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Delete these Android apps right now for better performance!

NextPit uninstall apps 2
© nextpit

Smartphones can be quickly overloaded by unnecessary apps that not only take up storage space but can also affect your mobile's performance and battery life. Well, enough is enough — it's time to clean up your smartphone. Here are the the five types of apps you should delete or disable immediately from your phone.

Jump to:

  1. RAM-booster apps
  2. Storage cleaning apps
  3. Social media applications
  4. Preinstalled bloatware
  5. Third-party battery savers

1. Apps that claim to save RAM

Apps running in the background eat up your RAM and use battery life, even if they're on standby. The idea behind apps that claim to boost your memory is to close these background apps systematically. Unfortunately, most of these do-good apps usually exacerbate the very problem they're trying to solve.

Apps running in the background have to restart after you close them. Memory and battery life are used to restart the apps, and this constant closing and restarting of apps can make your phone not only slower but also consume more battery. So, these memory-saving apps don't make much sense. Furthermore, Android manages RAM usage automatically and knows when to run an app or not, so third-party apps aren't necessary.

AndroidPIT smartphone clean 02
It's good to keep your Android system clean - but don't depend on third-party apps for it / © NextPit

2. Clean Master (or any cleaning app)

Cleaning apps promise to clean up your phone to boost performance. While it's true that deleted applications sometimes leave behind some cached data, it's not necessary to download a dedicated cleaner. If you notice an app is misbehaving, you can clear its cache using these steps:

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap Apps & notifications (or simply App, depending on the system).
  3. Tap the See all apps option.
  4. Selected the app on the list.
  5. Tap on Storage & cache.
  6. Choose the Clear cache option.
NextPit Clear Cache 00
Application's cache can be cleared manually in the Settings menu / © NextPit

If you want to know more about the difference between cleaning an apps' cache or data, we have a dedicated article just for this topic.

Clean Master and similar apps often require a lot of battery power, and their in-app advertising has the potential to take a chunk out of your monthly data allowance. Remove such apps as soon as possible. 

Tip: On older Android versions it is possible to clear all cached data with just one command: Just go to Settings > Storage > and tap Cached data. At the Clear cached data prompt, hit OK.

3. Social media apps

Social media apps take up a lot of screen time on our smartphones. The more time you spend on them, the greater the effect it has on your battery life. Social media apps are also notorious for high battery consumption even when they are not being used. A solution to this problem could be to use the browser versions of these apps. Many of these apps also come with a 'Lite' version of their app that isn't resource-hungry. A good example of this is Facebook which offers its very capable Facebook Lite app.

Uninstalling the resource-hungry Facebook app will speed up your smartphone and improve your device's performance. since the app is has been blamed for literally everything under the sun ranging from high memory consumption, staying active in the background, and demanding permissions to high consumption of mobile data. 

If you want to continue using Facebook but do not wish to install any app, you can use the mobile site and add a shortcut on the home screen. Thus, when you close the web tab of Facebook, the site will no longer use the resources of your phone (battery, data plan, etc.)

In case you did not know, there is also a lightweight version of Instagram — called Instagram Lite — as well as a Messenger Lite app for instant messaging. The availability of these apps, however, depends on the country you live, though.

Facebook 07
Will you be deleting Facebook? / © Shutterstock

4. Difficult to delete manufacturer bloatware 

While this problem isn't as bad as it once used to be, smartphone brands continue to sell their phones with lots of unnecessary bloatware. These could range from apps for hotel booking, games, or questionable office apps taking up lots of storage space. In some cases, these apps can also affect battery life. On older Android versions, many of these apps did not even give you an option to uninstall them.

However, thanks to continuous (negative) user feedback, most manufacturers have heard your pleas and now allow you to uninstall these apps. Even if you do not see an option to uninstall, you can still disable these apps or force stop them.

The easiest way to do this is by grabbing the respective app in the app drawer and then pulling it onto the app info icon. Then you will see if the app is uninstallable or can only be deactivated. Below, we show you how to disable or force stop an app on an Android device.

