Do Your Apps Handle You?
Apps, they extend the function of our phones and tablets, often giving us a useful feature that we often utilize. What about the other apps that we use on a limited basis? Can you handle your apps?
Installing apps on your iPhone or Android to your heart’s content is fine, just remember many apps run in the background using resources and network data, some even grab personal information… Just like you should clean out your garage once in a while, you should clean out your phone!
When you clean out your garage, and I hope you do, you should start by figuring out what you need and what you don’t. There are several ways to accomplish this:
To the left is an image from my Android phone. If you are on a data plan that limits your usage, take a look at what apps use the most data. The image on the left is a screen shot from my Android Phone. It was taken at the beginning of the month so my data usage is very low. If you see any weird names in this list, you might want to check into it. Data use means the app is sending and recieving information…
You can also see which apps take up the most space on your device by looking in the storage section of your device’s settings. Some smartphones like the iPhone and the Nexus S 4G can not expand their memory so clearing room on the device is often a good idea. Being the phone listed here has 704 MB free, there’s nothing to worry about. However, if the phone did run low on space, HBO GO is the first… to well, GO.
Finally, you can see which apps use the most battery life. You can’t uninstall things like the Screen or Android system, but look for apps that are power hungry in your list. You may not have to uninstall them, you can simply just disable them. This way your battery will last longer.
You can also take a quick inventory of your phone’s apps through the app store. You can even remove or uninstall the app right from there. Android users can do the same through Google Play. Once you have your “list of gonners” put together, removing the apps is simple on any device.
On the iPhone/iPad, you simply place your finger on top of the app’s icon and hold it there until it shakes. Remove your finger and tap the small X that should now be on the icon. If you sync your phone through iTunes, be sure to remove the app from the Application Tab inside iTunes!
On Android, go into your settings and tap apps. Tap the app you want to remove then tap uninstall.
If you are a pack-rat, don’t worry, you can always re-install apps, even ones you paid for, by going back to your App Store or Google Play Store and looking at My Apps. Need help with your Apps or your smartphone in general? Contact Me.