1. Social Media Apps (Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, Etc.)
For many people, their social media apps are their life, and it can seem hard to live without them. However, these apps are doing a lot more in the background and using a lot of your phone's power, to the point where, whether they're being used or not, they can slow down your phone.
"They're refreshing in the background, doing background tasks, giving you notifications," says Steven Athwal, founder of The Big Phone Store. "Even if you don't use them, they're taking up memory. If you're an avid social media user, even just deleting the ones you use the least, like Reddit or X, can get your phone to go a little faster."
2. Streaming Apps (Netflix, Disney+, More)
It's no secret that most people with access to technology are using some kind of streaming app to watch their shows and movies, from Netflix and Hulu to Disney+ + and Peacock. However, if you're not traveling and don't watch the shows and films on these apps on your tiny phone screen, but rather on your television, then you should take them off your iPhone.
"I've lost count on how many phones I've seen with Netflix, Disney+, Prime, all sitting unused, hardly touched because you watch them on the TV," explains Athwal. "They take up data in the background. If you're not actively watching on your phone, get rid of them."
3. Utility Programs
Some people take the time to download third-party apps and utility programs onto their phones, like extra email apps, internet browsers, and more. However, filling up your phone with these extra apps, when it already has the basics covered in its preinstalled apps, can end up slowing your iPhone down over time.
"Apple's already giving you in-house versions of those, and that extra stuff just takes up space sitting around draining your battery and slowing things down," adds Athwal. "iPhones slow down when there's almost no storage space left or when apps are running in the background continuously. Deleting the ones that take up a lot of space or the ones that run constantly gives your phone some breathing room."