It used to be that you bought a new phone and got a fresh start. Now we just copy over all the junk from the old model onto the new one.
Sure, it’s faster and shinier, but it’s packed with files you don’t need, contacts you haven’t talked to in years and photos you don’t remember taking — or want to see again.
It doesn’t take much effort to clear things out if you know what to do. I’ve got your back. Set aside a few minutes. You’ll thank yourself (and me) later.
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Use your phone’s built-in tools
The iPhone has a handy hidden folder most people don’t know about: Duplicates. The Photos app identifies when you have multiple versions of a picture or video so you can clear all but the highest-quality version.
Anything you merge will go to your Recently Deleted folder in case you want to get it back. Just hurry.
On Android, the Files app from Google does something similar.
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Want to dive deeper into your photos? These apps do the hard work of clearing out the junk for you.
Clear the inbox you forget about
Nope, not your old Yahoo account. I’m talking about texts. All those messages — and the photos and videos you’ve sent and received — take up space and make it hard to find whom you really want to talk to.
Just swipe on a chat to bring up the option to delete. You can also hold down on the chat to bring up options.
Be sure to clear marketing texts, spam, one-time codes and anything else that’s just taking up space.
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Pro tip: You can pin a conversation at the top of your text inbox so it’s always right there at the top.
The nuclear option
No kidding, one IT genius at Komando HQ wipes his phone once a year. It seems like a pain (and it is a bit), but it can keep yours running fast and smooth. Think about it — there’s so much less junk piled up if you clear it all out regularly.
Be sure to back your phone up first, and then a factory reset makes it easy to on-board all your important info.
On iPhone:
On Samsung:
Keep your tech-know going
My popular podcast is called “Kim Komando Today.” It’s a solid 30 minutes of tech news, tips, and callers with tech questions like you from all over the country. Search for it wherever you get your podcasts. For your convenience, hit the link below for a recent episode.
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Plus, Madeline Smith has caught over 1,000 cheaters online. She shares her insights on spotting an unfaithful spouse. Kim and Andrew also talk about NASA’s Mars simulator and demystify baffling Gen Z slang.
Check out my podcast “Kim Komando Today” on Apple, Google Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast player.
Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts. Just search for my last name, “Komando.”
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