How to properly clear up your smartphone’s apps

The phrase “audit” typically makes people feel anxious. Nobody likes strangers to snoop around in their affairs. A privacy audit, however, might be your best option for your phone.

The procedure is easy. Ask yourself, “Do I really need this?” when you go through each of your apps. For a list of five apps you should remove from your device immediately, tap or click here.

It is an easy process. Look through each of your apps and ask, “Do I really need this?” To uninstall five apps from your device immediately, we will walk you through.

What makes an app audit crucial?

There are a few strong reasons to do an app audit. The simplest is to make place on your phone for extra data, images, movies, apps, and storage space. This will keep your phone operating properly.

What makes an app audit crucial?

There are a few strong reasons to do an app audit. The simplest is to make place on your phone for extra data, images, movies, apps, and storage space. This will keep your phone operating properly.

Additionally, you won’t have to sift through as much information to find what you need, saving you time. For instructions on how to delete duplicate photos and free up even more space, tap or click here.

An app audit lowers the possibility of security problems as well. You are more vulnerable the more apps you have. Your information falls into the wrong hands if one of them is compromised.

Here’s how to get started.

Look through your apps and make a note of the ones you hardly ever or never use. Do you have a pair or three applications that serve the same purpose? What about the one you downloaded five years ago in order to receive a free drink?

Highlight the apps you use regularly in addition to choosing the ones you don’t use. What are the first ones you open when you get up in the morning? Make a list of the apps you want to keep and the ones you can get rid of, either in your thoughts or on paper.

If you don’t know where to begin, your iPhone can be of assistance. Go to Settings > Screen Time to see a thorough breakdown of your app usage and the programmes you use the most. Go to Settings > Cellular to see how much data your apps are using. Go to Settings > Battery to determine which apps are really using your battery.

To examine the screen times for each app on an Android device, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls > Dashboard. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data usage to view data usage. Go to Settings > Battery to view the battery use.

Take action before uninstalling.

You can move on to the following step once you’ve determined the culprits who are consuming too much time, battery, and data. You won’t be erasing anything just yet, I’m afraid. Your personal information is included in many apps, so you should first take care of that.

After logging in to each app, find the menu item or page where you can deactivate or cancel your account. Some services make this step more challenging by asking you to use a desktop browser to access them or even get in touch with the business by phone or email to close your account. If you’re unable to do this, you might still need to get in touch.

You can simplify your disappearing act in a few different ways. Links to the pages you require to unsubscribe from a website or app are available on Justdelete.me. For instructions on how to utilise this practical tool, tap or click here.

Cleaning house is now necessary.

Using an iPhone

Tap Remove App > Delete App > Delete after touching and holding an application.

To receive a curated list of your apps organized by category, you can also use the App Library, which was introduced in iOS 14. To get there, swipe past the final page of your Home screen. Choose Delete App > Delete after tapping and holding the app.

With an Android:

Tap App Info > Uninstall after long-pressing an app.
To see a list of your apps, navigate to Settings > Apps & Notifications, then delete them in the same manner.

simply go to Menu > My apps & games in the Google Play Store app once it is open. Uninstall the app by tapping on it.
Note: The app shortcuts menu on Samsung and OnePlus phones includes an Uninstall option.

Remember to check the permissions

After the thorough cleaning, there is one more thing you need do to further safeguard your privacy. The remaining apps on your device can access your contact list, location, camera, microphone, and other data.

These permissions may, but not always, be required for the programme to operate as you expect it to. Does that app for booking a table actually require access to your microphone? Take these actions to revoke that privilege.

For each app you use, you can set privilege restrictions.

Using an iPhone

To view a list of permissions, navigate to Settings > Privacy. Each tab will be updated with any new apps that ask for access. Go through the permissions to enable or disable each app’s access as necessary.

With an Android:

On your smartphone, you can get a list of the permissions accessible by going to Settings > Apps & notifications > App permissions.

Your phone becomes cluttered and less secure when it has a lot of useless apps. Take it out if you’re unsure!