A slow Android smartphone is not something to worry about. If it was slow when you bought it because it was low-end, or it was a fast phone that gradually started to slow down once you got older, you do not need to be worried, it’s all solvable. We have a complete guide full of tips on how to speed up your smartphone. We are sure you will be satisfied with the quick results!
Our 10 best tips to speed up your phone
Identify the problem
The first thing to do is to find out what is causing the problem: an app, multiple apps, the system itself? Qualcomm’s Trepn Profiler will show you real-time CPU load for individual cores, an overview of network traffic for data and Wi-Fi, GPU loads and RAM usage, and more.
Trepn can also produce specific app or system profiles and contains various methods for displaying accumulated data. You can save profiled data for offline viewing and analysis, and even performance overlays on running apps. Once you understand your specific problem, you can move on to the solutions you find below.
Make free space
All the photos you’ve taken and all the apps you’ve installed can make you pay the toll on the phone. The device needs some space, has to breathe to run smoothly and space is almost exhausted, it can start to slow down.
You can check how much space you have left by going to the “Memory in Settings” section.
One of the easiest ways to free up some space is to go to “Applications” and see which apps you can uninstall. Select an app you no longer need, then go to “Uninstall”. You can repeat this process as many times as necessary for any app that you do not think is necessary.
There are other ways you can free space. The files you downloaded are probably still in wasted storage space and can be removed. Under Storage, tap “Download”, select the files you want to remove and then go to the “Trash” icon.
Many installed apps use data caching in an attempt to speed up operations. This is effective up to a point, but if you’re running out of space, it can be counterproductive.
- To free this space, select the “Clear cached data” option, then tap “OK” to confirm.
- More files for deletion can be found in the “Various Files” section.
- Choose the boxes next to any file you wish to remove: backups, files received via Bluetooth, playlist files, and so on, then go to the “Trash” icon.
- You can keep an eye on the space you’ve freed when you look at the “Available Space” section.
You can also disable all the apps pre-installed on your phone but do not use them. If you’ve rooted your Android, you can actually get rid of these apps, but if not, you can access the app’s properties and disable it to prevent it from running and using it.
Speed up your phone by reducing widgets
All the widgets you have running on your home screen can be useful, but they also get their fair share of resources. If you have widgets running that you do not really need, consider disabling.
There is nothing wrong with having someone active, but you will notice a slowdown if you have too many running at the same time, so be a little selective.
Disable unnecessary animations and extras
Depending on the launcher you are using, you may find that you are using animations and special effects. These may seem beautiful, but they can also slow down your phone. Check your launcher settings to see if there is a way to disable one of these unnecessary extras and you could gain speed.
Close the app and free the RAM
Multitasking of different apps simplifies switching between different tools, but it can also affect performance. You can quickly close all the apps you no longer use by calling up the list of running apps: hold the “Home” button and quickly scroll through all the apps you want to delete.
- If you are on this screen, touch the pie chart icon at the bottom right of the screen and then go to the “RAM” section.
- Tap the “Clear memory” button and all background processes that are running unnecessarily will be closed.
Restart your device
A quick and simple solution for a slow device is to simply restart it. This can eliminate the cache, stop the execution of unnecessary tasks and restart everything without problems. Press and hold the power button, select the reboot option, then tap “OK” to confirm.
Speed up your phone by updating the operating system
Are you still ignoring that notification that tells you to update your software? He wants only the best for you. Software updates are not always about new features, they often also contain bug fixes and performance improvements that can significantly speed up device operation.
Make sure your software is always up to date with the latest version available. You may not always be ready for a big download, but do not postpone it forever.
Dig deeper
You can also monitor apps that use a lot of battery by going to Settings> Battery. You can also monitor RAM usage in Settings> Apps (or App Manager, depending on the brand of your phone).
There are even more geeky goodies in “Process Stats” under “Developer Options”: if you have not enabled this setting, go to Settings> About phone and tap “Build number” seven times until a notification appears.
Reset your phone
For experienced users, the unlocking of development options is a simple taste of energy, the first step on the way of real arcane arts: the rooting of the phone. With a rooted device, you have the freedom to install cleaner ROMs that can run more smoothly than your current configuration and even overclock the processor.
Keep in mind that these methods are not without risk. Phone rooting is a complex process and may void the warranty. A careless user can end up breaking the phone’s operating system.
Restore factory settings
Yes, it’s that old and faithful last resource that can save even when everything else is lost (and if you do, everything else will be lost). A factory reset will restore the phone to the condition that the manufacturer has sent it, which can work wonders for cleaning up the obscure bits of the remaining software and the bug code that could clog the performance.
The trouble is, of course, that you will lose all your data. But if you’ve tried all our 10 best tips to speed up your phone, then it may be time to take drastic measures.
Do you have any tips or techniques you use to speed up your phone? Do you have any apps you use to optimize the process? Let us know in the comments!