Several users have reported that apps they had previously deleted from their iPhones are making a comeback following the update to iOS 18.4.
Some users on Reddit have also noted that applications they have never previously installed are appearing on their devices…
iOS 18.4
The iOS 18.4 update was released on Monday, introducing new features related to Apple Intelligence, a dedicated Vision Pro app, enhancements to Apple News+, updates to the Photos app, and more.
As is typical, the AI features included are exclusive to the iPhone 15 Pro and all iPhone 16 models:
- Priority notifications now appear at the top of your notifications to highlight important alerts that may need your immediate attention.
- Sketch has been added as a new style option in Image Playground, allowing users to create beautiful sketch designs.
- Apple Intelligence features are now available in 8 additional languages and 2 new English locales.
Previously Deleted iPhone Apps Reappearing
An issue has emerged in an Apple Support Communities thread regarding this situation:
“After upgrading to iOS 18.4, my iPhone randomly reinstalled ‘Last War Survival’. I had previously uninstalled this app a few months back, and now it has reappeared on my Home Screen. Many users are experiencing this with various apps.”
Links to multiple Reddit threads describe similar problems. Here are a few examples:
“I got ‘Squid Game’, I believe this is a problem with Apple.”
“I experienced the same issue: ‘Dropbox’ was suddenly back on my iPhone.”
“I saw ‘GarageBand’ reappear, an app I had previously uninstalled.”
“‘Call of Duty’ installed itself on my device.”
“After updating, ‘Infinite Lagrange’ reinstalled itself even though I had removed it.”
A few individuals have reported that apps they claim never to have installed are also download. This possibly relates to a lack of memory regarding previously trialed apps, although one user mentions that the App Store indicates they have never had it.
“This happened to me. ‘Cooking Mama’ appeared on my home screen. Oddly, in the App Store, it shows ‘Get’ instead of the redownload button. According to the App Store, I’ve never owned it, yet it’s on my device.”
“Same here! I’ve never had that app installed before!”
The thread on the Apple Support Communities suggests that the problem might be related to the Automatic Downloads feature, which syncs installed apps across devices linked to the same Apple ID, but this seems not to be the case.
While there are numerous reports indicating that the issue is legitimate, it seems to affect only a small number of users. We have reached out to Apple for feedback and will update this post upon receiving a response.
Highlighted Accessories
Photo by ilgmyzin on Unsplash
