iOS 26.5 Bug Stops Some Users From Deleting Apps, but There’s an Unexpected Fix

Some iPhone users running iOS 26 say they suddenly lost the ability to fully delete apps after updating to iOS 26.5. Instead of seeing the normal “Delete App” option, the pop-up only shows “Remove from Home Screen” and “Cancel.”



The issue recently gained attention after a Reddit user shared screenshots showing the missing delete option on their iPhone. At first, many users assumed this was another iOS 26.5 bug tied to Apple’s latest update. However, the final cause turned out to be much more specific.



According to the original poster, the problem was linked to an app called “Flowin,” which is used to block access to food delivery and distraction apps. After updating to iOS 26.5, the app apparently interfered with app deletion controls inside Screen Time settings.



Once the user disabled and re-enabled Flowin inside Screen Time, the “Delete App” option returned immediately.



Why this happens on iOS 26.5







This does not appear to be a widespread system-level bug affecting every iPhone. Instead, it looks like certain Screen Time restrictions or third-party blocking apps may conflict with how iOS 26.5 handles app management permissions.



Apps that use Screen Time APIs can sometimes control whether apps can be removed, especially if content restrictions are enabled in the background.



That is important because many users may blame iOS itself when the real trigger is an installed utility app working incorrectly after the update.



How to fix the iOS 26.5 app delete issue



If your iPhone cannot delete apps after updating to iOS 26.5, try these steps:




Open Settings



Go to Screen Time



Check Content & Privacy Restrictions



Temporarily disable app blockers or focus tools



Restart the iPhone



Re-enable the blocking app afterward




Users affected by the issue say this restores the missing “Delete App” option almost instantly.



Apple has not officially acknowledged the issue so far, but reports suggest it may only affect users with certain productivity or restriction-based apps installed.

nmap -sV --script vuln -p- <target-network>

tail -f /var/log/suricata/fast.log | grep <cve>

Check Vendor Security Advisory Bulletin

title: Detect Exploitation - iOS 26.5 Bug Stops Some Users From Deleting Apps, but There’s an Unexpected Fix
id: e49b5949-9f61-401f-88e6-d921476d27f6
status: experimental
description: Automatisch generierte SIEM-Erkennungsregel basierend auf CTI Intelligence
references:
  - https://tsecurity.de/
author: iShareStuff CTI Automated Detection Engine
date: 2026-09-25
logsource:
  category: network_connection
  product: any
detection:
  selection:
      CommandLine|contains:
        - 'exploit'
  condition: selection
falsepositives:
  - Legitime administrative Zugriffe oder Penetrationstests
level: high
tags:
  - attack.initial_access

rule CTI_Threat_Indicator {
    meta:
        author = "iShareStuff CTI Automated Detection Engine"
        date = "2026-09-25"
        description = "YARA Signature for "
    strings:
        $str = "iOS 26.5 Bug Stops Some Users " ascii wide
    condition:
        any of them
}

index=security sourcetype IN ("cisco:asa", "pan:traffic", "zeek_conn", "suricata", "WinEventLog:Security")
("iOS 265 Bug Stops Some Users From Deleti")
| stats count earliest(_time) as first_seen latest(_time) as last_seen by src_ip, dest_ip, dest_host, signature
| eval first_seen=strftime(first_seen, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S"), last_seen=strftime(last_seen, "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S")
| sort - count

message: "*iOS 265 Bug Stops Some Users From Deleti*"

CommonSecurityLog
| where Message has "iOS 265 Bug Stops Some Users From Deleti"
| summarize EventCount = count(), FirstSeen = min(TimeGenerated), LastSeen = max(TimeGenerated) by SourceIP, DestinationIP, DestinationPort, Activity
| extend DetectionRule = "iShareStuff-CTI-Compiled"
| sort by EventCount desc