Apple’s pesky first-party apps could soon (sorta) disappear

In the realm of silly first-world tech problems, the outcry over the inability to remove first-party apps from an iPhone 6S or iPad Pro 9.7 is among the silliest of struggles. Thankfully, it looks like Apple has finally heard your cries. Well, sort of.

A new bit of code inserted into the metadata across Apple’s entire app-osphere hints that you may be able to hide unwanted first-party apps in the near future – but not remove them.

AppAddicts have discovered recently added boolean (true/false) parameters “isFirstParty: and “isFirstpartyHideableApp,” which appear to determine whether first-party apps, like Compass, News, Notes and Stocks can be hidden.

As this has been an issue for years, you might have already devised a clever solution to put them out of sight, like into a folder titled “GTFO” on an unused page. Personally, it’s enough to get the annoying app tiles out of the way.

Unfortunately, it’s not the same for everyone and even Apple’s new solution may not be enough. I imagine that you’re asking “why exactly can’t these apps be removed?”

As we reported back in September, iOS is constructed in such a way that, like a PC, certain core apps and files are necessary to keep things running smoothly and thus, cannot be removed.

Tim Cook has gone on the record, saying that “We’ll figure out a way [for you to remove them]” but until iOS loosens its dependance on first-party apps, hiding them might be as close to removing them as we’re going to get. Fingers crossed that the feature arrives before or with iOS 10.

Via AppAddict

Source: techradar.com

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4 Comments
  1. Reply Trevor Tillman April 6, 2016 at 8:25 pm

    People are never satisfied. I just put all of Apple's apps I don't use in to a folder out of sight. It doesn't bother me that you can't remove them. People should just stop complaining, hiding Apple's apps will be enough for most iPhone users. I couldn't care less what Google does on Android, but the Android fanboys will bring Google and Android into this anyway.

  2. Reply Dr. Martine Kuhic MD April 6, 2016 at 10:07 pm

    Samsung gets all the flack but frankly Apple and Google are just as bad.

    Pick up an iPhone or Nexus and they're chocker with preinstalled apps.

    At least Android lets you disable most of them. Apple you can't even do that.

  3. Reply Javier Grimes April 7, 2016 at 2:03 am

    Wait, so asking to hide icons is asking TOO much?

    As you just proved, many people are actually very easily satisfied with most everything apple throws at them. Its how Apple gets away with still NOT allowing default app customizations. Its also how they got away with small screens and few features for so long.

    Apple doesnt have to do crap but make an app loader that makes phone calls, thats it.

  4. Reply Kaya Boyle April 7, 2016 at 5:12 am

    I dunno if Apple and Google are just as bad and, as you say, Google have let you disable them for quite some time, so again, I'd say not quite just as bad.

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