Apps & Subscriptions

Here’s a number most people don’t know about themselves: the average smartphone has 80+ installed apps, but the average person uses only 9 per day. The other 71 sit there consuming storage, sending notifications, and — in many cases — quietly charging a monthly fee you forgot about. Unused app subscriptions cost the average person $200-500 per year.

🔄 Quick Recall: In the previous lesson, you cleaned up photos and screenshots — removing duplicates and moving information to its proper home. Apps and subscriptions are the next layer: instead of cluttering your camera roll, they clutter your home screen and your bank account.

The App Audit

Step 1: Check Your Data (10 minutes)

Your phone already tracks what you use. Let the data guide your decisions.

How to check app usage:

• iOS: Settings → Screen Time → See All Activity → scroll to see app usage
• Android: Settings → Digital Wellbeing → Dashboard

Help me audit my phone apps:

I have approximately [number] apps installed.
My phone storage: [X GB used of Y GB total]

Help me categorize my apps:
1. Daily essentials (messaging, email, maps, calendar)
2. Regular use (opened at least weekly)
3. Occasional but essential (banking, travel, health — monthly)
4. Not opened in 30+ days (delete candidates)
5. Pre-installed apps I can't delete but can disable

For category 4, which ones can I safely delete?
For category 5, which ones should I disable?

Step 2: Subscription Audit (20 minutes)

This is where the money is. Find every recurring charge.

Where to find your subscriptions:

• iOS: Settings → [Your Name] → Subscriptions
• Android: Google Play → Profile → Payments & Subscriptions
• Bank/credit card: Download last 3 months of statements, search for recurring charges
• Email: Search for “subscription,” “renewal,” “receipt,” “charged”

Help me audit my subscriptions:

Here are the subscriptions I know about:
[list them with monthly/annual costs]

Help me:
1. Calculate total monthly cost of all subscriptions
2. Identify which I haven't used in 30+ days (cancel candidates)
3. Find overlap (paying for multiple services that do the same thing)
4. Check for free alternatives to each paid subscription
5. Identify if annual billing would save money on keepers

✅ Quick Check: You’re paying for both Spotify ($11/month) and Apple Music ($11/month). How much do you save by canceling one? (Answer: $132/year. Duplicate streaming subscriptions are one of the most common money drains. You likely only use one actively. Choose whichever has your playlists and cancel the other. Other common overlaps: multiple cloud storage services, multiple news subscriptions, and multiple productivity apps.)

Common subscription overlaps:

Step 3: Delete and Cancel (30 minutes)

Now act on what you’ve found.

App deletion decision tree:

1. Haven’t opened in 30+ days → delete (can always reinstall)
2. Used occasionally → keep but disable notifications
3. Used weekly+ → keep
4. Pre-installed and unused → disable (can’t delete but stops background activity)

Subscription cancellation:

• Cancel immediately if not used in 30+ days
• For “maybe” subscriptions: pause for one month (many services allow this) — if you don’t miss it, cancel
• For annual subscriptions: set a calendar reminder 7 days before renewal to re-evaluate

Practice Exercise

1. Check your phone’s Screen Time or Digital Wellbeing right now — which apps have 0 usage in the last month?
2. Find your subscription list (phone settings + bank statement search) and total up the monthly cost
3. Delete at least 5 apps and cancel at least 1 subscription today

Key Takeaways

• The average person wastes $200-500/year on unused app subscriptions — a 20-minute audit pays for itself immediately
• Use screen time data (not memory) to decide what you actually use — our guesses are often wrong
• The 30-day rule: if you haven’t opened it in 30 days, delete it (with exceptions for essential but infrequent apps like banking)
• Check for subscription overlaps — paying for two music or two cloud storage services is the most common waste
• Fewer apps means fewer notifications, less storage use, and better battery life — the attention benefit is the biggest win

Up Next

In the next lesson, you’ll tackle passwords and old accounts — migrating to a password manager, finding and closing dormant accounts, and building a security system that protects you without being a hassle.