Downsizing

[metllicamilitia]

In this modern age of technology our lives are spent on our phones and tablets. We do everything from paying bills, playing games, watching shows/movies, and more right on our mobile devices. More so now than ever before, there's an app for that. How many apps do we really need though? How many apps do we actually use on a regular basis? I know so many people that have one hundred, two hundred plus apps on their phones. I find it hard to believe they use all these apps with any regular consistency. I myself don't use that many apps consistently, so I decided to purge my apps again. I do this from time to time, but not doing a full restore, just figuring out which apps are necessary or used frequently enough to warrant staying on my phone and deleting the rest.

At times I've had well over one hundred apps on my phone, but after my purge, I'm down to forty-one apps. Which isn't exactly accurate since there are about fifteen or so apps Apple doesn't include in that number that can't be deleted. So the actual total is fifty-three apps, but really fifty-two is what I count. The last app is just the iOS beta feedback app. Some people can't understand why I would want to delete so many apps and have just a few remaining. It's simple though, it's all about simplification and reducing noise and distraction. Just really cutting down the apps to the ones I use very often. I just wanted to share this idea, what do you think? Keep the apps or purge them? Would you even consider a deep app purge like this?

 

[RECON1]

In this modern age of technology our lives are spent on our phones and tablets. We do everything from paying bills, playing games, watching shows/movies, and more right on our mobile devices. More so now than ever before, there's an app for that. How many apps do we really need though? How many apps do we actually use on a regular basis? I know so many people that have one hundred, two hundred plus apps on their phones. I find it hard to believe they use all these apps with any regular consistency. I myself don't use that many apps consistently, so I decided to purge my apps again. I do this from time to time, but not doing a full restore, just figuring out which apps are necessary or used frequently enough to warrant staying on my phone and deleting the rest.

At times I've had well over one hundred apps on my phone, but after my purge, I'm down to forty-one apps. Which isn't exactly accurate since there are about fifteen or so apps Apple doesn't include in that number that can't be deleted. So the actual total is fifty-three apps, but really fifty-two is what I count. The last app is just the iOS beta feedback app. Some people can't understand why I would want to delete so many apps and have just a few remaining. It's simple though, it's all about simplification and reducing noise and distraction. Just really cutting down the apps to the ones I use very often. I just wanted to share this idea, what do you think? Keep the apps or purge them? Would you even consider a deep app purge like this?

I always try to purge my apps but it never works. app hoarder

 

[calebt]

I've downsized a long time ago ( with the iPhone 5s long time for tech ) just the stock apps a few social media and banking apps. I can be up and running setup like new in less than a couple hours.

 

[Tartarus]

Nope. Not me, I have 153 apps on my phone and I’m not thinking about reducing it.
First of all, they’re all sorted and put in folders, so they don’t clutter anything or distract me in any way.

Secondly, they’ve been downloaded with a purpose and are used from time to time, even if it is for once a year.
It is way too much hassle to find the right app to redownload and setup if you don’t use it often than having it stay idly by in a folder.

Last reason: I have plenty storage available on my device, so there is no apparent reason to ‘purge’ at all.

 

[Ledsteplin]

According to my "about", I have 220 apps on screen. That's down from 320 I had a year or so ago. I have to watch my available storage space, as it keeps going down below 5 gb. I have no idea where some of it goes. "Other" I suppose. I use most of the apps at least with some regularity. Many are photo editing apps I use making wallpapers. I have several apps I could delete, but they don't take much space anyway. I have several 32 bit apps I don't use often, but I'm afraid if I delete them, iTunes will delete them from my purchased list. I do use those, just not often. Others I don't use often, but need at times, it's just more convenient to have them on screen for when I need them. The beta feedback app took 14 gb of my storage space, and I have no way to get it back, unless I restore with iTunes on a computer. And I can't do that and keep my 32 bit apps and magic wallpapers.

 

[msm0511]

Including Apple's preinstalled apps I have 119 apps currently. As far as apps I chose to install I counted 22 I use regularly. Some others I occasionally use or downloaded them for testing. I have many that I haven't even opened since downloading. I have the 256GB X so I have enough space that I haven't worried about deleting unused apps very much.

