App Declutter

My trusty phone is aging. It's got a new battery and still works for days on a charge. But things start working slow. I believe this is is mostly due to the size of RAM (4GB) as most of "today's" phones have 8-12GB. RAM is being filled up with apps and when a new app is started, it takes time for the memory manager to clean up the RAM to make room for the launched app.

And the other day I found what you can see on the attached screenshot - a configuration panel which controls which apps are loaded on startup. Clearly too many. I started turning them, off and then I realized most of them I did not actually used anymore.

This led me to take a while (and yes it was a long while) to uninstall unused apps. I probably got rid of 80% of the apps. Of course I could remember why they ended up being installed but very often it was just a momentary use, contributing over the years to the app clutter.

So there were apps I no longer used at all and there were apps I no longer used on the phone. I have an iPad and I use it extensively. The phone - with its small screen - is not a proper "content consumption device" anymore. It is a notification device and it also works well for things like maps (especially via Android Auto), alarms, boarding passes, for opening package lockers etc.

Media work much better on the 10" iPad screen, which also means the |consumption" happens when I have a bit more attention to the content. Be it at a breakfast or simply when resting for a moment on a sofa with a cup of coffee.

For some time I have also been contemplating a replacement phone (the current one will die eventually) and of course the trend today is bigger screens. But I think I will stay with a 3-device setup: a phone, a tablet and a big-screen (15"-16") laptop. So in that case the ideal phone seems to be in the 6.1" range. But until that happens I'll see how life is with less apps.