Looking for tech expert quotes for a story on social media apps

Hello, I'm writing a story titled: "Social Media Apps You Should Delete If You Want Better Battery Life, Less Data Tracking, And Faster Performance" and need expert quotes. If interested, please answer the following questions:

- What are 4-6 social media apps smartphone users should delete for better battery life, less data tracking, and faster performance?
- Why? (please include at least 3-4 sentences in each answer!)

Thanks!

Question

Looking for tech expert quotes for a story on social media apps

Hello, I'm writing a story titled: "Social Media Apps You Should Delete If You Want Better Battery Life, Less Data Tracking, And Faster Performance" and need expert quotes. If interested, please answer the following questions:

- What are 4-6 social media apps smartphone users should delete for better battery life, less data tracking, and faster performance?
- Why? (please include at least 3-4 sentences in each answer!)

Thanks!

Shan Abbasi · Accepted Answer

If you are primarily concerned about your data being tracked, I often refer to Instagram, Facebook Messenger, TikTok, Threads and Snapchat as they all track a large amount of user information and usage metrics (location, interactions etc) for targeted ads, in addition to maintaining persistent background network connections on Messenger and Threads so that messages can be delivered immediately and use up battery power. Deleting these apps will reduce the overall background network usage and the amount of data users share with third-party companies.

Cris McKee · Answer

I find that most of the apps I use to evaluate my overall efficiency are Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. Video-based platforms are particularly resource-intensive due to content preloading and continuous adjustments to content delivery based on how you interact with the platform. These factors lead to excessive battery drain and data usage, even for short periods. Removing these apps from my phone and using an internet browser to access each one will significantly reduce the resources they use, while still maintaining each app's core functionality.

Joern Meissner · Answer

As for performance, I'd recommend deleting Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Each of these applications relies on auto-played media and real-time notifications to function, and this constant drain on your phone's CPU and network connection can cause significant performance issues. Although LinkedIn and Pinterest appear to be lighter-weight than others, each constantly syncs data in the background (for ad targeting, etc.),  so deleting them can lead to less sluggish app switching and improved overall performance on your mobile phone.

Avner Brodsky · Answer

In terms of background tracking and battery drain, the first apps that I would recommend users remove from their phone would be Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, and X, as these continuously refresh feeds; pre-load video content; and run in the background regardless of whether a user is engaged with the app or not. The two apps that have received the most criticism for their aggressive background activity are ad-serving and analytics, which makes removing either app one of the easiest ways to improve your battery life and reduce behavioral data collection during your daily activities.

Tom Bukevicius · Answer

If you are primarily concerned with how fast your phone responds to you, I would suggest removing Facebook, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, and Discord. These Apps have a lot of media cached locally, and they all update their content in "real-time." Both Discord and Reddit can cause your memory usage to grow due to notifications and background refresh. Removing these Apps will free up the system's resources and, in many cases, make an old phone run much faster.

Dong Wang · Answer

I typically suggest removing Facebook Messenger, WeChat, TikTok Lite, Skype, and Twitch for individuals who want to improve battery life and overall device responsiveness. Typically, messaging and video streaming applications establish a connection in the background (even with the screen off), which drains battery power over time. Twitch and TikTok Lite are especially notorious for loading content into memory and tracking user engagement to improve feed optimization, which can cause increased data consumption over time. Therefore, removing these applications improves device responsiveness during workouts, hiking, or camping trips where charging opportunities may be limited.

Tom Terronez · Answer

Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, all those apps are battery hogs and they track a ton of your data. They're always running in the background for notifications and location checks. I've seen this fix so many phones. A client deletes them and suddenly their phone is fast again. If you're tired of your phone dying, just use the websites instead. It makes a huge difference.

John Cheng · Answer

I've built analytics platforms for years, so I can spot the real resource hogs. The big social media apps like Facebook, TikTok, and Instagram are always running updates in the background, draining your battery and slowing down your phone. I deleted most of them, keeping only the one or two I actually use. My phone runs so much cooler now and the battery lasts all day. What a difference.

