This is why some people wait a little while after a major version update.
Following the release of Apple’s iOS 18.4 update, an unknown number of users have reported the appearance of apps on their iPhones that they either previously deleted or had never installed in the first place.
Apple released its long-awaited iOS 18.4 update on March 31, 2025, complete with new features and new Apple Intelligence and security elements. The issue, first spotted by MacRumors, demonstrated the reemergence of some apps that had been previously installed but were deleted by the user, while others seem to be entirely new installs of random apps.
“My phone automatically started installing Squid Game,” says one user in a thread on Reddit. “Today I feel like I’m using some cheap… mobile where after the software update, some random application installed in my phone for no reason.” The majority of the unwanted apps appear to be games, while another user said Dropbox was installed on their iPhone, while another reported getting the game and recipe app, “Cooking Mama.”
In at least most of the reported cases, users have been able to rule out typical reasons for unexpected apps appearing. It doesn’t appear, for instance, to be that they installed an app on a different device and have iOS’s automatic app installation feature turned on.
Users have also stated that their iPhones have not been jailbroken, not have they used third-party app stores. As such, the issue appears to be a genuine bug on Apple’s part. This type of issue, though, would seem more likely to be a problem with the backend database of the App Store rather than an iOS update. To date, there have been no reports of similar bugs on older versions of iOS and Apple has yet to comment on the issue.
If you’ve seen this bug on your end, please let us know about your experience in the comments.
Via MacRumors, Reddit, and AppleInsider