Too Many Apps And Pics Slowing Down Your Devices? Time For A Digital Declutter
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – If you are one of the many who have a mountain of unread emails, too many apps, and devices you can barely navigate your way through, digital experts have some advice for you.
It's time to digitally declutter.
"Right after the new year, we started to get a bunch of calls from people saying 'hey we have all these issues with our computers and we're wanting to organize ourselves,'" tech business owner Boris Shapiro said.
Shapiro specialized in typewriter repair when he opened his shop in 1992, but in 2019 technology overload is what he now helps people with the most.
"If you start seeing messages on your computer or your phone that you're running out of space, those sort of things, I think it's time to declutter," Shapiro told CBS2's Tara Jakeway.
Step One: It's Time For Those Photos To Go
Experts say to go through smart phones and delete doubles, and long videos.
Digital consultant Sree Sreenivasan talked to CBSN New York about what to do so you don't lose anything important to you.
"The best thing to do is to back them up on the cloud."
Yes, the mysterious cloud, he says is actually one of the three most secure platforms for storage.
"Google photos, drop box… these are all places where your photos can reside and be safe," Sreenivasan added.
That frees up some space for things you use every day, but there's another way as well.
"You probably have too many apps that you've downloaded that you wanted to try that you now find boring. Games you used to play that you don't anymore. So just go in there and detox them."
If there are apps you can't live without he recommends setting a screen time limit. Both tech experts suggest performing regular maintenance on all your digital devices.
"Computers are just like people right? They need their maintenance, they need their software updates, their patching. Just like people, that's their fuel," Shapiro explained.
In the end, if you are afraid of deleting something important while decluttering it might be best to visit a professional to have them do it for you.
