What the Tech: See the drawbacks of all of those free apps you have
By JAMIE TUCKER Consumer Technology Reporter
I guess we’ve all done it. See an app everyone else is using,, hit download and then forget all about it.
Listen to this statistic: the average person has over 80 apps installed on their phone. But how many do they actually use? About nine a day.
The rest just sit there, doing more harm than you might think. That face-shifting AI app that everyone was using a few months ago? Even if you never use it, it may still be tracking you.
Free apps come with a cost:
Your data. Many collect your location, contacts, and even microphone access even if you haven’t opened it in months. If you’re like most people, you simply tap the “allow” button when it asks for your permission to do those things.
Free apps run in the background, collecting and sharing your data. If the app hasn’t been updated in some time, it could be exploited by hackers.
They also take up valuable storage space. On this phone, apps are hogging more space than music, or photos.
Here’s the fix: take inventory. On an iPhone, in settings, choose storage, scroll to the bottom to show all apps. If you see any apps you don’t use, delete them by swiping.
On Android, open settings, tap Apps. Select one you don’t need, tap and confirm to uninstall.
When you’re done, restart your phone. It’ll work faster, the battery will last longer, and you won’t have some silly app following everything you do.
