As soon as we buy a new smartphone, we start downloading all sorts of free apps. In no time, these apps occupy most of the space in your phone. Maybe some of the installed apps are useful and you use them often. But there are many apps that we think are useful and use them regularly to check our phone’s health, prevent it from malwares or to clean up the phone. For whatever reasons you might be using such apps, they are actually not required because most Android phones are anyway well protected.
Let us check the apps that hardly serve any purpose other than consuming battery and occupying storage space.
Cleaning Apps
You do not need to clean your phone often unless your device is hard pressed for storage space. If you do need to clean the device often, you can do so by going to Settings > Storage > Cached data and clean the cache for all the applications. You can also clean the cache for individual applications by going to Settings > Applications > Downloaded and delete the cache of specific app. It is simple, right. Why do you need to install a separate app to clean the phone?
You definitely need to ensure that phone is not consuming too much power and space and delete cache as and when required. Not all deleted apps leave behind cache or residual files. The apps that leave behind cached data can be cleaned anytime from the Settings option as mentioned above.
Antivirus
Antivirus apps seem to be everybody’s favorite. As soon as we get a new phone, most of us first install an antivirus app. If you are in habit of downloading and installing third-party APK files, you do need an antivirus app. Some APK files may contain malicious software (malware) which could compromise your phone’s security, and hence the need for antivirus. However, most antivirus apps are not capable of removing the malicious files. It can only warn you. Antivirus keeps sending regular warnings, runs in the background and consumes battery and space.
Remember that Google keeps a check on the apps and Play Store detects the presence of malware in the app. So, if you download apps only from Play Store, you should not worry about malware. Also, you should not visit unscrupulous websites as such websites trick you in installing APK files that you do not intend to install.
If you carefully use your phone, you would not really need an Antivirus app.
Battery Saving Apps
Battery saving apps do everything except save battery! We all know that to save battery power, you have to stop using energy draining apps or control Android. To control the OS, you need to have a rooted device. Without root access, battery apps can do nothing to save power.
Instead of installing a battery saver app, you can manually control the battery. Go to Settings > Battery and identify the power draining apps. If you are not using the app regularly, Force Stop it and enable when required.
ALSO SEE: How to uninstall unnecessary apps from your iPhone or iPad
RAM Savers
The RAM saving apps too run in the background, consume the RAM and power even when the device is not in use. You can stop the background apps to boost the memory. Even if you close these RAM saver apps, they tend to restart soon. Android OS manages the RAM usage efficiently. Therefore, you do not need a third party RAM saving app.
Bloatware
Manufacturers and carriers load Android phones with their own apps. If you do not use these apps, they clutter your system and drain battery in the background. You hardly have any choice when it comes to removing bloatware from your system. Uninstalling the pre-installed apps may result in performance issues or instability, and in some cases may block your phone from receiving updates. Therefore, it is recommended that you Disable or Force Stop these apps. Alternatively, you can Disable the app followed by Force Stop and then click the Clear Data button. Disabling an app removes it from the app drawer and prevents it from starting automatically in the background. You can enable the app as and when you need to use it or if you experience an issue in the functioning of your phone.
So far, I have not experienced any instability on my Android after disabling or Force Stopping an app.
Default Browsers
Depending on the manufacturers and carriers, certain Android device may include own custom-made web browsers. It is therefore, advisable to uninstall the default web browsers and install the most reliable ones available from Play Store for a smooth user experience. Often people install browsers like Chrome from Play Store but they do not uninstall the browser that came with phone.
Should you have any question on this topic, please feel free to ask in the comments section. We, at TechWelkin and our reader community will try to assist you. Thank you for using TechWelkin!
I have 242 app on I’m android and there all system app it did not have that many when I bought it. It’s a 39.99 phone how in the hell is this able to hold that many and I didn’t download them some one tell me how.
I would like to know what apps to get rid of and which apps not to and I can’t get into to My NetSpend account so how can I get that done thank you Michael Blevins
I have a number of Apps that have “downloaded them selves” and do not appear in the app store. They are more of a streaming type. Any ideas of how I could find and delete them
Brian.
Have so many unused
Apps it takes me 15
Mins to clear their promises
B4 I can use my phone
Can you go into
Google play
Then force stop
They r a waste if space.tks
“Unnecessary apps should be removed” OK, which ones are necessary and which are are not? I can’t find clear answers to that question.
I’ve tried uninstalling several built-in apps that I don’t use and were eating up much of my data, but it can’t be uninstalled; you can only disable it or ‘force stop’ it. And every time an update comes, there’ll be more new apps added. The only ones that can be uninstalled are those that came from Google play store. It’s so confusing really! There’s apps coming from Samsung, from Android and from your own choices, that is, if you have an Android phone. Like Duo and Knox. Google had already stopped Duo, but it’s still in the list of Apps installed on the phone. Another problem is the memory. I had to clean it up every time to make space otherwise, it will lag or slow down the speed. It’s so annoying, really.