I honestly should go through and delete a bunch of them, but haven't bothered. In the past when I've had iPhones with less storage every few months I would go through and delete the ones I don't use, but haven't with my last 2 iPhones. They both had so much storage that I haven't been concerned with it.

 

[Anastayja1]

I don’t keep any apps on my phone that I don’t use. I’ve never seen the point of having a bunch of apps on my phone that take up space and serve no purpose. I’m the same with my photos. After deciding which ones I want to keep they are moved to my Dropbox and off my phone.

 

[Just_Me_D]

Ain’t no way in heck will I keep hundreds of apps on my iPhone. If they are not being used, I don’t want them installed. Period....

 

[mumfoau]

According to my “About” screen I have 58 apps and I actually want to downsize that. I like it when I have the default apple screen and one page of apps...no folders.

 

[o4liberty]

Retiring this year and dumping smart phone getting a flip phone no need to carry loaded phone anymore.

 

[Mr Segundus]

I purged all my apps about a year ago and now I'm down to 70 apps. I can purge them down further, to about 50 or so, but meh. Some of them I use while flying. Others I use while I'm waiting somewhere. Most of them are social media, streams, and billing for services I have.

 

[Almeuit]

I have about 129 apps on my Pixel 2 XL. I could delete a few I don't truly use as much anymore but I see no real reason to cut down. Maybe on iPhone you could cut down some since they all have to sit on the home screen and that could be annoying but due to having an app drawer I don't really bother / think about the ones I use on occasion.

 

[Golfdriver97]

I have 72 on my Pixel, and I am half thinking of cutting some of them down. I do have some apps that I use during the winter (mainly travel reporting apps), but once spring is in full swing, I get rid of those until October.

 

[mumfoau]

I think because of the Androids app drawer, I didn’t care as much about downsizing on that platform. I don’t like the aesthetics of a screen full of folders and I don’t like scrolling more than 1 page for apps if I can help it, downsizing on iOS is key for me.

I also a little anal about having my apps alphabetized so manually sorting them based on most frequently used is a non-starter.

 

[kataran]

I love to hoard apps so I buy max storage to keep my hoard going and I use them in the beginning and then forget about them later but I have the comfort of knowing they are there.

I think my obsession comes from being a palm guy and when a new exciting app came out we didn’t get them so when I switched to iOS I went on a download free for all.

 

[libra89]

I don’t keep any apps on my phone that I don’t use. I’ve never seen the point of having a bunch of apps on my phone that take up space and serve no purpose. I’m the same with my photos. After deciding which ones I want to keep they are moved to my Dropbox and off my phone.

Ain’t no way in heck will I keep hundreds of apps on my iPhone. If they are not being used, I don’t want them installed. Period....

What they both said. Sometimes I slack off but I don't like having to deal with several apps. It just feels like a waste of space.

 

[Minorite]

I have a nice rule since my first Android device that I still follow on iOS: If you don't remember that you've used the app for more than 6 months - purge it! Doesn't affect apps that I need while traveling though.

 

[Vega007]

I have had my X since the beginning of March and have 39 apps with 52 gigs of storage available. I am a very minimalist type of person and only use apps that are necessary, since I don't just go browsing for apps in the store when bored or whatever. I love keeping my home screen clean, so no apps on it but the 4 on the dock, and then one swipe over has all my apps in folders and that is that. Keep it simple, keep it clean, just how I roll.

 

[Quis89]

I regularly go in and delete apps I haven't used in a while or no longer have a use for. I don't see the point in something occupying space if it's not being used. I currently have 128 apps on my phone (according to the About screen). This has caused me to go on another cleanse so this number will probably be reduced. But probably not by much considering I just cleared a few apps last week.

I tend to download a lot of games just to try them out. That's probably where the bulk of my apps are. And a few various productivity and photo apps that I try out.

 

[mumfoau]

I’m in the process of replacing apps with mobile web pages for things I don’t use a ton like Castlight, Express Scrips etc.