iPhone installing random games or apps after iOS 18.4 update? Here’s what might be going on

If you recently updated your iPhone to the latest iOS 18.4 and found a surprise app or game installed, you’re definitely not alone. Numerous users have flocked to online forums like Reddit and Apple’s own support communities reporting strange behavior after the update. People are finding apps, often games, appearing on their home screens or in their app libraries seemingly out of nowhere.

Reports mention a variety of titles showing up uninvited, including games like “Last War,” “Squid Game,” “PUBG Mobile,” “Asphalt Legends Unite,” “Call of Duty,” and even non-gaming apps like “Dropbox” and Apple’s own “Clips” and “GarageBand.”

The sudden appearance left many users confused and slightly concerned. User MildAndClassic commented on Reddit, “Yea, my phone automatically started installing Squid Game. Today I feel like I’m using some cheap Chinese mobile where after software update some random application installed in my phone for no reason.” Another user, TemporaryLayer4817, echoed the sentiment, stating they “felt like using a Chinese phone having bloatwares for a bit. I got squidgame installed.”

So, what’s causing this unexpected digital clutter? While Apple hasn’t officially commented, the prevailing theory points towards a glitch in the iOS 18.4 update process. It appears the update might be mistakenly triggering the reinstallation of apps that users had downloaded in the past but later deleted.

Several users noted that the apps popping up were indeed ones they had installed previously, sometimes months or even longer ago. For instance, one user mentioned Dropbox reappearing, while another saw “Eneba,” an app they hadn’t used for months. It seems the update might be incorrectly reading the App Store purchase history or a list of pre-ordered apps, causing them to download again even if they were intentionally removed from the device. Some users, however, insisted they had never installed the specific apps that appeared, adding another layer of confusion.

This behavior doesn’t seem limited to just iPhones; at least one user reported their Apple TV downloading a random Apple Arcade game right after updating to the corresponding tvOS 18.4. It also doesn’t appear to be affecting everyone. I’ve also not noticed any random games or apps install themselves on my iPhone. Funnily enough, I had already recently downloaded “Last War,” the game that most users seem to be getting.

That said, while finding unexpected software on your phone can be unnerving, this particular issue doesn’t seem malicious. It’s more likely an annoying bug related to how the update interacts with your App Store history. For now, the simple fix is to just delete the unwanted app like you normally would. Hopefully, Apple will address this glitch in a future patch to prevent these software surprises.