It's no secret that just like some computer programs run terribly, certain Android apps wreak havoc on smartphones and tablets due to their consumption of data, energy, and space. The folks at AVG published a report highlighting the apps with the worst performance, and several names on the list are too significant to ignore.
Smartphone specifications have received considerable optimizations in recent years, and under the right conditions, the latest generation can compete without trouble with an average computer. Unfortunately, the story is a bit different on the software side. One of the reasons why smartphones and tablets multiplied cores, storage, and RAM is the terrible performance of some of the most important apps on the market. In several cases, users get a better experience avoiding an official app altogether and visiting the service in question with a mobile browser. For some strange reason that's hard to understand, developers of these apps completely ignore the situation, which, by the way, is unsustainable.
The Report
The latest example was the Facebook app for iOS, which basically eats iPhone batteries alive. Now, a recent report published by the folks at AVG identifies the Android apps with the worst performance. The report is divided into two categories: apps that run automatically with the device, and apps that require direct user intervention. The full study has more than 40 pages, but if you only want to know the main culprits… they are Facebook and Snapchat. On one hand, Facebook generates the greatest consumption of data "and" local space on the device, and on the other, Snapchat brings whatever it uses to its knees by simultaneously using GPS, camera, and connectivity (whether WiFi or mobile).
Amazon Shopping, Netflix, Instagram, Google Play Services, BBM, and apps like Words with Friends and The Weather Channel appear on this list.
Among the "hidden" elements that users cannot uninstall through traditional means, AVG makes special mention of Samsung's update system (com.sec.android.fwupgrade) as a battery hog, and when it comes to freeing up space, the apps in the spotlight are Spotify, Amazon Kindle, and none other than Google Chrome. If you have a few minutes to spare, I recommend reading the full report (link below), but the message is forceful and confirms everything we suspected: Some apps ruin the performance and battery life of our mobile devices.
