Owning an Android can be great, but it’s not as fun when you start running out of storage space.
Whenever people’s smartphones start running low on storage space, they often start panicking and deleting important, special things like photos, videos, and other files. However, they tend to forget just how much of an impact your apps can have on your device’s storage space, and that there are likely some downloaded to your phone you simply do not need anymore. Read more about three Android apps tech pros suggest deleting for more space below.
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1. Unused Navigation Apps
If you live in a big city, have to drive to work, or simply love traveling, there's a good chance you have more than one navigation app on your phone. From your built-in map app to Waze or Google Maps, these tools might be convenient, but they can end up taking up more storage than you'd think.
"People sometimes have multiple navigation apps downloaded, such as Waze and Google Maps, but these apps are such large storage hogs and slow users," says tech expert Steven Athwal. "They keep their maps in large files offline, and your location history and cached route data. So, even if you're not using them, they're still checking GPS, Bluetooth, and network data. Remove them, and you've already freed up a significant amount of storage and can reduce background sensor activity."
2. Snapchat
The social media app has been around for a long time now, and it's no longer just a platform for sharing pictures that disappear. Now, you can post stories, save memories, and more. Although these new features can be great, they can also cause the app to take up a lot more space on your phone.
"Snapchat runs in the background continuously and checks for messages, new stories, it keeps using your camera, and tracks your location," says cyber pro Amy Mortlock. "Users have reported their phones randomly lagging after they installed Snapchat, with multiple processes running even after closing the app."
3. Bloatware (Pre-installed Apps)
When you first get your Android, or any smartphone, there are always a decent chunk of pre-installed apps. Some of those apps end up becoming unused or unnecessary, which is how they earn the term "bloatware," and can include Kids' apps, store and game apps, and more.
"Bloatware apps come pre-installed from manufacturers or carriers, and they should be deleted or disabled whenever possible," notes Mortlock. "Unnecessary apps consume storage space, processing power, and battery, and don't even provide any value, and slow down phone startup."
