Apps are the reason for being when it comes to our iPhones. Although they make the experience itself, that doesn’t mean all of the apps on your phone are useful or that you need every single one of them. The problem then becomes: the more apps on your device, the more opportunities there are for your battery to lose power quickly, for your phone to gobble up storage space, and for your device to become a bigger security risk.
You may not be eager to delete a bunch of apps you love, and who can blame you? But when was the last time you used most of Apple’s pre-installed apps on your iPhone? If you can’t remember opening Podcasts or Stocks, it may be time to make some changes to your phone. Consider starting by deleting these four pre-installed apps for better storage, battery, and security.
1. Location Services
Location services isn’t something that you should turn off completely and never look at again — that’s not practical for most people. You’ll need location turned on when you’re searching for driving directions and want to know what the weather is like when you land in a new city. But location services is taking up a lot of battery power — and that goes triple if you have it turned off for apps that don’t need it.
Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services. Now scroll down to see which apps have it enabled. Choose from the options Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, or Always. The more apps that you can set for “never” or “while using the app,” the less battery you’ll consume.
2. Podcasts
Once you start using Podcasts, it may continue to download new episodes of shows you’ve enjoyed — even without your knowledge. All of these files take up major storage space on your device. If you’re a podcast lover, just be sure to always delete old files. Or delete the app completely to take up less space.
3. Music
Like the Podcasts app, the Music app voraciously collects your music files and takes up a ton of storage space. Minimize waste by periodically going through your files and deleting those you never listen to anymore. If you have some alternate way of enjoying music, delete the pre-installed app.
4. Find My & Safari
The Find My service on your iPhone is so helpful when you’ve lost your phone or think it has been stolen and need to locate its whereabouts. But remember: it’s sharing your location — be mindful about who has access to this information for the sake of your privacy and security. Another app to be cautious of is your Safari browser. Never visit untrusted websites, delete cookies and other data once in a while, and always download updates when they become available.
