The App Store is filled with convenient and useful apps. It’s undeniable that enjoying a variety of apps is one of the pleasures of using a smartphone. However, having too many apps can quickly fill up your device’s storage. You may find yourself downloading apps with good intentions, only to rarely or never use them.
If you want to manage your apps effectively, one approach is to reduce the number of apps you use and focus on making the most of a smaller selection.
Make the Most of Default Apps
Apple’s default apps on iPhone, iPad, and Mac are surprisingly versatile. By fully utilizing these built-in apps, you can reduce the need to download additional ones. Best of all, default apps are free.
For instance, this article was written using the default Notes app. Since it works seamlessly across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, I can start writing on my iPhone while on the move and finish it on my Mac at home.
Default apps might surprise you with their functionality. If you’ve been avoiding them thinking, “It’s just a pre-installed app; it probably doesn’t do much,” why not give them a try?
Use Multifunctional Apps like Notion
Another effective strategy is consolidating tasks into multifunctional apps. For example, Notion can serve as a note-taking app, a task management tool, and even a database for organizing various types of information.
While dedicated apps might sometimes offer superior features for specific tasks, multifunctional apps can eliminate the need for downloading multiple specialized apps, provided they meet your requirements.
Regularly Declutter Your Apps
You might download an app thinking you’ll use it, but after one, two, or three months, are you still using it? Regularly reviewing your apps and deleting the ones you no longer need is a good habit.
Although there’s an option in the settings to “Offload Unused Apps,” it’s not the best approach. Manually reviewing your apps helps you stay aware of which ones are unnecessary and avoid downloading similar apps in the future.
Create a rule to periodically review your apps, and if you haven’t used one within the set timeframe, delete it.
