iOS 9 is implementing some changes to make things easier on owners of 8GB and 16GB iPhones and iPads. We've already taken a look at App Thinning, a collection of technologies that will reduce the amount of space downloaded apps take up. And Apple also says it has reduced the amount of free space needed to install OTA software updates—the main iOS 9 update needs about 1.3GB, compared to 4.6GB for iOS 8.0.

Today, the company sent out its first update for the iOS 9 developer beta, and iOS developer Kaleb Butt noticed yet another feature—if you don't have the required free space, the operating system will offer to delete apps to make room for the update. It will then automatically re-download them when the update is complete.

Deleting an app from your phone or tablet normally takes all of that app's saved data and settings with it. Presumably, Apple has either devised a way to keep that from happening, or it's using iCloud to backup and restore your data along with the app. It's also not clear whether iDevices could delete and restore, say, locally stored music and video content from iTunes to make room for updates. Even if iOS 9 can only delete apps, though, that should be enough to free up the few hundred megabytes that over-the-air iOS updates require. We'll likely learn more as iOS 9 nears its official release in the fall.

Ideally we'd still like to see Apple increase the amount of storage space that comes with its entry-level devices. But if you already own one of these low-capacity phones or tablets, it looks like iOS 9 is addressing iOS 8's biggest pain points.