Gotechtor select and review products independently. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

How to Delete Apps on Apple Watch (2 Quick Ways)

Updated on

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Gotechtor's Editorial Guidelines

Whether you want to free up space on your Apple Watch, reduce clutter, or simply eliminate apps that you never use, we’ll show you how to delete apps on your Apple Watch from your iPhone or through the watch itself. 

Stop the Clutter Before It Starts

Before we talk about how to delete apps from your Apple Watch device, we want to quickly address why your Apple Watch may get filled up without you actively helping it out.

Any apps that you download on your phone which will also be compatible with your Watch will, by default, install on your Watch as well. So you will be getting apps on the device without intending for them to be there.

Luckily, this is a setup issue that you can easily fix with a just a few taps:

  • Open the Watch app on your iPhone.
  • Tap on the General tab.
  • Toggle the option for Automatic App Install off.

This will stop apps from automatically installing on your Apple Watch.

Check this out: Apple Watch Update Stuck On Preparing? Try these Fixes

How to delete Apple Watch apps using your iPhone

Here’s how to delete apps on your Apple Watch from your iPhone.

1. On your iPhone, launch the Watch app.

2. Make sure you’re on the My Watch tab and then scroll down to the Installed on Apple Watch section, and tap the app that you want to uninstall.

Installed apps on Apple Watch
Installed on Apple Watch section. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

3. Toggle the switch next to Show App on Apple Watch to the grey OFF position.

Toggle to remove an app from Apple Watch
Toggle to remove an app from Apple Watch. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

This will remove the app from the watch automatically. They will remain in the Available Apps listing in case you wanted to put them back on the watch later.

Check this out: How to Fix Apple Watch Stuck On Apple Logo

How to delete Apple Watch apps using your watch

You can also remove the apps from the watch itself.

1. Press the crown digital to bring up the Apple View

2. If you’re using Grid View, tap and hold the screen and tap Edit Apps to activate jiggle mode. Then, tap the X in the top-left corner of the app you want to remove.

Apple Watch apps in jiggle mode. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

If you’re using the List View, swipe the app to the left, then tap the red trash icon to delete the app.

remove apps on Apple Watch
Swipe left across an app to remove it. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

3. A confirmation prompt will appear on the screen asking you if you want to delete the app. Tap the Delete App button to confirm your action.

delete apps on Apple Watch
Confirm message before delete. Herby Jasmin/Gotechtor

Take care of as many apps as you can from here, then press the digital crown of the watch once to remove the Apps from “shaking” mode.

Wrap Up

We hope this guide has helped you learn how to delete apps from your Apple Watch. It’s a quick way to clean up the clutter from your home screen and free up space for the latest watchOS update.

If we missed anything or if any of our instructions were unclear, please post in the comments below and we’ll answer any questions that you may have!

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Herby has a healthy obsession with all things technology, especially smartphones. He loves to rip things apart to see how they work. He is responsible for the editorial direction, strategy, and growth of Gotechtor.

Herby Jasmin

's latest stories

Leave a Comment

Be kind. Ask questions. Discriminatory language, personal attacks, promotion, and spam will be removed. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.