We've all got them: apps we downloaded once for a specific reason (a road trip, a work project, a trend that came and went, a diet we never truly started…) and never opened again. Most of us just ignore them until our phone tells us storage is full, but a few of those apps might be doing more than just taking up space.

Two things make some of those apps worth deleting: how much battery they quietly use, and how much of your information they still have access to. 

If your phone battery seems to die faster than it used to, an app running in the background could be the reason. Apps with broad permissions, especially ones with constant access to your location or microphone, can keep running behind the scenes even when you're not using them, which adds up over time. It's become enough of a problem that Google is rolling out a new feature in the Play Store this year that flags apps causing excessive battery drain, based on real usage data, and will eventually show a public warning badge next to repeat offenders in search results.

Beyond battery life, it's worth checking what permissions you've actually granted. An app you barely use might still have "always allow" access to your location, contacts, or microphone from back when you first installed it.

Checking this only takes a couple of minutes, no tech expertise required, and the steps are a little different depending on your phone. 

On an iPhone, open Settings and tap Battery to see exactly which apps are using the most power, then go to Settings > Privacy & Security to see which apps have access to your location, camera, microphone, and more, and change anything that doesn't seem necessary (For extra info visit this section of Apple Support ). 

On a Samsung Galaxy phone, open Settings, then tap Battery and device care > Battery to see a breakdown of usage by app, and go to Settings > Security and privacy > Permission manager to see everything each app can access, one category at a time (Want extra info? Here's some at Samsung Support ).

If it's an app you haven't opened in months, it has broad permissions it doesn't really need, or it shows up near the top of your battery usage list, it's probably safe to go ahead and remove it. You can always reinstall it later if it turns out you actually needed it!

A couple minutes of cleanup here and there isn't going to transform your phone overnight, but it's one of those small habits that quietly pays off, both in battery life and in a little more peace of mind about what's running in the background. 

Good luck, and happy cleaning!