As most smartphone users know all too well, a single rogue app can have a devastating effect on the performance of your phone. They can drink your data, kill your battery life, suck up storage by caching files and smother performance.
Thankfully AVG – the makers of mobile security software – are here to help by naming and shaming the worst offenders on Google’s Android platform.
According to its report, which chronicled the usage of 3 million Android users during the first few months of 2016, Google Maps, Snapchat and YouTube are highest on the list of silent resource killers.
See also: 44 of the best Android apps
The top ten performance draining apps from start-up are: Facebook, Google Maps, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, BBM, ChatON, WeChat, Kik, WhatsApp and The Weather Channel.
It’s a slightly different story when it comes to apps started manually by the user. In that instance, AVG reckons the worst 10 offenders are: Snapchat, Spotify, Line, Samsung WatchOn, CleanMaster, Outlook, two versions of the Amazon shopping app, SoundCloud and the BBC iPlayer.
However, AVG is also dishing out praise for the most improved apps, with Netflix and the password protecting AppLock earning commendations for their Android apps.
Both of which were in the top ten for performance drains last year and have now dropped out.
Watch: Hands-on with Android N
“Our latest report exposes some quirky app behavior. For instance, I question why a weather app needs to be constantly connected rather than updating on demand,” said Tony Anscombe, senior security evangelist for AVG Technologies.
“You could also say that Snapchat’s keeping cached files around undermines its Mission Impossible-esque ‘self-destruct’ approach to messaging. Ultimately, if you have more than a few of these apps or types of apps on your phone or tablet, they could be to blame for those annoyingly regular low battery or low storage notifications.”
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
