is not a deleted app. A deleted app's icon is gone completely and has to be downloaded fresh, with no automatic data restore unless the app itself syncs to iCloud or an account. If icons are vanishing entirely rather than turning into a download badge, that points back to the Deleting Apps restriction above, not offloading.

On the parent or organiser's iPhone, go to Settings > Screen Time and choose the child under Family. Turn on Content & Privacy Restrictions, open iTunes & App Store Purchases, then set Deleting Apps to Don't Allow.

Keep the child's Screen Time passcode private. This is the appropriate setup when the restriction is meant to remain in place on a child’s device.

You can use the same path on your own iPhone, but it is a preference rather than a complete lock against yourself: the person who controls the Screen Time passcode and recovery options can change it.

If the real goal is less access to distracting apps without deleting them, use an app limit, Downtime, or an app blocker instead. Fella’s role is limited to blocking selected distracting apps that stay installed.

Return to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions > iTunes & App Store Purchases > Deleting Apps. Enter the Screen Time passcode and choose Allow.

If Delete App is still unavailable, check that Content & Privacy Restrictions is enabled and, for a child, review the restriction from the parent’s Family Screen Time settings.