Redownload & Reinstall Any iOS App on iPhone or iPad

You can redownload and reinstall any previously purchased apps that have since been deleted from an iOS device, even if you deleted them a long time ago or never even installed them in the first place. As long as the iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is using the same Apple ID where the original app was bought and downloaded with, the re-download process is quick and simple.

And for clarification, yes, re-downloading an app will re-install that app into iOS. You can use this to reinstall apps you have deleted, or with apps that are assigned to an Apple ID but have not yet been installed onto a particular iOS device using the same Apple ID. That means you can download an app to your iPhone that you previously downloaded or bought onto a different iPhone or iPad, as long as it remains compatible.

This works the same on all versions of iOS to reinstall an app, though the exact steps are slightly different on iOS releases and the versions of the App Store, and the appearance can be slightly different too.

How to Re-Download & Re-Install Apps on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

You can redownload iOS apps via the App Store in modern iOS releases, including iOS 12, iOS 11, iOS 10, iOS 9, iOS 8, and newer, on either iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, by doing as instructed here:

1. Open the App Store application in iOS



2. Go to the “Updates” tab
• On iOS 11, iOS 12, and newer, click on your user Apple ID icon first, then click on “Purchased”
• On iOS 10 and older, click on “Purchased” directly from the Updates tab



3. Choose “Not on this iPhone” (or “Not on this iPad”) to see the list of apps not currently installed on the active iOS device
4. Now click on the little download icon next to the app(s) you wish to re-download and reinstall to the iPhone or iPad



5. Repeat with other apps to redownload as necessary

That’s all there is to it. As long as the app(s) were once downloaded or purchased using the same Apple ID, you can easily access and redownload any app this way.

The only exception to this is when an app has been removed from the App Store completely either pulled by the developer or by Apple, but that is quite rare.

Redownloading & Reinstalling iOS Apps in Older iOS 6 or iOS 5 Versions

Older iOS devices with prior versions of system software can also redownload apps just as easily, though the appearance looks slightly different as are the steps:

1. Launch the “App Store” on the iOS device
2. Tap on the “Purchased” tab at the bottom of the screen (iPhone & iPod users tap “Updates” and then “Purchased”)



3. Tap “Not On This iPad” or “Not On This iPhone” to see the list of apps that are not installed on the device
4. Find the app you wish to redownload and reinstall and tap the download icon, it’s a cloud with an arrow on it

Keep in mind that newer versions of iOS look different from older releases of system software, but the functionality remains the same.

This is what you’d do if you want to reinstall an app you deleted to quickly free up some space on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod that has run out of storage capacity. Likewise, this is the same procedure to restore an app that was accidentally deleted.

Another side to this is you can download and install apps you bought or owned on a different iOS device onto a new different one. All of this is possible thanks to the generous App Store policy that lets you buy an app once and then have free recurring downloads available for free, as long as it’s on an authorized device using the same Apple ID.