If you can’t remember the name of that fun cube blast game you enjoyed playing on your daily commute or that handy photo editing app, and you uninstalled it long time ago from your device, there is an easy way to help you find it again. It is also a useful general tip, because anyone can lose their device in a hardware failure or theft and will have to install all apps again.
Whether you’re an iOS, Android, or Windows 10 Mobile user, as long as the app hasn’t been discontinued, you can always redownload it. Paid apps too – and you won’t have to pay for them again. Even if the app has been pulled off the store, if you’ve paid for it, you’ll still be able to redownload it free of charge.
On Android
To do that, you’ll need to find your Android app history. You can do this on your phone or on the web.
On your Android phone, open the Google Play store app and tap the hamburger menu icon and then tap the My Apps section. This is where you can reinstall past downloads and also update your installed apps. Make sure you are logged in the account that you used when you previously downloaded the app.
On your computer, go to the Google Play store and click Apps > My apps. Also you may click this link. Again, make sure you are logged in the right account. Note that to make it easier, you can sort those apps by device.
As an alternative, you may refer to the official guide from Google, although you won’t see any screenshots.
On iOS
You can find your iOS app history on your phone or in iTunes on your computer. Besides apps, you can redownload any purchased songs, albums, movies, TV shows, books, audiobooks, or any other items that you bought with your Apple ID.
Before that, you may want to make sure you have the latest version of iTunes, iOS, or macOS.
On your iPhone or iPad, open the App Store app and tap Updates in the lower right corner. Tap Purchased/My Purchases to see a list of all the apps you’ve downloaded. To simplify the search: Tap Not on This iPhone to see a list of just the apps that are not currently installed on your device. You may also use the search box on the same screen and type in the name of the app you’re looking for.
In iTunes on your desktop, click on the profile icon on the top pathing (it looks like the silhouette of a head) and from the dropdown menu, hit Purchased. That’s it, you should now see every iOS app you’ve ever downloaded. Apple also lets you to see only the apps you’ve downloaded on your iPhone or iPad, making it easier to hunt down the app you’re looking for.
Note that if you have more than one Apple ID (or account), you’ll need to make sure you are logged in the account you used when downloading the app you’re after.
As an alternative, you may refer to the official guide from Apple.
On Windows 10 Mobile
To find your Windows 10 app download history, you’ll need any device with the Windows Store app.
Open the Windows Store app whether on your desktop or mobile (looks like an image of a paper shopping bag), click your profile icon next to the search box, and click My Library. You may need to log in the (right) account to see the history.
You’ll see a list of apps installed on your device. Next, you should click Show all to see a list of all apps associated with your Microsoft account. Among them, you should find your missing app.
