Updated May, 2021
There’s nothing like a new phone. The screen is shiny, the features are cutting edge, and the operating system is fast and responsive. It’s perfect, and we wish it could stay like that forever.

Screen protectors and cases can keep your device cosmetically new, but keeping your device functioning at peak capacity takes a little extra maintenance—and since it’s time for spring cleaning in every other part of your life, now’s a good time to tackle your phone, too.

No need to rush. You have until June 30th before we start charging for data overages again. Until then, they’re totally free on SaskTel’s postpaid Wireless plans, noSTRINGS Prepaid wireless plans, or SaskTel fusion Internet plans.

Out with the Old
The biggest cause of a sluggish phone is a lack of available storage. That being said, it’s time to get ruthless. You’re probably hoarding apps you don’t need, as they take up precious digital real estate. For instance, a lot of us started 2021 with resolutions aimed at getting our quarantine bodies into tip top shape, which means we probably downloaded a few apps to help us out. But if you haven’t opened your Daily Inspiration or MyFitnessPal since January 1st, it’s probably time to press delete.

To make this easier, if you are an IOS user, you can actually program your phone to do this for you. Activating the Offloading Unused Apps setting in your iTunes & App Store within Settings will automatically delete apps you don’t use, optimizing space on your phone.

For Android users, the Unused App Remover is free from Google Play. This app tracks your activity and records when you’ve last used all your apps. So, when you are running low on memory, this tool handily hints which apps can be the first to go.
If you’ve been vigilant about your app upkeep, motivate yourself further by moving your most-used apps to your home screen where they can’t be ignored.

Find some additional free space by going through your camera roll. Chances are there are at least a few pics (sweatsuit selfies, #mealprep snaps, or screenshots) that you can probably bid adieu.

Finally, take a look at your media habits. If you’re most likely to listen to music or watch video in a place where you can connect to SaskTel WiFi (such as home, work, any of the more than 1,300 selectWI-FI locations in the province), consider using a streaming app like YouTube or Spotify instead of storing media files on your phone.

Remember that some of these applications can use large amounts of data even when not connected to WiFi. But no need to worry because until June 30, 2021, SaskTel is waiving all data overages so that you can enjoy the ease of cleaning your phone without the stress of running over your data cap.

In with the new
Now that you’ve taken out the trash, you can start fresh and develop some new habits.

First habit: device updates. Overall, these are really helpful to keep your device up to date. They offer patches to operating systems and frequently include small fixes to increase battery life and device speed. Occasionally, people who download updates in the first couple of days find some bugs, so you may want to wait until the kinks are worked out, but don’t dismiss that notification for weeks on end.

Second habit: double-think your downloads. Do you really need an entire app dedicated to weekly wallpaper options? Probably not. The fewer frivolous apps you download, the less often you’ll have to delete them. Which brings us to–

Third habit: stay on top of it. The next time you find yourself scrolling through your Insta feed for the third time in an hour, spend five minutes thinning out your meme collection instead.

Storage and Backup

Can’t bear to delete a single meme or whittle down your vast collection of pet pics? Back it up! The most obvious options are iCloud for the Apple crowd and Google Photos for team Android, but you can also back your phone up to your computer if you’ve maxed out your free cloud storage.

If you’ve tried it all and nothing works, it may be time for professional help. If you think your phone needs repair or upgrade, find a SaskTel Store near you to discuss your options. Do you have your own, unique ways of upkeeping your device? If so, drop them in the comments!