How can I delete a synced movie from my iPad after already removing it from Media Server?

Plex Players Mobile Devices
1

Server Version#: 1.16.2.1321
Player Version#: Plex 6.2 on iPad with iOS 12 (currently upgrading to 13 to verify)

A bit more than a year after that post, I am facing the same issue: the only way I found to delete a file synced on my iPad is to find it in the Media Server’s folder from the iPad app, click sync and choose “Delete”. If I open all the local downloads, I cannot find the option to delete a given file…

As that previous post was saying, this means that we can’t free-up space while in offline mode. I am now facing something even more frustrating… I have cleaned-up my Media Server library, removing a lot of old files. I had not realised that some of them were still synced on the iPad. I think it’s the desired behaviour that the file remains locally on the iPad, but now I need an option to delete it!

How can I delete that download from my iPad, now?

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Please include you Server Version and Plex app version as well as iOS version. Thanks!

3

@darcilicious done, thanks!

4

I’m able to reproduce the fact that when deleting a music track from a playlist in airplane mode, it appears to be deleted but then when going back to the playlist, the item is still there :stuck_out_tongue:

I will follow-up with the devs.

Thanks for reporting!

5

I’m sure I posted similar here: Synced movies can't be deleted

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So I’ve heard back and what I was told is that the app is NOT designed to support deleting content while offline and that the whole Downloads & Sync area should be in a kind of “read only” mode. The fact that app “provides” this ability is wrong :stuck_out_tongue:

I’m not sure that’s how this will end up working (if/when addressed); it may be that if the item is deleted of the server, it will get deleted off the app (when online).

7

My specific problem is not specific to being offline. It simply is a limitation of the “Downloads and Sync” section not offering an option to delete files. My iPad is online most of the time, I have now upgraded to iOS 13, but am still unable to delete movies that are sync’d on the iPad now that they are removed from the Media Server collection…

1 Like
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At this point, the only way I’m aware of deleting that content would be to delete the Plex app entirely (which will delete ALL the sync’d content) and then reinstall the Plex and resync the content you want.

This is why I went down the “offline” route of your post:

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Understood. It’s a shame to only be able to delete ALL or NO content!

What I meant is that being unable to delete sync’d content affects BOTH cases:

  • unable to delete a sync’d file that is still on the Media Server, while offline;
  • unable to delete a sync’d file that was removed from the Media Server, even while online.
10

Well the idea is that you would delete your sync’d content before deleting it from the server. When you’re in The Downloads & Sync and online, it’s possible to delete directly off the iPad.

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How do you delete content from Download and Sync when online, directly on the iPad? I am trying that for films that are still on my Media Server and even that does not work! Maybe I’m the one not seeing an obvious option here??

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On the Download & Sync page, tap on Manage on the upper right. That should lead you to being able to delete from right there and/or into screens that allow you to delete individual items.

2 Likes
13

That works perfectly for my use case, solves both problems, I had never found this manage button!

Thank you :ok_hand::blush:

1 Like
14

Thanks for pointing that out. I was looking for this too.
UI/UX technically I find this a very weird place to put this function since the only thing that is shown there are sections for downloaded content. The button would be much better placed on the page where the downloaded content is shown.
I hope this is considered for a redesign.

1 Like
15

I’m still having an issue where I use the ‘Manage’ button and delete a couple of synced items. So in the ‘Manage’ list I now see the new list, deleted items are gone. However, when I click on either Movies or Shows under the Downloads and Sync, I still see the shows and Movies that I had deleted from the manage function.
What I’m I missing here? Im using Plex on Ipad version 6.5.2.
Thanks

1 Like
16

Same here. I go to Downloads & Sync > Manage > Swipe left on a movie and select Delete. It asks me if I’m sure I want to delete the synced item, this cannot be undone. I tap Delete. Now it says I have No synced items. Now, if I go back to Downloads & Sync > Movies on this device > I see five different movies, all of which I have “deleted” in the above manner.

I switch into Airplane mode and go back into Plex. It now says Offline in a red bar at the top of the screen. I click on the movie I just deleted and press the play button and it starts playing. Obviously not deleted…

This happens on both of my iPads:
ipad Pro (10.5 inch) with ios 13.2.3
Ipad Pro 2018 (A1980) with ios 13.1.2
ios Plex ver 6.5.2

My guess is that this has to do with the fact that I had to rebuild my server and now the ios app cannot find the original server and won’t actually allow me to remove the movies from my device. I think there should be a way to forcibly delete these, even if Plex cannot call home to the original server.

Travis

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Correct. At this point I believe the only way to delete those items is to delete the app and reinstall which unfortunately, will delete all sync’d items on that device.

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I must have left my brain in the drier too long; where’s the “download and sync” page? I’m using v6.7 (19204).

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It should show up in the left sidebar/left navigation.

20

Well, I do suffer from the same problem. Went to manage, deleted the few items I watched… They do no longer show into Manage, but the movies at still seen in the movies page. How can I force removal?

I read the thread (and the older other thread), if the only solution is to delete the iPad Plex Software, this is not right…

Any other solution to this issue?