Expert urges people to delete apps that are 'spying' using 'one day rule'

13 January 2024 , 10:24

1268     0

An expert has urged people to delete unused apps (Image: Getty Images)

While many of us are glued to our phones for several hours a day, there are still several mysteries about our devices we don't have answers for - so how well do we really know our phones?

Many won't know that even when apps are not being used, your phone can track and collect your data without your knowledge - but there's a way to stop it from happening.

You probably have ten, twenty, or even thirty apps on your phone, and the likelihood is that many are unused. The translation app you intended to use on holiday but never got around to opening is still sitting there, and the 'one second a day' snapshot app you wanted to use but keep forgetting for years is also taking up space.

Security giant Kaspersky warned that having apps on your phone that you don't use regularly could still be collecting data on you even if you aren't using it, reports LadBible.

A new memo from the company has warned users to delete their old apps, saying: "You probably have apps on your smartphone that you haven't used in over a year. Or maybe even ones you've never opened at all. Not only do they take up your device's memory, but they can also slowly consume internet traffic and battery power."

Apple TV release MLS Season Pass worldwide and announce free opening weekend

The security memo continued: "And, most importantly, they clog up your interface and may continue to collect data about your smartphone - and you."

Spring-cleaning your phone may not be the first thing on your to-do list, but it's important if you're concerned about data sharing - and Kaspersky shared a 'one-day rule' to help you free yourself of unused apps on your phone.

The rule involves simply deleting one unused app a day which the expert says can massively improve your phone efficiency and free up your storage space. Doing this will help you manage how your data is used and stop it from being harvested.

To delete an app on the iPhone, find the app on your home screen, touch and hold down the icon and tap "Remove app." If you are an Android user, go to the Google Play store, tap the profile icon in the top right, and go to Manage Apps and Devices > Manage. Tap the name of the app you want to delete and choose to uninstall.

If an app is pre-installed on your phone and cannot be completely deleted, you can still disable it to stop it from running in the background and sitting needlessly on your phone screen.

Mariam Khan