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3 Pre-Installed iPhone Apps That Are Wasting Space And Battery, Experts Warn

January 4, 2026 by Abigail Connolly
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Now that the holiday season is over, some people are getting ready to set up their new iPhones, or are looking for some ways to preserve their storage after taking all their family photos.

While there are a lot of tips and tricks you can follow to keep your smartphone’s storage open and your battery life full, there are actually some things that come with your phone that might make things more difficult. This includes preinstalled apps, the numerous apps that are already on your iPhone when you purchase it. We spoke with tech experts about three preinstalled iPhone apps you should delete to save storage and preserve your battery life. Read more about them below.

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1. iMovie

Unless you're a student making a film project for school or enjoy creating movies on your iPhone regularly, then there's a very good chance you don't need iMovie on your phone. The app often goes unnoticed and sits on your phone for prolonged periods of time, holding a lot of data.

 

When you do use the app, it takes up more battery life than you think due to all of its features. Therefore, if you can live without it or use it on another device, like a Mac computer, then you're better off deleting it from your iPhone.

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2. Safari

This might sound surprising, but while Safari, the internet browsing app that's automatically installed on iPhones, is very useful, it also takes up a lot more storage than you may realize, and subsequently can drain your battery life.

 

"Apple's web browser, Safari, caches website data, cookies, and browsing history," explains Steven Athwal, tech pro and owner of The Big Phone Store. "It also stores items you add to your Reading List for offline access. These cached files and saved pages can add up, especially with heavy internet use."

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3. Mail

Although many iPhone users rely on it, the preinstalled Mail app is constantly running in the background, which can quietly drain your battery throughout the day. This is especially true when automatic email fetching is turned on, as your phone regularly checks for new messages, even when you're not using the app. Switching your email to a manual data setting, or reducing how often it refreshes, can significantly ease the strain on your battery while still keeping your inbox accessible when you need it.

 

"Unfortunately, a lot of these apps are ones that people don't wanna be without, which means you can have GBs and GBs and GBs of space being taken up by the apps you hold dearest," notes Athwal. "Having iCloud might help carry some of the burden."

Author:

Editorial Assistant

Abigail is a journalist based in Brooklyn, New York. As an Editorial Assistant for SheFinds, she covers topics ranging from celebrity news and fashion to wellness. She has written for other publications, including Chip Chick, Bandsintown, BroadwayWorld, and more. When she isn't writing, Abigail loves spending time in the city with her friends, being a 'dog mom' to her Chihuahua, and singing along to some of her favorite music.

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