AVG security break down what the biggest data and battery killer apps are

Many of us are always shocked to see our phone batteries die sooner than normal or when our monthly phone bill shows we are consuming a lot more data than normal. Usually, the reason for both of these problems is what I call “rogue apps“. They use way beyond their means, but it’s hard to tell exactly which apps are causing the problems. However, AVG has crunched all the numbers and has come up with the top rogue apps list.

For years it has always been the Facebook app to take the top spot, but now, times have changed. Snapchat has finally dethroned the king of rouge apps, claiming top spot as a smartphone performance killer. It managed to do this by “its simultaneous use of your device’s camera, Wi-Fi, mobile data and GPS functionality”.

Tumblr is another app that has recently made it’s way to the top of the list. It uses more data than Netflix and Spotify combined!

Although apps obviously use more battery or data when you are using them, some apps still use a ton of each when running in the background. The list below shows which apps consumed the most overall battery drain, storage usage, and mobile data combined.

Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist, at AVG Technologies said:

“The goal of these reports is not to alarm smartphone users, but rather to enable them to make informed choices about the apps they run on a daily basis,”

Press Release:

AMSTERDAM, Oct. 20, 2015 /PRNewswire/ — Although its pictures and videos are gone in an instant, its effect on your smartphone lingers, as Snapchat the image-sharing app has been crowned as the number one smartphone performance killer in the latest AVG Android App Performance Report. Compiled by AVG® Technologies N.V. (NYSE: AVG), the online security company™ for more than 200 million monthly active users, the report saw Snapchat dethrone previous top-spot holders, Facebook and Spotify, thanks to its simultaneous use of your device’s camera, Wi-Fi, mobile data and GPS functionality.

Also climbing to the top of the report is the social and blogging platform Tumblr, which has emerged as the highest, traffic-consuming app for the period. Despite the relatively low-level content viewed on the platform – primarily news, short video clips, blogs and some pictures – Tumblr used more data than Netflix and Spotifycombined.

Additional findings from the report include:

• There is a costly quest for updates: Topping the list of hidden, battery-draining services this quarter is the innocuously named “com.sec.android.fwupgrade,” which is responsible for delivering periodic Samsung updates to Android devices via Wi-Fi. As with the similarly update-heavy Samsung Security Policy Update (KNOX) and Google Play apps, the service has a massive impact on the battery life of your device
• Your browser ‘hoards’ data: Google Chrome emerged as the second-highest storage-consuming app this quarter thanks to its collection of user browsing data over time, joining more obvious apps, such asSpotify and Amazon Kindle
• Facebook ‘mis’-manages: A consistent ‘top’ performer in our charts, Facebook has a new contender, this quarter, with its monitoring app, Facebook Pages Manager. The app stores a lot of local content as it tracks page statistics, followers and comments while on the move

Though many users make a conscious choice to download and run high-impact apps on their smartphones, AVG’s research has found a host of apps which silently drain smartphone resources in the background without the users’ knowledge or action. These apps are differentiated in the report as those that run at start-up, versus those that are run by the user. The following apps consumed the most, overall battery drain, storage usage and mobile data combined.    

Run at Start-Up		Run by User
Ranking #	App	Ranking #	App
1	Facebook	1	Snapchat
2	Google Play Services	2	Amazon Shopping UK
3	Facebook Pages Manager	3	Spotify Music
4	BBM	4	LINE: Free Calls & Messages
5	Words with Friends	5	Samsung WatchON (Video)
6	Instagram	6	Netflix
7	Messenger	7	Clean Master (Boost & App Lock)
8	ooVoo Video Call Text & Voice	8	Amazon Kindle
9	ChatON Voice & Video Chat	9	Amazon Shopping (Global)
10	The Weather Channel	10	BBC News

 

• A bad forecast: Both The Weather Channel and Words with Friends were surprise entrants in our start-up chart – with the apps seemingly having no clear need to run invisibly in the background
• A drain on your wallet and smartphone: With two of its shopping apps in our top 10 ‘run by user’ list, if you want to save data and battery life on the go, you might want to steer clear of Amazon

“The goal of these reports is not to alarm smartphone users, but rather to enable them to make informed choices about the apps they run on a daily basis,” said Tony Anscombe, Senior Security Evangelist, at AVG Technologies. “Apps are meant to enhance, not to detract from your smartphone experience, but with so many options, we are in danger of overloading our devices. If you are one of the people who feels like they are fighting a constant battle with their device’s battery, or never have enough storage to save your favorite clips and images, then we want to help you take back control.”

Analyzing aggregated, anonymous data from over one million AVG Android app users, the quarterly AVG Android App Performance Report aims to reveal the top performance-affecting apps worldwide – analyzing their overall impact and performance against three key categories – battery drain, storage consumption, and data traffic use.

The full report can be downloaded from http://now.avg.com/android-app-performance-report-q2-2015.

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About AVG Technologies (NYSE: AVG)

AVG is the online security company providing leading software and services to secure devices, data and people. AVG’s award-winning technology is delivered to over 200 million monthly active users worldwide. AVG’s Consumer portfolio includes internet security, performance optimization, and personal privacy and identity protection for mobile devices and desktops. The AVG Business portfolio – delivered by managed service providers, VARs and resellers – offers IT administration, control and reporting, integrated security, and mobile device management that simplify and protect businesses.

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