Security tip: The right way to clean out your smartphone apps
The word audit usually drums up feelings of anxiety. Nobody wants others poking into their business. However, when it comes to your phone, an audit might be your best path to privacy.
The process is simple. Go through each of your apps and ask yourself one question: “Do I really need this?” Tap or click here for five apps you should delete from your device.
But it’s not as simple as just uninstalling apps you don’t use anymore. You must take a few vital steps to delete apps correctly and protect your privacy. We’ll walk you through it.
Why is an app audit important?
An app audit is a good idea for a few reasons. The most basic is to free up space on your phone, which will keep it running smoothly and give you more room to store photos, videos, apps and files.
You’ll also spend less time scrolling through a bunch of stuff to get what you need. Tap or click here for steps on freeing up even more space by deleting duplicate photos.
An app audit also reduces the risk of security issues. The more apps you have, the more at risk you are. If one gets hacked, your data ends up in the wrong hands.
Here’s where to start
Scroll through your apps and note which ones you rarely use or don’t use. Do you have two or three apps that perform the same function? What about the one you downloaded for a free drink five years ago?
Aside from picking out the apps you don’t use, highlight the ones you use daily. When you wake up, what are the first ones you open? In your head or on paper, make a list of apps you would like to keep and those that can be tossed.
Your iPhone can help if you’re not sure where to start. To get a detailed view of your app activity and what you use most, go to Settings > Screen Time > See All Activity. Scroll down to see your most-used apps with how much time you spend on each.
To see how much data your apps use, go to Settings > Cellular. Scroll down to see how much data each app uses. To see which apps are seriously mooching off your battery, go to Settings > Battery. Select Last 24 hours or Last 10 Days. Scroll down to see battery usage by app.
Delete these malicious Android apps immediately
We’ve warned you about Chinese apps you need to remove from your phone, and now we need to look to another part of the world.
Over 60 Korea-based apps were removed from Google Play and the ONE store (Korea’s biggest app store). The apps were downloaded more than 100 million times. Here’s what you need to know
Before you download one more app, you must check this list first
What are the five most-used apps on your phone? For me, it’s Messages, Mail, Redfin, Instagram and Podcasts.
There are also those forgotten apps I downloaded and only used once or twice. I know you have them too. Before you hit “uninstall,” there’s a crucial step you need to take. Tap or click for the right way to delete apps.