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Preinstalled apps sometimes cannot be uninstalled, but you can try to disable them / © NextPit

Some vendors won't let you uninstall Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks on your smartphone. This is annoying for users who don't care about social media or those who don't need the app taking up space on their devices. After all, in many cases, the mobile site is sufficient enough.

One remedy is to buy smartphones from manufacturers which allow the uninstallation of bloatware. Or buy smartphones that only come with a few third-party apps, like Google or Motorola, or Nokia.

If you are indeed stuck with a phone with a lot of useless applications and games, learn how to uninstall bloatware and delete preinstalled apps on Android.

5. Battery savers

Similar to RAM boosters, battery-saving apps are often a load of rubbish. These apps offer a solution to one of the most-loathed smartphone problems in the world and promise miracles. There are only a few exceptions to the truth that battery-saving apps are merely billboards disguised as useful apps.

To increase battery life, you have to reduce energy demand from the operating system and all running services and apps. So to be effective, energy-saving apps would need to take control of running Android. But since Android can't be controlled without root privileges, apps available in the Play Store can't simply step in and take control.

At best, apps can advise or warn you when other applications or games are consuming too much battery, but that's about it. If it closes power-hungry apps, those apps will likely automatically reopen anyway. Thus, the effect is reversed, and energy consumption could increase.

The alternative? Open your Battery settings and check what is going on. Google is getting much better at managing this for you. Turning on Adaptive Battery will also help a huge deal as it will limit battery for apps that you rarely use.

NextPit adaptive battery
Turn on Adaptive Battery if you are running Android 10 or above / © NextPit

What other Android apps should I uninstall?

Consider removing any app you don't use or any that seem to cause a particularly big battery drain or consume excessive data. You can check which apps have the largest impact on the last two things by going to your battery settings page or data usage page in your Settings menu. There are often alternatives to power-hungry apps that you regularly use, so give one of those a try, and you might grow to love it as much as the original.

Which Android apps do you think should be uninstalled? Which ones are you having trouble removing? Let us know in the comments below.


This article was last updated in December 2021. Older comments have been retained.

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Eric Ferrari-Herrmann

Eric Ferrari-Herrmann
Senior Editor

Eric has been with AndroidPIT since 2014. He’s writing articles and reviews for the German website. Topics are mostly privacy and new technology but there's also the occasional piece on environmental sustainability.

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255 comments
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  • 1
    Lowplaces Sep 5, 2022 Link to comment

    My android phone will not let me uninstall Apps like NFL, Kindle and many more. It gives you a disable function but when you go to disable it an error message pops up saying it may cause your system to become unstable. Not being super tech savvy that's the last thing I need is an unstable system. With my luck it will cause my phone to crash and burn! Is there a way to uninstall or disable Apps like that without taking a chance on your system becoming unstable?


  • 2
    Sway May 8, 2021 Link to comment

    I have a samsung and I was already informed of apps like facebook ad messenger that ask for permission to use my mic. I have went through and deactivated any app that requires this or camera use for no reason. I was going through all the apps and I have some concerns. I am not getting clear answers on this. I have an app called MMIGroup. It looks like an alien face. Can I unistall this or delete it? It looks sketchy and I do not want to be hacked. I have a VPN and until I am sure I have privacy protection I won't let apps run if I do not know what they are for.
    Thanks,
    Sway

    Sorin


  • 2
    Speedbird Concorde 001 Nov 24, 2020 Link to comment

    Uninstall google. Not kidding, they're a scam. They steal your data...you never know. Don't shove a "privacy policy" at me, they never follow it

    Sorin


  • marco sarli 39
    marco sarli
    • Admin
    May 1, 2020 Link to comment

    Think before you download and install anything. Stay away from Facebook and any app promising miracles. Check what is running in the background and check the permissions. Not so difficult

