Performance-killing apps you need to delete from your phone

January 23, 2020

By Kim Komando

How’d you get along all those years without apps? There was a time, not long ago, when you didn’t even know what an app was — none of us did! Yet, in just a few years we’ve gone from none, to a few hundred, to a few million apps.

These entertaining programs each perform helpful or fun functions, like revealing your bank account balance, sending messages back home or even helping you find a date. Learn to navigate the world of online dating and stay safe while looking for love. Tap or click here to download Kim’s eBook , “Seven Steps to Online Dating Success.”

There’s a good chance you have too many apps on your Android smartphone. Don’t feel bad — we’re all guilty of downloading apps that sound cool at first but then we rarely use them.

Heck, you probably have apps you forgot you had. Now is a good time to start deleting. The question is, which apps should you get rid of? Hint: Not all of them are the forgotten ones!

The strategy

Why would you want to delete apps? For starters, you may be sitting on an insecure app that hackers can remotely access — especially if you haven’t been updating it.

You may also just want to clear some space so you can add new apps, like ones you will actually use. You may want to prioritize your delete list based on the apps you use least often. One way to do that is to simply scroll through the (likely numerous) apps on your smartphone.

The apps taking up the most space

Here’s an easy trick to figure out which apps to delete. Check to see how much space they’re taking up. It’s definitely a good idea to delete storage-hogging apps that you don’t use much, or at all.

Here’s how to tell how much space each app is using:

Note: Your model and OS may be different, so these instructions may not be accurate for your specific device.

Open Settings and go to Google > Google Account > Data & personalization.
Under “Activity controls,” tap Web & App Activity. Turn this function on.
To control whether app activity is saved, check the box next to “Include Chrome history and activity from websites and apps that use Google services.”
Turn Saves your activity from apps on this device to on.

If it was already turned on, you can simply go to your Application Manager to see see all the apps on your phone, including how much space each one uses. If it’s not one you use regularly, delete it and free up some space.

To see every app you’ve downloaded to your phone, open the Play Store app and tap on the three-line menu on the top right. Then tap “My apps & games.” At the top of the screen, tap Installed and if you see any apps you’re unfamiliar with or just never use, delete them.

Apps that track you

You may want to delete apps that track your location without reason. Obviously, you want to permit Google Maps to know your location when you’re using it, but there’s no reason games should know where you are.

You can find these apps by going to Settings, then App permission. Under “Allowed only while in use,” you can see which apps use your phone’s location and you can tap the app to change its permissions.

How to delete Android apps

There are a number of ways to delete Android apps. But the easiest way is to open the Google Play Store app, then tap the three-lined menu > My apps & games and tap on an app. From here, simply tap uninstall.

If you accidentally delete an app, just reinstall it. Even if it was a paid app, you can reinstall again for free.

As for dangerous apps, tap or click here to learn about 17 apps you need to delete from your phone ASAP.

Once you’re done cleaning up your device, you can revel in your like-new, faster and better phone.

We may receive a commission when you buy through our links, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.

https://www.komando.com/news/figure-out-which-apps-you-should-delete-from-your-android-phone/