Apps stuck on “com.apple.mobileinstallation”

To ensure apps run smoothly on your iPhone or iPad, you keep them updated. In some case an unusual error can happen sometimes on iOS devices where app names are replaced with “com.apple.mobileinstallation” after you updated them.

The changed name of the apps showed both on the Home screen and Spotlight Search results. When attempting to launch the problematic apps, the app instantly crashes. That’s not all; you could not delete those apps from the Home screen either.

Have Your iPhone or iPad apps got stuck on com.apple.mobileinstallation and crashing instantly on launch? Give these quick solutions a try to troubleshoot this problem.

Fix iOS Apps stuck on “com.apple.mobileinstallation”

Solution #1: Offload the Faulty App

iOS 11 allows you to offload apps without deleting their documents and data. And when you reinstall the app, you get the option to recover the associated data.

1. Open the “Settings” app → Tap on “General“.
2. Go to “Storage”  (may be labeled as Storage & iCloud Usage, iPhone Storage, or iPad Storage, depending on iOS version), then choose “Manage Storage”
3. Wait for the list to populate, scroll down and tap on the app. Then, tap on Offload App and confirm it.

Solution #2: Delete the Problematic App and Reinstall It

If you aren’t bothered by the documents and data, you can delete the app. It will help you recover some storage on your device.

1. Open the “Settings” app → Tap on “General“.
2. Go to “Storage”  (may be labeled as Storage & iCloud Usage, iPhone Storage, or iPad Storage, depending on iOS version), then choose “Manage Storage”
3. Wait for the list to populate. Locate the app(s) named “com.apple.mobileinstallation” and tap on it.
4. Choose “Delete App” and confirm that you want to delete “com.apple.mobileinstallation” as well as all of its documents and data.
5. Repeat the same steps to get rid of other apps named “com.apple.mobileinstallation.”
6. Next, you can open App Store in IOS and re-download the original apps you deleted.

NOTE: Assuming you can still identify the apps by their icon, you should make note of what the app is. This will be helpful when you go to re-download the app, otherwise you may not recall what app(s) are being removed from the device since their names are “com.apple.mobileinstallation” rather than the expected app name.