Phones are not just a means of texting and answering calls. They are tools connecting you to the world. You can check your social media feeds, upload videos to gain followers/subscribers, check and reply to emails, edit Word documents, etc. So when they slow down, it can feel like a punch to your gut.
All phones slow down with time, irrespective of the operating system and brand. Even Apple phones experience performance lags, and users need to speed up iPhone over time. However, this article focuses on how to speed up Android phones. Let’s go.
Check for Updates
Pending software updates are a common reason why your Android device has slowed down.
If it has been a long time since you’ve updated your phone, go to Settings > System > System Update. Install the available updates, and this will optimize your Android system.
Software updates fix performance issues and bugs. Therefore, regularly updating your device is an essential step in ensuring the device runs well.
A Simple Restart
Sometimes, all your device needs is a simple restart to work faster. Rebooting your device means deleting all the temporary files that are open on your device and cleaning the RAM. That’s why your device gets a boost.
Most Android phones are restarted by holding the power button for five to ten seconds and then choosing Restart from the menu that opens.
Disable or Uninstall the apps you don’t need
Every application on your Android phone uses memory. Since phones come with limited memory space, keeping only the applications you need is recommended.
The applications you never use must be removed from your device so they do not waste system resources. Tap Settings > Apps to see the list of applications on your device.
Browse through the list and identify the applications you don’t use anymore. Then, tap on the specific app and select Uninstall.
If the uninstall option is not available, tap Disable.
You can also go to the Google Play Store and uninstall the apps you don’t need.
Clear Storage Space
If your device runs out of storage space, your phone may run slower. You can free up space on your Android phone by going to Settings > Storage > Free up space. Then, follow the prompts provided by your phone to clear storage, including deleting unused applications, cleaning junk files, deleting backed-up media, and deleting large files.
If you don’t know where to start, your Android phone will give you options to free up storage. By doing this, you will be enhancing your phone’s performance too, and clear space to take more videos/photos and download more content.
Use the Lite Version of Popular apps
Twitter, Facebook, and other popular applications offer Lite versions for their applications. In addition, you can use the Lite version applications to enhance your phone’s performance and decrease data usage.
Lite version applications are the best if you own a phone with budget hardware and little memory. Your phone will become faster.
Reduce or Disable Animations
Another way to make your Android smartphone faster is by disabling or reducing animations. But you will need to activate the Developer Options on your smartphone to do this.
To enable the Developer Options, tap Settings > About Phone and then tap the build number seven times. Once this option is enabled, you can adjust the scale of the animations. In addition, you can adjust the different animations: Transition Animation, Window Animation, and Animation Duration.
By reducing or disabling animations, you can reduce the time to render the visual effects of your phone.
Disable Background Data and Sync
Android devices are programmed to sync background data automatically, so you receive instant notifications from your applications. However, you can disable this feature to stop receiving notifications from your applications when you are not using them. Instead, the notifications will only come when you open the apps. This will help save battery life and also make your device perform quicker.
You can also turn off the background sync, but you must do this on each application individually. You can do this by going to the Settings app > tapping on the Network & Internet option > Internet > Settings icon for your mobile data network > App data usage. Then, scroll down and tap into each application for which you wish to disable background data.
Once you have selected the application, you must scroll down to Background data and then toggle it off.
Conclusion
Since your phone is your lifeline, keeps you connected with your loved ones, and finishes tasks on the go, a slight performance lag can become a significant inconvenience. Also, upgrading your phone and getting more storage space may not be ideal by investing in an additional SD card. Instead, follow the methods outlined above to speed up your Android phone.
