My phone said ‘99% storage full.’ Couldn’t even take a photo.
So last Sunday I sat down and actually looked at what was eating all that space. Three meditation apps I’d never opened. A restaurant app for a place that closed in 2024. A moon phase tracker—why? I don’t know. Past me made some questionable decisions.
I deleted fifty apps in about forty minutes. It was the most satisfying digital experience I’ve had all year. More satisfying than any app I’ve ever downloaded, ironically.
Here’s what nobody tells you about the ‘app economy’: most apps shouldn’t exist. They should be websites. Why do I need a dedicated app for an airline I fly once a year? The website works fine. Why do I need an app for a news site? The browser version is identical minus the push notifications—which is actually a feature, not a bug.
Companies want you to install apps because apps give them more access. More data. More control. Push notifications are a psychological weapon. Every badge, every ping, every red dot is engineered to pull you back in. It’s not a convenience. It’s a leash.
After the purge, my home screen has one page. One. It’s calm. It’s intentional. I don’t feel that low-level anxiety anymore—the one you don’t even notice until it’s gone. The visual clutter was a mental tax I’d been paying without realizing it.
I applied the same philosophy to my tools. I used to have two different apps for saving social media videos. Both were full of ads. Both wanted access to my photos, contacts, and probably my firstborn. I deleted them both. Now I just use GetInSaver through the browser. Same functionality. No spyware. No storage cost. No nagging ‘Upgrade to Pro’ popups.
Digital minimalism isn’t about doing less. It’s about removing the things that add noise without adding value. Most apps are noise. They’re digital clutter occupying space on your screen, your storage, and your attention.
Go through your app list right now. If you haven’t opened it in 30 days, delete it. You can always re-download it if you genuinely need it. But I promise you won’t.
You’ll feel lighter. Your battery will last longer. And you’ll finally have space to take that photo.