Ben Rose · Answer

Want better battery life and privacy? Delete the big social media apps. I'm talking about Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Twitter, and LinkedIn. When I was running CashbackHQ, I saw firsthand how Facebook and Instagram drain the battery, especially with background activity on. Just use their websites instead. The browser versions use way less data and they don't track you as aggressively in the background.

James Rigby · Answer

Apps like Facebook and TikTok can really drag your phone down and eat through your battery. We tested this by deleting them from some phones, and after just a week, everything felt faster and the batteries lasted much longer. If you need to keep them for work, try using the websites instead. They're way less demanding. You can also just shut off their notifications and background refresh.

Grant Gamble · Answer

Here's something I've noticed from running employee workshops. Apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X really drain your battery and slow down your phone. They also track a ton of your data in the background. We found that getting rid of them frees up memory and helps phones last longer on a charge. If you want yours to run better, try keeping only the essentials, using the websites instead of apps, or turning off background refresh.

Runbo Li · Answer

Having worked at Meta, trust me, just uninstall the big ones. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, all of them. They kill your battery in the background and collect way too much data. I deleted them from my phone to test it out and the battery lasted way longer, plus everything felt faster. If you care about battery life or privacy, it's the easiest fix you can make.

Bilal Naseer · Answer

From what I've seen running my agency, the big social media apps are the worst for your battery and your privacy. Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, they all drain your phone and collect tons of data. I tell clients to uninstall them and notice their phones get faster with way fewer alerts. You can always use the websites instead or find simpler apps that don't eat up so much power.

Peter Privitera · Answer

In my experience, the apps that really drain your battery and track your data are Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and the rest. When my clients remove them, their phones almost always run faster and the battery lasts longer. It won't fix every slowdown, but it does cut down on what's running in the background and how much of your info gets collected.

Vince Tint · Answer

Your phone feeling slow? Try deleting TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and the other big social apps. They slow down your device and collect tons of your data. After I did this, my phone got so much faster and the battery finally lasted all day. You don't need all those apps. Keep the essentials and your phone will run better, keeping your private information more secure.

Daniel Davidson · Answer

From what I've seen, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and TikTok are the real battery hogs. I've watched people's phones get noticeably faster just from deleting a few of them, especially if you're checking them all the time. It's the constant background refreshing that slows everything down. Go look at your phone's battery usage stats. Seeing the actual numbers makes you think twice about which apps are worth keeping.

Dan Tabaran · Answer

If you want a phone that runs better and tracks less, just delete the big social media apps. I've run digital campaigns with them, and they're heavy on background syncing and aggressive with data tracking. We switched to using their websites in a browser instead, and the difference in battery life and privacy was immediately obvious.

Bell Chen · Answer

Here's the thing. If you want your battery to last longer and stop apps from tracking you, delete the big ones like Facebook and TikTok. We saw this on our team. Phones lasted much longer after we removed those apps that are always running in the background. We switched to the websites instead, and now our batteries make it through the day and we get tracked a lot less.

Max Marchione · Answer

Want your phone to run faster and the battery to last longer? Try deleting Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and the others. These apps track way more data than you realize in the background. People I know have seen their phones get noticeably zippier after getting rid of them. A few of us on the team figured out it's the constant background refreshing that slows everything down. You can always use the websites instead, or just turn off background activity in your settings.

Vlad Ivanov · Answer

Want longer battery life and less tracking? Uninstall Facebook, TikTok, and the rest. I see it all the time in my work. These apps are constantly running in the background, which drains your battery and slows everything down. Try using their websites instead. The teams I've worked with noticed their phones ran faster and they didn't feel like advertisers were watching their every move.

14 Answers

Cris McKee

Joern Meissner

Tom Terronez

Ben Rose

James Rigby

Runbo Li

Max Marchione

Vlad Ivanov

Cyrus Partow

Alvin Poh

Justin Herring

Hrishikesh Roy

Sandro Kratz

Tashlien Nunn

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