Phone running out of space? Try these spring cleaning tips

There comes a time on all phones when you have to clean out old files and apps that are taking up space. — dpa

If your mobile phone is beginning to groan under the weight of numerous apps, then it's worth trying a few quick tricks to clean out unneeded files and apps.

While smartphone spring cleaning might sound like a tedious task, there are simple ways you can free up space on your Android or Apple phone.

You can begin by finding out what exactly is wasting space. Head to Settings and tap on (or search for) “Memory” and you’ll see an overview of exactly what’s taking up space on your phone: Photos? Music? Apps? Documents?

Then you’ll have an idea of which apps take up a lot of space and think about which of these you really use.

If you have an iPhone, open your Settings and then tap on “General” and then on “iPhone memory”. You also have the option here to let Apple automatically delete apps you don’t use. If you find you need them later, you can then always download them again.

It also helps to delete duplicate apps and bloatware.Pre-installed apps such as calendars and email programs are designed to keep you in the manufacturer’s ecosystem – this applies particularly to companies like Apple, Samsung and Xiaomi, among others.

The reasoning is that if consumers get used to certain apps, they will be more likely to stick with the same brand when they buy a new phone.

At the same time, some manufacturers pre-install social media apps like Facebook, TikTok and LinkedIn that you may not want to use.

What’s more, there may be apps you simply don’t need any more. For example, Google Maps can not only display routes, but also call taxis, rendering many taxi apps obsolete. To do this, you can select the icon of a person waving with a suitcase under Means of transport.

Depending on your location, various providers will appear, including waiting time and fare. If the corresponding provider app is installed, it opens automatically when users tap on the offer.

System optimisation apps claim to make your smartphone faster and free up storage space, but experts believe many of these so-called cleaner apps don’t have much of an effect, while some are even malware.

If all of these efforts fail and everything on your phone turns out to be essential, then extending your phone with a microSD card may be your best option. Online storage space in the cloud is generally the most practical but also, in the long term, the most expensive solution.

External memory means routinely transferring things from your smartphone to an external drive like a hard disk, a portable SSD, a USB stick or a computer, if you still have space on it. – dpa