I’ve had many questions over the years about apps, and they were all answered right here. Thanks for the thorough explanation why certain ones exist & what to do when they mess up.
I have 90% storage left and it won’t let me into messenger or messages, everything else. I went thru every app and did that cache removal, so i would do it and then a friend said to go back into apps and see if cache was really removed and NOPE, they were not and i tried it again, still no go and I don’t know what 80% of the apps are and how do i know what i need. I am not from this tech-era, I’m an 80’s girl and understand none of this. All I know is I have done everything I read to try and make up space and it won’t even let me take a screenshot. It is a T-mobile android phone. I wanted to reset the phone, but I don’t know what “a cloud” is. So, I haven’t done it yet, any help would be appreciated.Thank you
I bought an Android with twice the memory n still memory always full. Sometimes deleted cache doesn’t get deleted. Can I disable or delete apps that were already on my phone when I bought it even though the warning says my phone may not work if I continue
When you clear cashe for each app restart your phone each time then check to see if cache is gone. It worked for me. Just make sure aftee each app cache clear you restart. It’s a pain but it works
Try going to your browser clicking on the 3 dots in the top right corner go to privacy and settings then click on clear browsing data. Unbox everything like make sure it’s all uncheck. K now click cashed you should see where you can do it for like an hour if you touch that it will give you more options for like 24 hours 7 days, etc…. Maybe try to clear some of your browsing history and you can clear cookies and data but that would sign you out of my stuff your ass I think it also might unsaved your passwords I’m not really sure on that part so I don’t mess with it. But maybe that will help. Also when you go under each app and hit clear cache tap it like three or four times. When you go out & go back in there’s always going to be more like it’s never that I know of being a zero when I went back in. I had to clear yesterday I have disabled too. I’m like what the🤔 but I know it works cause at the top the thing that says you’re out of storage after I clear so much of it it will disappear so it has to be working to some extent. I can uninstall almost every app on my Moto E5 and for some reason that thing seems to always be running out of space. I have deleted everything that I installed but YouTube with a extra storage card in it memory card lol… And still it’ll say no room. I’m deleted all my documents and taking off my Google account making a new one and it still does it I think it’s this phone. But I do know from having a hacker that just for future references for anybody that reads this or if do you happen to get hacked settings your phone back to factory won’t help. It seems like every website tells you it will and I lost everything doing that for no reason because they go for your IMEI first & if they get it and I will throw that phone away disable all your account if you can cuz it’s like over and done. I didn’t know that and I have had no life tore upside down from a hacker/stalker. But anyways good luck hun!
This was very helpful thank you.
what are black app purple app q Easter egg for in the android system setting .And what apps are better kept with battery optimization and wich ones can be deleted
My phone more app in open without permission pls block this app
I removed Gboard [I have a different keyboard] google Korean, pinyin can both be removed, Both facebook apps can be removed, prime video can be removed.
I’m not sure about the rest.
Thanks man that was a lot of good info, I had no idea what APK was and now with what you have told me I will put it help with my phone, again Thanks
I have a government free phone Q link.. When I got it 7.79.GB out of 8 were used.
So many apps I didn’t want. I’ve tried everything to free up some space. I’d like to see my bank account or even maybe actually play a game.
I’ve tried to uninstall and if that’s not an option I try to Disable or Force Stop. That does nothing to free up space.
Apps like Browser, Duo, every Google service available is on here, Instagram – don’t use, Line, Messenger, Music, Pandora and on and on.
What do you suggest I do to free up some space so I can view my accounts and put even 2 games on my phone?
Love your site,
Susanne
Can someone be a bit more specific please? How can I improve the storage on my Android phone? I have Moto E5.
What about these apps that are on my phone:
Call Screener
Carrier Hub
Carrier Services
CQATest
Device configuration
Facebook App Installer
Facebook App Manager
FM Radio
Gadget Guardian
GBoard
Google Korean Input
Google Pinyin Input
Google Play Store
Native DropBoxAgent
Prime Video
SIM Toolkit
My storage says I have used 92%!!! And when I tap on FREE UP SPACE, nothing happens!
What can I do???
Do we need those apps
I have the same problem. And i have no idea what I should delete. Soon,if I can’t get an answer…i think I might just start deleting everything. My phone has no place to put a memory card and…ugh… I just need help…please?
Thank you.
Facebook App Installer
Facebook App Manager
Facebook App Services
Those 3 go and disable them.
To get rid of most of those you have to root or factory data reset. At least those are the only ways I know of.
Hi
Which app can I download to periodically scan my phn.and tell me which apps- especially unused system apps-i can safely delete without causing instability issues?
Thanx much.
Jo*