Performance

Android Widgets Most Users Can Live Without

Android’s widgets can be a mixed bag. Sure, some widgets can make your life better. But others can slow down your phone, deplete your data, or even steal your information — just like all of the various apps on your device. None of these widgets are necessarily bad; they just take up a lot of your battery life. But unless you know for sure which parts of your phone are draining your battery, you can’t always tell. Use DFNDR’s Memory Booster feature to locate the apps that are slowing your device and thus likely draining your battery:

Memory Booster will tell you which apps are running in the background of your phone so you can close them to free up your RAM and speed up your device. That way, your phone will no longer experience crashes and lagging.

What is a Widget Anyway?

Widgets are the tools available on your Android’s home screen. Android notes that there are several different types of widgets, from information widgets that display weather or time information, to control widgets that let you direct your app to do something without opening the app itself.

What Are Some of These Dreaded Widgets?

Widgets can make your home screen look great. They can also perform a variety of functions well. The problem, then, with many widgets is that they are usually bad for your phone’s battery life. This is because (for the most part) their purpose is to constantly update. Here are some of the worst widgets for your phone’s battery life:

HD Widget. This is a popular widget because it lets you choose vibrant backgrounds, themes, and layouts to customize your phone. Even though it costs $0.99 to download, over a million users have chosen to download this widget. What’s the problem, then? Users complain about the big battery drain this colorful widget causes on their phones.
Go Switch Widget. This widget lets you toggle off common phone uses like Wi-Fi, GPS, screen brightness, and screen lock. While the widget is certainly helpful — and seems like it would help to preserve your battery — in fact, Go Switch Widget is also reported by users as using up battery life.
Beautiful Widgets Pro. It’s a shame that Beautiful Widgets Pro eats your battery because it’s such a good-looking and popular widget. Like HD Widget, Beautiful Widgets Pro lets you customize your home screen with themes and layouts while also letting you add elements like clocks and weather.

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