Are Apps Gobbling Up Your Data?

U.S. Cellular shares tips on how to de-clutter your smartphone and tablet for holiday photos

Smartphone users are spending more time using apps than ever before. According to App Annie, people worldwide spent nearly 1 trillion hours on apps in 2016, with most using nine to 10 different apps daily and 30 apps monthly. According to a U.S. Cellular survey1, one of the most popular app categories is entertainment, including photography, social media, video, shopping, gaming, surfing, music, TV, reading and sports. However, on average, we only use one-third to one-half of the apps that we have installed, which means we’re cluttering up our devices with unnecessary and unused app icons.

“When using today’s smartphones such as the iPhone 8 or Samsung Galaxy Note8, downloading numerous apps over time can lead to a gridlocked device,” said Nathan Waddell director of sales for U.S. Cellular in the Mid-South. “Keeping too many apps will take up precious space and may require frequent updates, slowing down your smartphone and draining your battery. It’s smart to periodically get rid of extra apps that aren’t being regularly used.”

Many people load their smartphones and tablets with an overwhelming number of apps. Then, when trying to complete a simple task like taking a photo, need to swipe through several screens to find the right app on a crowded device. It is easy to see why many mobile device owners suffer from app overload.

U.S. Cellular provides tips to zap some of those unused apps:

• Free up some space. It can be frustrating to receive a “no more available storage” message when trying to download a new app or take a photo. Determine which apps are taking up the most space by checking the storage on your smartphone and delete those apps that are old, infrequently used and/or redundant. This can be done through the Storage option in the Settings menu.

• Use an app to declutter. Install an app like Magic Phone Cleaner or DiskUsage to determine which apps to delete. It may seem counterintuitive to install an app to determine which apps to uninstall, but these decluttering tools can be helpful (and can be easily deleted after they’ve served their purpose).

• Delete redundant apps. Many users have an overload of similar apps on their phones. For example, there are multiple choices for note-taking and lists – including SimpleNote, Evernote, and OneNote. Pick one that works and delete the rest. Then cross this item off the “to do” list. Similarly, most mobile devices come with Google Maps as a stock navigation app, but some users prefer Waze, Here We Go, Maps.Me, or MapQuest to find directions, avoid traffic, or seek alternative routes. Since these apps are all quite similar, keep one or two favorites and get rid of the rest.


• Remember that deleting apps isn’t necessarily permanent. If you ever change your mind about deleting an app, it’s easy to restore a previously purchased one. On Android devices, open the Play Store app, tap the menu button in the upper-left corner and tap “My apps” from the menu. In the Installed view, tap “All” to view previously purchased apps, including those that have been deleted. On an iOS device, open the App Store and tap the “Updates” button in the lower-right corner. Scroll to the top of the list and tap “Purchased.” View all app purchases, including those currently “Not on This Phone.”

1Between Nov. 10-17, 2016, a total of 701 online interviews were conducted among a nationally representative sample by Consumer Insights, in partnership with Maritz CX.

About U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular is the fifth-largest full-service wireless carrier in the United States, providing national network coverage and industry-leading innovations designed to elevate the customer experience. The Chicago-based carrier offers coverage where the other carriers don't and a wide range of communication services that enhance consumers’ lives, increase the competitiveness of local businesses and improve the efficiency of government operations. For the third time in a row, U.S. Cellular has the Highest Wireless Network Quality Performance, according to J.D. Power’s twice-annual U.S. Wireless Network Quality Performance Study, and 99 percent of customers have access to 4G LTE speeds. To learn more about U.S. Cellular, visit one of its retail stores or www.uscellular.com. To get the latest news, promos and videos, connect with U.S. Cellular on Facebook.com/uscellular, Twitter.com/uscellular and YouTube.com/uscellularcorp.

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