These surprising apps are firing up enormous server farms miles away, processing data nobody asked for, and quietly killing your phone's battery, says one expert.

If your home apps are multiplying, I suggest converting to Matter devices, adopting a password manager, and using other hacks to cut down on juggling all those apps.

You should also limit the number of these apps that you keep on your phone — you certainly do not want to collect multiple apps highlighted in the report to compound the risk.