Offload or delete an iPhone app?
Offloading removes an app to free space while keeping its documents and data. Deleting an app removes its related data too, which can erase a private vault stored only inside that app.
Quick answer: If you want to remove an app temporarily, choose Offload App. If you choose Delete App, Apple says the app and its related data are removed. For a vault app, check where the encrypted files live and how recovery works before deleting it.
Check an app’s storage on iPhone
- Open Settings and tap General.
- Tap iPhone Storage, then choose the app you are considering removing.
- Review the app’s size and its documents and data before choosing an action.
- Choose Offload App to remove the installed app while keeping documents and data, or Delete App to remove the app and related data.
Apple’s iPhone storage guide describes both options. Offloading can also happen automatically when Offload Unused Apps is enabled; Apple’s iPhone User Guide explains that the app’s documents and data stay on the device and its icon can be tapped to reinstall it.
Why the choice matters for a local vault
A vault app may store encrypted photos, videos, files and its catalog in the app’s own storage. Ego’s current source stores its vault files in its application-support directory, inside the app’s container, and marks that directory as excluded from iPhone backups. Apple’s Delete App action removes related app data, so treat deleting Ego as potentially removing those local vault files; an ordinary iPhone backup is not a copy of them.
Ego’s local recovery also depends on a device-only Keychain secret. A passcode or saved local recovery key by itself is not a portable backup. Manually exported Ego archives remain tied to the original iPhone; they do not provide a replacement-phone restore on their own.
Before you delete a vault app
- If you only need temporary space, offload the app and reinstall it before opening its retained data.
- Before deleting, confirm that you have a separate copy you can actually restore. An imported photo may still remain in Photos or Files; see what importing does to the original.
- Do not assume a password, recovery key, iPhone backup or an unverified cloud feature can restore local-only vault files. Ego’s optional iCloud backup is still in development, and its signed-device restore has not been verified.
- Deleting an app is not proof of forensic erasure from every backup, external copy or service.
For the distinction between a device-bound export and a separate cloud archive, read Ego’s recovery options. If you are comparing vaults, use this checklist for choosing an iPhone vault.
Availability: Ego is in development for iPhone and has no public App Store download. Read the current product status and features before relying on any described recovery path.