I used to have 83 apps on my phone. 83. Three full screens of icons. I'd forgotten what half of them did. Some I hadn't opened in years. But they stayed—because maybe I'd need them someday.
That "someday" never came.
Over the past year, I've been ruthlessly pruning. Not deleting apps for the sake of minimalism—but asking each one: "Does this actually make my life calmer, or does it just make my life busier?"
What I landed on is a stack of exactly eight apps. Not eight per category—eight total. That's it. Everything else is either gone, replaced by a browser when needed, or replaced by doing nothing at all.
Here's the stack.
The Rules
Before I list them, let me explain how I chose them.
One app, one purpose. I don't keep two apps that do the same thing. No redundancy. No "backup" apps.
No apps designed to steal my time. If the primary business model is engagement, it's out. No social media. No infinite scroll. No algorithmic feeds.
No apps I check "just in case." If I'm not actively using it for something specific, it doesn't belong on my phone.
No apps with notifications. All notifications are off. Every single one. If something is urgent, people can call.
The Eight
1. Messages (iMessage/SMS)
The only communication app I keep. Calls and texts. That's it.
I don't use WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, or any other messaging platform. I used to have all of them—each with its own threads, its own group chats, its own notifications. I pared down to one. If someone needs to reach me, they know how.
Why it stays: It's how actual humans reach me. Simple.
2. Calendar
One calendar. One view. I don't sync it with anything except my work and personal schedules. No social calendars, no shared family calendars, no "suggested" events from algorithms.
I check it twice a day: morning and evening. I don't get pinged about upcoming appointments. I don't need to be reminded—I need to be intentional.
Why it stays: Time management is essential. But I look at it on my terms.
3. Notes (Apple Notes)
Plain text. No folders. No tags. No databases.
I used to have Notion, Obsidian, and Bear all at once. I migrated between them three times. I spent more time organising than thinking. Now I just write things down in a single, running document. Search handles the rest.
Why it stays: I need a place to capture thoughts. I don't need a system to manage them.
4. Maps
The one navigation app. No alternatives. It's the only app that knows my location—and only when I'm using it.
I used to keep Google Maps and Apple Maps. I deleted Google Maps because it was too aggressive with suggestions and notifications. Apple Maps is simple. It shows me where to go and then shuts up.
Why it stays: I get lost sometimes. This helps me find my way.
5. Camera
Built-in. No filters. No editing tools. No third-party camera apps that promise "professional" controls. I don't need to adjust the ISO. I need to take a picture and move on.
I don't post photos anywhere. I print the ones I want to keep.
Why it stays: Capturing moments is worthwhile. The app doesn't need to be anything more than a viewfinder.
6. Photos
One gallery. No editing features. I don't use the "For You" section, the memories, or the "People" albums. I just have a grid of photos that I can scroll through when I want to remember something.
I automatically delete photos I don't need. If I haven't looked at it in a month, it's gone.
Why it stays: I take photos to remember things. I don't need them curated back at me.
7. Kindle
One reading app. One purpose. No notifications. No recommendations. Just the book I'm currently reading.
I don't use the Kindle store in the app—I download books separately and open them. That removes the temptation to browse and buy more than I'll ever read.
Why it stays: Reading is the one thing I genuinely want to do more of on my phone.
8. Pocket Casts
One podcast app. No recommendations. Just the shows I subscribe to. I download episodes manually instead of auto-downloading. That forces me to choose what I actually want to listen to, rather than letting the feed decide.
Why it stays: Podcasts are a good use of walking or commuting time. But I don't need the app to suggest what I should hear.
What I Gave Up
Let me be honest about what's missing.
No email. I use the browser on my laptop twice a day. Email does not belong on my phone. It was the hardest one to give up—and the most freeing.
No social media. Instagram, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reddit. All gone from my phone. I check them in a browser once a week, if I remember. I don't. The browser is slow and clunky on purpose—it makes me not want to spend time there.
No news. I don't need to know what happened 15 minutes ago. I read a weekly newsletter for context. That's enough.
No banking apps. I use the website on my laptop for banking. It takes an extra 30 seconds and removes the constant checking of balances.
No health tracking. No step counters. No heart rate monitors. No sleep tracking. I sleep fine. I walk fine. I don't need an app to tell me that.
No shopping. No Amazon. No eBay. No retail apps. If I need to buy something, I open a browser. The friction makes me more intentional about purchases.
No weather apps. I have a window. Sometimes I step outside.
How This Changed My Day
The most obvious change: I use my phone less.
Not because I'm disciplined—because there's nothing to check. I open my phone for specific reasons, complete the task, and put it down. There's no loop. No feed. No pull-to-refresh. No infinite scroll.
My average screen time dropped from over four hours a day to under one. That's not a brag—it's just what happens when you remove the things that were designed to keep you looking.
I think more clearly. Without constant interruptions and ambient distractions, my mind wanders less. When I sit down to work, I'm already in a focused state. I don't need to "warm up" for 20 minutes.
I sleep better. The phone goes on a charger outside my bedroom at 9pm. No blue light. No late-night scrolling. No checking email before falling asleep.
Could You Do This?
Yes. But I'll be honest: it's not about the apps. It's about why you're keeping them.
I kept my banking app for years because I thought I needed to check my balance constantly. I didn't. I kept social media because I thought I'd miss something important. I never did. I kept email on my phone because I thought I needed to be responsive. I was wrong.
The eight apps I kept aren't magic. They're just the ones that serve a real purpose, without serving a hidden agenda.
Every app either makes your life easier or makes it busier. There's no third option.
You need less than you think. Eight apps can do more than eighty ever did.
