This updated post was originally published on November 24, 2021.
If you really want to know which iPhone apps are worth your time and which are actually stealing battery power and data from you, there’s no one better to ask then an Apple tech expert. While we probably all know (all too well) the fallbacks of using an app like Facebook or Snapchat and the battery-consuming risks of streaming apps, there are other apps that fly under the radar and are just as risky when it comes to privacy and security. We spoke with not just one, but two Apple experts, to get the low-down on apps they recommend that all iPhone users delete from their phones ASAP.
Avoid: Apps That Provide VPN Service
“For the past three years, I have been working with Apple and I have seen a lot of devices and varieties of the model,” said Steven Walker, CEO of Spylix, is a tech and Apple expert. “I only have to choose one app — any application that provides you VPN service. It is used to mask your internet activity and provide online privacy anonymously by creating a private internet network through a public connection. In the newer devices of the iPhone, you get built-in VPN access within your smartphone.”
With this in mind, Walker says it’s important to delete your application. “I recommend this app because the newer iPhone has a built-in feature, but many VPN applications steal your data and credentials — so, it would help if you avoided these kinds of apps,” Walker says.
Avoid: TikTok
There are major security and privacy concerns with TikTok that should be taken seriously, according to Samuel McGraw, the founder and CEO of Design Hub. “TikTok has been accused of collecting too much user data and has had some serious security breaches reported. It also has weak moderation in preventing anything that could hurt or target individuals due to its platform-agnostic algorithm,” McGraw said. “This could potentially lead to harassment, cyberbullying, and even phishing.
Many countries, including the United States, have raised concerns about Chinese technology companies like TikTok, which have connections to the Chinese government. This raises important questions about the data that they collect, if they’re truly protecting user privacy and if they’re using the data for political or commercial gain. I know this is something that might not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but it can have potentially harmful repercussions.”
Finally, McGraw points out concerns about the influence that this app could have on younger users. “With its light-hearted and entertaining content, it can be easy for users to become addicted to using TikTok, resulting in neglect of other, more important daily activities,’ McGraw said. “It can also expose viewers to potentially damaging universal trends and lifestyles that could damage their mental and physical health. Not to mention it’s a breeding ground for misinformation that may present itself as legit, but it’s not.”
And while you are deleting detrimental apps from your iPhone, why not consider also adding an app that can help? Tech Expert Stephen Curry, CEO at CocoSign, says there’s one must-have app for any iPhone: iCleaner.
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“For the sake of performance and battery optimization, useless junk data must be cleaned up from the iPhone regularly and this app has the ability to do this work automatically,” Curry says. “iCleaner is able to clean unnecessary iOS files on the iPhone. It allows you to delete email attachments, Safari cookies/cache, browser history, application caches, cookies, temporary files, unused dependencies, log files, temporary files, and more. Provides an easy way to erase useless data on an iOS device. You can agilely delete all the useless files to get more storage space on the iPhone and stabilize its performance. It can assure you that deleted iPhone data will not be restored. If so, you can better protect your privacy.”
And there you have it: it takes just a few minutes to delete VPN service apps and install iCleaner for a better working iPhone.
