You probably have more than enough space on your phone to store what you want. The bad news: your phone is probably full of junk that you never think to remove.
Take your photo gallery. How many duplicates, screenshots and memes are blocking things? Cleaning is not so bad if you have the right tools. Tap or click here to see my top options for easily organizing your photos.
So it’s time to deal with your applications. Don’t make the mistake of uninstalling apps without first deleting the associated account. Tap or click for easy steps on how to identify apps you no longer use and remove them.
When you’re ready to start deleting, resolve these applications first.
1. QR code scanners
If you’ve never heard of these codes before the pandemic, you probably already recognize them. Many restaurants have abandoned traditional menus in favor of QR codes, or Quick Response, to limit unnecessary touches. They are small squares with black squiggles that curl up in a vague labyrinth.
Instead of entering a URL, you can take a picture of a QR code and your phone takes you to the website.
If you have an iPhone with iOS 11 or later, your phone has this feature built in. There is no need for a separate application. The same goes for an Android running Android 8 or later.
RELATED: Want to put your business at the top of Google search results? It’s all in SEO. Learn the SEO secrets that you can implement now in this podcast.
2. Scanner applications
When you need to scan a document, there is no need to download a special application for that purpose.
On an iPhone:
- Open the Grades app. Create a new note by clicking on the icon that looks like a square with a pen located at the bottom right of the screen.
- Touch camera icon at the bottom of your new note and select Scan documents.
- Hold the phone over the document you want to scan. Touch the photo shutter button at the bottom of the screen.
- You can edit the image by dragging the corners of the page.
- When finished, tap Save in the bottom right corner of the screen. Your file will be saved as PDF.
You can get the job done using your camera or the Google Drive app on an Android phone. To do this using Google Drive:
- Open the Google Drive app. Touch Add in the bottom right corner.
- Touch Scanand take a photo of the document you want to scan. To hit Done.
3. Facebook
How long have you had Facebook installed? If a few years have passed, this application may be taking up a large part of your phone’s space. Even browsing the timeline adds temporary and cached files to your device, which consumes valuable space.
There is an easy solution: delete Facebook from your phone and download it again from the App Store or Google Play Store. Ultimately, however, this is a temporary solution. The only way to prevent this application from taking up space in the long run is to permanently delete it.
Fed up with Facebook? Tap or click here to save your Facebook photos and videos off the site.
4. Flashlight apps
These applications were very popular when smartphones were launched. Nowadays, this function is incorporated.
You can still find many of them available for download from the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store, however. I’ll tell you a secret: they want your data.
Many of these applications request permission to track your location and may even hide malware. Tap or click here to see what these scary programs are capable of.
Turn off the flashlight app and trust your phone’s natural abilities.
5. Pop the bloatware bubble
Our phones are preloaded with apps that we never use. This “bloatware” consumes your space and the device manufacturer blocks some to ensure that you are unable to uninstall them.
Most, however, can be removed. Stop swiping the compass app or music player you’ll never use and uninstall it. See the full list of pre-installed apps that you can delete from your iPhone here.
If you have an Android, you have more options for cutting fat. There are even apps that can help you. (You should also delete them when you’re done.) Tap or click to wipe your Android phone.
Do you need technical help to fix a printer, slow PC or audio problems? Post your tech questions to get quick, concrete answers from me and other tech professionals. Visit my question and answer forum and get technical help now.
What digital lifestyle questions do you have? Call Kim’s national radio show and tap or click here to find it on your local radio station. You can listen or watch Kim Komando Show on your phone, tablet, television or computer. Or tap or click here for Kim’s free podcasts.