Spring clean your smartphone

[Chris_K]

Traditionally, many of us do a spring clean in our homes around this time of year – doing a deep clean of the house, throwing out clutter, changing your duvet from the heavy winter one. But we’re not going to talk about that; instead, we’re going to talk about doing a spring clean of your phone with a bonus of helping to keep you organised this spring.

Why a spring clean?
Over time your phone can get cluttered up and bogged down – all those games and apps you’ve downloaded but no longer use and all those photos and videos you’ve taken that you don’t want to get rid of, but don’t really need on your phone anymore. Keeping your phone in check can help ensure it continues running smoothly and frees up more space for what’s truly important to you.

Declutter games and apps
Many of us will have had our smartphones for months or even years with games and apps on it we won’t have used in a long time – some of them may even be running in the background, using up your phone resources and maybe even your battery.

So, it’s time to think about that long overdue declutter – think of it like your annual Social Media ‘friend cleanse’ – be ruthless!

• Will I ever use this app again?
• Do I really need 19 photo-editing apps?
• Am I likely to use it again this year?
• If you answered “no”, tap that uninstall button

Tip for Android: There are loads of apps that can ‘mass uninstall’ apps you select if you know exactly what you want to get rid of. This could make this task easier and faster.

Organise your apps
Once you’ve gotten rid of all the apps you no longer need, it’s time to get organised, and folders are the best way to do this.  Create one for your Social Media apps, another one for games, another for your entertainment apps, and of course an ‘O2’ folder for My O2 and Priority.

Just look at the difference this simple change will make – it will visually declutter your screen and make it loads easier to find exactly what you want.

Tip for iPhone: Did you know if you swipe down on your home screen you’ll see a search box to search for the app you’re after? A handy alternative to folders.

Tip for Android: Widgets are hugely useful and you can add a search box wherever you want on your screen, to search for games, apps, emails, particular texts etc

Get storage space back
There are many ways to achieve this – getting rid of apps you no longer use is one of them, but there are other options:

Photos & Videos. What if we said you could automatically save and upload all your photos and videos to a free online storage, giving you instant easy access to them without taking up any space on your phone? Google Photos gives users free and unlimited storage for photos up to 16MP and 1080P videos and it even uses magic to detect what the photo subjects are, and smart organise them for you

Hire a cleaner. Magic Phone Cleaner for iOS is one of the top rated ‘cleaners’ on the App Store and can help you identify the largest files on your device making it easier for you to delete the ones you no longer need, helping you free up space quickly.

If you’re on Android, Clean Master on the Play Store has an average 4.7* rating from nearly 42 million reviews, making it one of the best on the market. With it, you can clean up far more storage and files such as app cache, ad junk, obsolete files, and even clean up your phone’s memory.

Clean your phone
According to a Which? Report a few years ago, a smartphone has more bacteria than a typical office toilet seat so if you don’t clean your phone regularly, we’d absolutely recommend it. Here are some ways to ensure your phone stays shiny and new-looking for longer.

1. The DIY clean. Grab a microfiber cloth (we’d be surprised if you don’t have at least one laying around at home) and consider giving your phone a clean a few times a week.
2. The deep clean. Microfiber cloths will help remove fingerprints and a lot of bacteria, but not all.  Pick up a ‘cleaning kit’ from most phone or tech shops that will help remove more bacteria.
3. Get some protection.  Cases are a great way to protect your phone from scratches, but these too can collect germs and bacteria very quickly, so make sure to take the correct steps to clean your case regularly as well. If your case is a little worse for wear, we have a huge selection of fantastic cases right here. Similarly, you can also get film & glass screen protectors to help keep your screen protected, with glass screen protectors offering a bit more protection.

Recycle your old tech
If during your home spring clean you find old tech that you don’t use or no longer need, recycle them with O2 Recycle and you can even get yourself some cash for it – better yet, get 10% extra on your device’s value this Easter with O2 Recycle on O2 Priority. Offer valid 14/03/18 – 03/04/18.

And, who knows, if you’re an O2 Refresh customer where we split your device cost from your airtime plan, you might even get enough back from O2 Recycle to pay off your device plan early and get that brand new upgrade you’ve been looking for… Samsung Galaxy S9 or Sony Xperia XZ2, perhaps?

Got any smartphone spring clean tips?
If you've got some tips, ideas or suggestions not covered here, we'd love to hear from you. Just let us know in the comments below

[jonsie]

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@Cleoriffwrote:

Well just look how smart and tidy that looks...

