We all download dozens of apps on our Android devices. However, we only use a few of those apps daily while the other apps remain unused.
If your phone is running on Android 15, you can now archive the unused apps to save storage space. Upon archiving any Android app, its permissions are revoked, and software along with temporary files get removed.
Even the notifications for the apps won’t show up while the app icon is retained on the phone and the app data stays unchanged. The archiving of Android apps is similar to the app offloading feature on iOS.
Archive Android Apps on your Phone
An application can be archived automatically and manually.
If you follow the automatic route, Play Store will find the unused apps for a while and archive them.
You can also manually archive an app in a few steps.
- Long press on the app icon of the application you want to archive.
- Press the ‘i’ button to go to the App Info section.
- Tap the Archive button.
That’s it. The app permissions are removed instantly and it gets archived.
The icon of the archived app remains on your app drawer or home screen, depending upon wherever you placed it.
The app icon appears faded with a download icon on it indicating that the app is currently in the archived state.
How to Restore an Archived App on Android 15?
You can restore an Android app on your phone at any time.
All you need to do is tap on the faded app icon with the download symbol on it.
Your device must be connected to the WiFi/mobile data and the app must still be available on the Play Store for download.
- Locate the app icon of the archived application on your phone.
- Tap on the download symbol on the app icon.
Alternatively,
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to Apps > See All Apps.
- Scroll to the archived app and tap on it.
- Press Restore to get the app back on your device.
The app icon will turn grey and the circular band around the icon will show the progress of the app.
You can also view the app download status by pulling down the notification area.
How to Automatically Archive an Android App?
Instead of manually archiving an individual app, you can let the Play Store do it for you.
You need to enable a setting in the Play Store that will allow it to archive unused apps automatically as and when the device runs low on storage.
Here are the steps for you to follow.
- Launch the Play Store app.
- Tap the connected Gmail account avatar and go to Settings.
- Expand the tab General to access its settings.
- Go to Automatically Archive Apps and tap the toggle next to it.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Which Android Version Supports Archiving/Restoring of Android Apps?
Your device needs to be on Android 15 or a later version to use the app archive feature.
Is Archiving the Same as Uninstalling an App?
NO. Archiving retains the app data but removes the permissions and temporary files associated with the app. Uninstallation completely removes every data associated with the app from the phone.
Why I’m Unable to Restore an Archived Android App?
If your device is already running low on storage, you cannot restore an archived app. Manage the device storage and free up some space before trying to restore the archived application.
Why Cannot I Find the App Icon of an Application I Archived?
After archiving the app, if you uninstall the app from your phone, the app icon cannot be found. The app data would be completely removed. You have to reinstall the app from the Play Store.
Bottom Line
Archiving the unused apps on the phone is a great way to manage the primary storage. You can do it manually or assign the Play Store to archive the rarely used apps on your Android device.
There is no removal of app data in the archiving process. It is easier to access the app later, when you restore it from the Play Store without having to set up app access credentials from scratch.
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