Let’s check out the steps to view and delete app download history on any Android device. Throughout your course of using an Android device, you would have downloaded and installed a plethora of games and apps. Heck, I’ve been using an Android since the 2010s and the list of apps that I have interacted with is a never-ending one.
While the apps that are currently installed are obviously quite easy to comprehend, however, the same cannot be said for the apps that you have come across ever since you logged in to the Play Store via your Google ID. So if there’s ever a need to get hold of those apps, what could be done?
And more importantly, is there any method through which one could remove an app from their downloaded history, whether due to privacy reasons or any other cause that might affect the concerned user? Well, there does exist a nifty method through which you could address both these problems at once. So without further ado, let’s check them out.
View Downloaded App History on Android
Google has built-in an option in the Play Store through which you could carry out this task, as shown below:
- Launch Play Store and tap on your profile at the top right.
- Then select My Apps and Games and go to the Manage tab.
- Now tap on Installed and select Not Installed from the list.
- It will bring up a list of all the apps that you had earlier installed but are no longer there on your device.
View Purchased App History on Android
If you want to view only those apps that you have purchased, then there’s no point in carrying out the above steps and going through the entire app list. Instead, Google has added a separate section wherein you could get hold of just those apps and games that you have purchased in the past. Here’s how to access that information:
- Launch Play Store and tap on your profile at the top right.
- Then select Payment & Subscriptions > Budget History.
- It will bring up a list of all the purchased apps to date.
Delete App Download History on Android
Play Store also gives you the option to delete your app downloaded history from your Google account. Here’s how it could be done:
- Launch Play Store and tap on your profile at the top right.
- Then select My Apps and Games and go to the Manage tab.
- Now tap on Installed and select Not Installed from the list.
- Checkmark the apps that you wish to remove from the history.
- Finally, tap on the Delete icon present at the top right corner.
- You’ll get a confirmation dialog box, tap on Remove. That’s it.
These were the steps to view and delete app download history on your Android device. Likewise, we have also listed the steps to view all your purchased apps and games. All your queries concerning the aforementioned steps are welcomed in the comments.
Manage Apps on your Android Device via Play Store
While not many give much weightage to this, but it is quite important to give due weightage to the apps installed on your device, now or in the past. In some instances, an app might silently sneak into your device and start collecting data or result in other types of security and privacy risks [this usually happens when you download an APK from a shady third-party site or click on an ad].
However, if you regularly audit your app history, then you’ll get to know the apps that you haven’t downloaded but have somehow made a permanent abode on your device. So if you ever come across any such app, then it’s along the obvious lines that you should uninstall it at the earliest. Along the same lines, you should also keep a regular tab on the purchased apps because you might have unintentionally checked the option to auto-renew its service as and when it expires when infact you want to stop the service as soon as it expires.
While some apps do give you a notification before they carry out this auto-mandate, there are many others that will notify you after renewing your cycle, when your money has already been deducted. So to avoid that from happening, your best bet is to regularly check your purchased apps list and then remove the subscription of the unwanted apps before they end up auto-renewing them.