I feel so ashamed

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Yep, all surrounded by a lovely red bezel 😂

[Cleoriff]

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@jonsiewrote:

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@Cleoriffwrote:

Well just look how smart and tidy that looks...

I feel so ashamed

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Yep, all surrounded by a lovely red bezel 😂

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[Anonymous]

My little 3GS has no apps on it because nothing works with the version of iOS I’m on! but I’m a bit of a clean freak on my iPad, I have a page for 

stuff I use everyday... banking / weather

social media.. snapchat / Tweetbot 

media... Netflix / you tube / catch up tv

utilities... Scottish Power / Tesco mobile

ios utilities... camera / photos / notes

settings... settings / App Store / iTunes / undeleteable apps

(I barely know how to use most of these apps but I am trying!!)

and anything I don’t use gets deleted ASAP. I do a reset every few months and start afresh when it becomes sluggish. As for physical cleaning.. it gets done most weeks! 

Im so glad I don’t have to use a keyboard any more!! The ones at work were awful.. bits of food in them, hair and god knows what else.. if I have to use one these days I turn it upside down and give it a shake, followed by a wipe with wipes or a damp cloth..

 It’s making me shudder just thinking about it!

@jonsie .. so tidy!! Love it!!

[gmarkj]

I tend not to do much cleaning wise, either what is on the phone or the phone itself.

If I need to tidy up, then I use the settings menu rather than have another app on the phone.

I already use folders to keep things organised on home screens, and only have most used apps out on their own.

All photos are backed up to Google account although I don't delete them off the phone (they are on the SD card).

In terms of physically cleaning, I keep my phone in a case (the back is such a fingerprint magnet, too shiny) but it does get taken out once a week or so for a wipe over. I should really use something anti-bacterial every now and then, but it would depend on having something that can be used on electronics to hand...

I have my last 3 phones in various places in the house. By the time I finish with them it is not worth trying to recycle them - my last two together get me £45 IF they get the full value on o2 recycle (not holding my breath...) which is not really worth my time.

The only thing is that I tried to keep the case I use for this phone slim so as to not bulk it out. This means that I don't have a stand so I have to try and prop it up when I want to watch something hands-free.

Think I need to find a method to stand it up for ease...

[Martin-O2]

I usually only delete apps when my storage is full and I find that I can't install a new one so I'll definitely be following some of these steps! 

My photo albums could do with a clear out as well. Way too many memes clogging them up! 

[Chris_K]

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@Anonymous wrote:

I clean my phone regularly with a 'spectacle & lens wipe' after I've cleaned my spectacles ... from now on will clean the back of the phone with it too ... the front has a good clear plastic screen protector

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After reading about the bacteria levels on the phone (makes sense), I'm cleaning it every couple of days. I think it's got me paranoid now 

Here's what my homescreen looks like right now - not sure about the icon pack I'm using though, but this is how I've always organised things:

• Main folders at the top (L<>R: Google folder, Music & Media folder, Social Media folder, Games folder, Samsung Secure folder)
• Most used apps under: Calendar, notes, clock, settings, Play Store, maps, camera, Clash of Clans etc

[Anonymous]

What are folders ... 

Lovely photo of your lovely lady @jonsie

[Marjo]

Thanks for the reminder for cleaning my phone @Chris_K! It's about time I do that.  My home screen is always organised but I have loads of unused random apps that I've downloaded over the past few months (year...), as well as some mobile games that I'm no longer playing that just unnecessarily take space.

Just checked and I have 7,274 photos on my phone. Mostly duplicate photos of my cats and some random weird memes. 

Here's the front page of my phone screen - yellow to match my bright yellow phone case! I only have a couple of folders that I'm using to group games and shopping-related apps (you can see I like takeout):

[Cleoriff]

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@Marjowrote:

Thanks for the reminder for cleaning my phone @Chris_K! It's about time I do that.  My home screen is always organised but I have loads of unused random apps that I've downloaded over the past few months (year...), as well as some mobile games that I'm no longer playing that just unnecessarily take space.

Just checked and I have 7,274 photos on my phone. Mostly duplicate photos of my cats and some random weird memes. 

Here's the front page of my phone screen - yellow to match my bright yellow phone case! I only have a couple of folders that I'm using to group games and shopping-related apps (you can see I like takeout):

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I see you dont use folders much  @Marjo

Oh and by the way....I hope you have read those 185 emails by now?

[welshsteve76]

I use folders to organise my apps.  I also clean my screen regularly with the same stuff I use to clean my laptop screen

The one thing I don't do is get rid of pictures by moving to my computer.  Should do that really.