With large storage capacities available on today’s electronics, you can store almost everything on your personal device. However, to help your electronics run faster and protect files from data loss, you should declutter them regularly.
Your phone and laptop are technical marvels that can hold a massive amount of data. The average laptop can securely hold hours of hi-res video footage, a feat that would have been unimaginable decades ago. Despite all of this storage capacity, laptops and phones are not ideal as storage devices. They’re mainly tools for accessing apps and performing tasks. And unfortunately these tasks are limited when the devices are crammed with photos, videos and other files that restrict performance.
Here are some tips for increasing performance while also protecting valuable content.
Seek and Destroy Unused Apps
The average phone user has many unneeded apps on their phone. Maybe their child adds some games they never play, or they downloaded an app just to get a shopping discount. Removing these unused apps is another way to boost performance, since many apps function in the background and are set to “auto sync†and show the user constant alerts.
Laptop users should frequently look at the bottom-right corner of their laptop or desktop to identify running applications that are sapping memory. These might include anti-virus programs or expired trial programs that are still on the machine but aren’t performing a function. Delete these programs from the computer to increase performance and improve security. But beware, even when you remove applications there’s still remnants on your computer. Use a third party application such as CCleaner to perform permanent deletions that remove all traces.
Routinely removing unused apps on your phone also greatly increases performance. Think about the weather or shopping apps that put “high pollen alert†or “great deals on luggage†notices on your screen. These apps are always running and set up to auto-sync to provide you with constant updates. You likely want an alert when you receive a new email, but the other alerts are probably just an annoyance. Reset your syncing to remove unneeded alerts, or better yet, remove these apps entirely. If you notice performance is lagging on your phone, then doing an app “spring cleaning†is the best first step.
Move to the Cloud
A great one-two combo for your phone or laptop is to move your information to the cloud. Photos and videos are especially big files, and they take up a lot of space. Use a trusted cloud provider or your phone manufacturer’s built-in service to automatically move content. This provides you with automated redundancy, making it nearly impossible for you to lose valuable files.
For ultimate protection, you can sync to multiple cloud providers and also use external physical hard drives for another backup copy. Remember that storage is cheap, especially compared to peace of mind. If you backup to the cloud, then you no longer need to worry about dropping your phone in the ocean or misplacing your laptop in the back of a cab and losing your treasured photos. The cloud isn’t just for backing up photos of your family reunion – you can also save all of your phone’s text messages, contacts, and settings. Restoring all of your custom settings takes time, but it’s simple if it’s backed up.
Cloud services also enable instant sharing. It’s simple to share entire albums of photos or videos through the cloud. Especially for videos, you no longer need to share truncated low-res versions through text. With a cloud service, you can save and share your content and the recipient can view the videos on their phone or computer. It provides greater flexibility and convenience as neither party is tied to the limitations of a single device.
Another benefit of using the cloud with your devices is to take advantage of Google Docs where you can simultaneously edit and collaborate. Perhaps you have a shared “to do†list with your spouse or business partner. You don’t need to email the list back and forth, but instead just share a document that keeps you both in the loop in real time. You work faster and also remove files from your local storage.
The latest computer and phone devices are supposed to make your life more productive and enjoyable. If they start lagging and causing you frustration, then they aren’t doing their job. Before you “take a hammer†to them, check out your unused apps and be sure you’re leveraging the cloud for maximum security and performance.