What's new
Apple iPad Forum 🍎

Welcome to the Apple iPad Forum, your one stop source for all things iPad. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Unwanted iPad App removal options?

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
On Feb 1 I got a notification of an update showing up in iTunes on my desktop as well as in App Store on my iPad2. It is a Chinese app from Sun Xun that I could not find on my iPad and which I would have no use for. I first contacted iTunes support via email and after a week of dealing with 2 support people there they told me to call tech support. Tech support had me login to my AppleID account via iTunes on my desktop and go to the Purchased quick link. I scrolled through the app icons and finally found this app as being one of the apps that I initially installed on my refurb iPad when I got it from Apple in Dec 2011.

I then went through my Purchase History line item in my account and looked at the first couple of purchases back in Dec 2011. It shows that this app was supposedly downloaded on Dec 2011 and was a free app. It being a free app meant that I never received an email from Apple when the product was downloaded. The reason I mention this is that I am relying on Apple's online database being correct and not having this Chinese app cross linked to some other app that I indeed downloaded back in Dec 2011.

I posted on the Apple Community and another person has mentioned that they too had seen this update for the same app show up in their iTunes account and they swear like me that they never downloaded. They too could not find the app on their iPad either. Apple told this person to change their account password and remove their credit card and contact one of the credit reporting agencies and put a fraud watch on their cc. My iTunes account had a credit card attached to it back in Dec 2011 but only when I had to purchase an app. It currently does not have any cc attached to it.Apple support said to down the update for the app to my iPad and then delete it from my iPad which I did.

The problem is that Apple has no way of removing this app from my iTunes account. Even after deleting this app from my iPad it remains in my iTunes account and hiding in my iTunes account does not prevent updates to it from showing up in iTunes on my computer.Is there any way of at least getting rid of this app from iTunes on my desktop so I do not have this unwanted app in iTunes on my desktop?
 
Last edited:

col.bris

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Mar 25, 2010
Messages
5,888
Reaction score
711
Location
Gold Coast , Queensland Australia
The original app is stored on your pc so all you have to do is after removing the app is to sync the iPad. I am unsure if iCloud retains the app if the app is removed from your pc.

This is the link to locate where they are stored

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1391


Cheers
Colin,

Ipadforums, iphoneforums and Appleforums Administrator
 

soullessbunny

iPF Noob
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
Location
Toowoomba
If you press down on the app icon for a few seconds it will start "shaking" and a red cross will appear in the corner. Click on the red cross and the app will be removed from your device.
 
OP
S

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
If you press down on the app icon for a few seconds it will start "shaking" and a red cross will appear in the corner. Click on the red cross and the app will be removed from your device.

Right I have done that HOWEVER iTunes on my desktop shows that there is an update for the app pending. I want to get rid of the app. One thing I did notice that if I go to https://itunes.apple.com/ca/app/zhuang-ji-bi-bei-hd./id450439040?mt=8 and click on View in iTunes then when iTunes on my desktop opens up it shows Free App rather than Downloaded which would be the case I thought if indeed I had downloaded this under my account.
 

soullessbunny

iPF Noob
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
30
Reaction score
0
Location
Toowoomba
Ok, go into iTunes, click on Apps (under Library on the left hand side). Scroll down through your apps until you find the app you dont want (all Apps are listed in there regardless of whether they are free or not). You should be able to right click on the app and choose delete. That should remove it from your itunes completely, so you wont get updates anymore.
 
OP
S

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
The original app is stored on your pc so all you have to do is after removing the app is to sync the iPad. I am unsure if iCloud retains the app if the app is removed from your pc.

This is the link to locate where they are stored

Where are my iTunes files located?



Cheers
Colin,

Ipadforums, iphoneforums and Appleforums Administrator


The problem is that the libraries are only 2 files. I still need to find where this supposed file is on my desktop ie its IPF file. I logged into my AppleID via desktop iTunes app. I went to my hidden apps. I unhid the questionable app. It now shows as downloaded in my Apple ID account. Yet when I go to Library Apps in iTunes on my desktop I can not find it! If I can not find it I can not right mouse click on the icon to find out where its .IPF file is.
 
OP
S

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
Ok, go into iTunes, click on Apps (under Library on the left hand side). Scroll down through your apps until you find the app you dont want (all Apps are listed in there regardless of whether they are free or not). You should be able to right click on the app and choose delete. That should remove it from your itunes completely, so you wont get updates anymore.

See my prior post to col.bris where I indicated I tried that but can not find the app in my Library. I still think that Apple has screwed something up in their side. One person having this app show up all of sudden but unable to fine is one thing but multiple people have this same problem is something widespread.
 
OP
S

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
Bingo I found the sucker. I was viewing the apps in icon view and could not find its distinctive green icon. I switched to View | as List and sorted by Seller column looked for Sun Xu and found it. The app is showing up as Free Apps in other words the app is mis-labelled in the App Store and does not show up in normal view. When I right mouse click on the line item I found its IPA file. It is called Free Apps 1.6 1.ipa
 

scifan57

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Dec 3, 2011
Messages
34,976
Reaction score
23,094
Location
Regina,Canada
col.bris said:
The original app is stored on your pc so all you have to do is after removing the app is to sync the iPad. I am unsure if iCloud retains the app if the app is removed from your pc.

This is the link to locate where they are stored

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1391

Cheers
Colin,

Ipadforums, iphoneforums and Appleforums Administrator

I believe that while you can delete an app from your devices and from iTunes on your computer, it will remain in your iTunes purchased history in the cloud.
 
OP
S

snowbound

iPF Noob
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
44
Reaction score
3
I believe that while you can delete an app from your devices and from iTunes on your computer, it will remain in your iTunes purchased history in the cloud.

Correct but at least deleting the app in iTunes gets rid of the update showing up in iTunes on my Windows computer. The app in iTunes on windows had an entirely different icon than that shown in the iTunes store as well its name was Free Apps in iTunes on my computer and the more info button showed a purchased date of Dec 21/2012 a year after the iTunes store said that I downloaded this app (which I still doubt since its a Chinese only app).
 

Most reactions

Latest posts

Top