Learn how to configure your Apple TV to automatically remove unused apps to save on precious local storage space.
Apple TV can save storage space by temporarily uninstalling apps you rarely use without deleting the app data. And when you need an offloaded app, you can reinstall it along with that app data.
As opposed to uninstalling — which completely removes the app from your device along with all of its data — offloading removes the app itself from the device but leaves app-related settings and user data intact. This lets you easily reinstall the app and continue right where you left off.
To sum up:
- Offloading: Deletes the app but keeps its documents and data.
- Uninstalling: Deletes the app, which removes the app and its related data.
In both cases, you’ll free up your Apple TV storage used by the app binary.
Note that offloading Apple TV apps requires tvOS 14.5 or later.
Also see: What is Offload App and how to use it on iPhone and iPad
How to offload Apple TV apps
- Open the Settings app on your Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K.
- Select Apps.
- Set Offload Unused Apps to On to activate this feature.
According to the feature’s description, turning this on will “automatically remove unused apps, but keep all documents and data.” Apple explicitly states that reinstalling the offloaded app will automatically “place your data,” provided the app is still available in the App Store.
With this enabled, the tvOS operating system will automatically and periodically remove apps you rarely use when your Apple TV storage gets low. tvOS intelligently manages temporary caches and your Apple TV storage, so there’s nothing else to switch on as this feature works in the background.
The icon of an offloaded app is not removed and stays on your Apple TV’s Home Screen instead. However, you’ll notice that it’s darkened a bit. That’s to indicate the app has been offloaded. Also, a cloud icon in a corner indicates the app can be re-downloaded with a click.
If you have multiple Apple TVs
Offloading unused apps is a per-device setting. So, if you have several Apple TVs in your household, you can configure this setting on each device separately.
With offloading unused apps enabled, only the apps on that particular Apple TV will be managed automatically. In other words, this won’t affect other Apple TVs even if the Home Screen syncing feature between multiple Apple TVs has been turned on.
How to reinstall offloaded apps
To reinstall an offloaded app, go to the App Store on your Apple TV and download it as you normally would. Alternatively, you can simply click the offloaded app icon on the Home Screen.
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