    Sorin


  • 2
    AnyBody Mar 18, 2020 Link to comment

    My conclusion is now to return to an old style mobile phone so I can get calls or texts and use a computer for everything else. Too much time trying to remove or stk these bloatware. I'll turn off wireless so I can use functioning apps that don't need connectivity. I will watch a movie on VLC, read books I have downloaded etc and that's about that. I may even remove Android and stick something else on one of the devices and play with that. Too much time wasted on them at the moment.

    marco sarli


  • marco sarli 39
    marco sarli
    • Admin
    Oct 2, 2019 Link to comment

    Instead of Facebook I use friendly and can see the difference. Huge

    Sorin


  • Savanna24 1
    Savanna24 Jun 27, 2019 Link to comment

    I have Samsung j7 from boos is it ok to delete the app loud I don't want to mess up my phone


  • Daddy Dman 2
    Daddy Dman Mar 2, 2019 Link to comment

    AppCloud! I have an LG Stylo 4 with Boost Mobile. I didn't even know what Appcloud was. Suddenly my phone starts downloading/installing (Without my permission, or without my instruction) various apps I don't need, by itself! Like Wish. And others! what now. I could only Deactivate AppCloud, though it let me Uninstall those it tried to install!

    I don't need no app deciding what and when it should install for me!! I just hope I don't have malware or something!

    Nadeepriya Amarasekara


  • F.Alam 7
    F.Alam Jan 1, 2019 Link to comment

    Thanks

    Nadeepriya Amarasekara


  • 3
    Anata Dec 28, 2018 Link to comment

    I don't have them all, and how about instagram?

    Nadeepriya Amarasekara


  • 1
    Dan McCartney Dec 25, 2018 Link to comment

    I have an S8 and.i love it.. it came with ms office n various apps (Samsung) pre installed. Removed some. I always stay away from clean n battery saver crapps as that's all they r. I can do everything they do in the device management system. Good article .. happy Christmas


  • Jerry's W. 20
    Jerry's W. Dec 25, 2018 Link to comment

    One kind of app you missed:
    anti-virus apps. Android don't need that. Google android+antivirus and learn...

    SorinVilentk


  • Sravani Namburi 10
    Sravani Namburi Nov 19, 2018 Link to comment

    Hi this information helped me a lot nice article

    prekyap


  • 1
    Cicvia Oct 7, 2018 Link to comment

    I believe the coins and rewards earningvia coins is actually a scam. I actually made 70.00 via the app after playing their coin games. I have still yet to receive anything, so no 7-10 is not accurate. I have attempted to contact them 7 times via different contact emails provided after extensive research and not one response. Don't was waste your time playing or even downloading because it does nothing to protect your phone. Your Android hàs its own functions to protect itself. Its a scam and definitely very deceitful. I reported them to BBB after nothing from them and being misleading.


  • 3
    neal Aug 28, 2018 Link to comment

    Thanks for your suggestion I hope it works.


  • 3
    Alison Oatis Jul 27, 2018 Link to comment

    Call me stupid, but I do not see the 5 apps not to iinsrall


    • 1
      Joseph Ward 9 months ago Link to comment

      Me either


  • Kazeem Muinat 1
    Kazeem Muinat May 23, 2018 Link to comment

    Hi,
    My phone is giving notification to update whats app. But there isn't enough memory. All apps are preinstalled and there isn't uninstall option. Now my whats can no longer open unless i free up space. Option available are Disable and Force stop. This is frustrating, i need to use my whats app. Phone is Samsung J2. 8GB internal storage. Any suggestion. Thanks


    • 3
      Alison Oatis Jul 27, 2018 Link to comment

      You might want to clean Chrome
      and make sure you don't have a bunch of open sites. I am no
      expert! I. just like to help.
      Sorry, I just noticed that you wrote in 2 months ago. Hope you figured out your dilemma.


  • 1
    Samy May 20, 2018 Link to comment

    Change the title to Use the One Plus device instead of deleting app.. Lol

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