How To Speed Up A Slow Android Phone

If your Android phone has been dragging its feet and not keeping up like it used to, you’re not alone. A slow phone can be really frustrating, especially when you’re trying to do something important or just browsing through your favorite apps. But don’t worry, there are some pretty simple things you can do to give your phone a speed boost. This guide will walk you through several tips and tricks to speed up your slow Android phone.

How To Speed Up A Slow Android Phone

What are some of the main reasons behind your phone getting slow?

Several factors could be responsible for your device to perform slow and this might be due to hardware related or software-related issue. When your phone gets old, then the device hardware might not be good enough to run the latest apps and games. Let us take a quick look at some of the reasons behind your phone’s weak performance.

  • Insufficient Memory (RAM)
  • Insufficient Internal Storage
  • Damaged Battery
  • Old Android version
  • Unused Apps and Bloatware

How to Speed up a Slow Android Phone

Since we have a clear idea of the important factors that can make your phone slow, fixing them won’t be that difficult. As mentioned earlier, there are several small changes that you can make to improve the performance of your device. In this section, we are going to discuss these tips and tricks in detail so that you can speed up your phone in no time.

Method 1: Free Up Space

Insufficient internal memory is probably the biggest culprit behind your phone getting slow. The solution is as simple as freeing up space. There are many ways in which you can do that. Let’s start from the top and discuss the various ways to reduce the load on the internal memory.

1. Backup your Personal Files

If you do not have an external memory card, then all your media files like photos, videos, and music get stored on your internal memory. This makes up a significant portion of your internal memory. If you are facing the problem of insufficient storage, then it is always a good idea to transfer your media files to a computer or cloud storage like Google Drive, One Drive, etc. Having a backup for your photos and videos has a lot of added benefits as well. Your data will remain safe even if your mobile gets lost, stolen, or damaged. Opting for a cloud storage service also protects against data theft, malware, and ransomware. Apart from that, the files will always be available for viewing and download. All that you need to do is log in to your account and access your cloud drive. For Android users, the best cloud option for photos and videos is Google photos. Other viable options are Google Drive, One Drive, Dropbox, MEGA, etc.

You can also choose to transfer your data to a computer. It won’t be accessible at all times, but it offers much more storage space. In comparison to cloud storage that offers limited free space (you need to pay for extra space), a computer offers almost unlimited space and can accommodate all your media files irrespective of how much it is.

2. Speed Up A Slow Android Phone By Removing Unused Apps and their Data

Everyone has at least a couple of apps that they never use. It is always good to uninstall apps that you do not need to make more room for the essential ones. In addition to that, all apps store data on internal storage. Social media apps are one of the main contributors to clog up your internal memory. Therefore, in addition to clearing these apps, you can also delete the cache and data files for some apps or all apps to significantly free up the internal memory. Follow the steps given below to clear cache and data files for any app (let’s take Facebook, for example).

1. Firstly, open Settings on your device and go to the Apps section.

2. Here, look for Facebook among the list of installed apps and tap on it.

3. Now tap on the Storage option.

4. After that, tap on the Clear Cache and Clear Data buttons, and the data files will be removed for that app from your device.

Tap on the clear data and clear cache respective buttons

5. You can also tap on the Uninstall button on the way out if you no longer need that app.

To delete all Cache files, you will have to Wipe Cache Partition from the bootloader. In earlier Android versions, it was possible to clear all Cache files from the Settings itself, but now it is not possible. Follow the steps given below to Wipe Cache Partition on an Android phone.

  1. The first thing that you need to do is to switch off your mobile phone.
  2. To enter the bootloader, you need to press a combination of keys. For some devices, it is the power button along with the volume down key while for others, it is the power button along with both the volume keys.
  3. Take note that the touchscreen does not work in the bootloader mode, so when it starts using the volume keys to scroll through the list of options.
  4. Traverse to the Recovery option and press the power button to select it.
  5. Now traverse to the Wipe Cache Partition option and press the power button to select it.
  6. Once the cache files get deleted, reboot your device.

Also Read: How to Clear Cache on Android Phone

Method 2: Disable or Uninstall Bloatware

Bloatware refers to the pre-installed apps and system apps that are present on your phone from the very beginning. These apps could have been added by the manufacturer, your network service provider, or could even be specific companies that pay the manufacturer to add their apps as a promotion. These could be system apps like weather, health tracker, calculator, compass, etc., or some promotional apps like Amazon, Spotify, etc.

While some of these apps can be uninstalled, others cannot be removed. Follow the steps given below to uninstall/disable Bloatware in order to speed up your slow Android phone:

1. Go to the Settings of your phone.

2. Now click on the Apps option.

3. This will display the list of all the apps installed on your phone. Select the apps that you don’t want and click on them.

Search for the Gmail app and tap on it | How To Speed Up A Slow Android Phone

4. Now, you will find the option to Disable instead of Uninstall. As mentioned earlier, some apps can’t be removed completely, and you have to make do with disabling them instead of uninstalling them.

Find the option to Disable instead of Uninstall

5. In case, neither of the options is available, and the Uninstall/Disable buttons are greyed out, then it means that the app cannot be removed directly. You will have to use third-party apps like System App Remover or No Bloat Free to get rid of these apps.

6. However, proceed with the above-mentioned step only if you absolutely certain that deleting that particular app won’t interfere with the normal functioning of your Android smartphone.

Method 3: Update Android Operating System

As mentioned earlier, an old and outdated Android version can make your device slow as it is not optimized to handle the latest apps. Therefore, you should always update your operating system to the latest version that is available. Follow the steps given below to see how.

1. The first thing that you need to do is to open Settings on your device.

2. Now tap on the System option.

3. Here, select the Software update option.

Now, click on the Software update

4. Your phone will now automatically look for any new Android Operating system updates.

Check for Software Updates. Click on it | How To Speed Up A Slow Android Phone

5. Tap on the Update button if it shows any pending updates.

Method 4: Switch to Lite versions of Apps

A lot of popular apps and games have separate Lite versions of their apps. These apps are designed specifically for devices that aren’t that great in terms of specifications. These apps consume fewer data and thus they are perfect for people having a limited internet connection. Social media apps like Facebook and Twitter have their lite version apps available on the Play Store. It is much needed as these apps contribute in a big way to make your phone slow.

For example, Facebook is only around 100 MB at the time of installation, but it saves a lot of data and starts occupying almost 1GB of space in a couple of weeks. This is a serious cause of concern for old devices and budget phones having lower internal memory space. In addition to that, these apps are constantly running in the background scanning for any new message, post, or notification. As a result, a significant amount of RAM is being used up by a couple of apps alone. For budget phones, this has a major effect in slowing down the phone and make the experience feel laggy and sluggish.

Install the latest Version of Facebook Lite App

The simple solution is to get rid of the main app and replace them with their lite versions. Not only do they occupy less space but also do not hog RAM or other hardware resources. You won’t even have to compromise with the functionalities. The lite version of Facebook or Twitter allows you to do everything possible on the normal app. Scrolling through your feed, making a post, talking to your friends, etc. is possible on the Lite app just like the regular app.

Method 5: Speed up a slow Android phone by disabling Animations

Animations improve the user experience by providing an aesthetic feel. Different kinds of transitions, opening and closing an app, switching between different screens, etc. all have some animation associated with it. However, when the device gets old, these animations become a little too much for the phone to handle. Simple actions, like scrolling through the app gallery, feels sluggish and laggy. Therefore, it is a good idea to disable all animations manually. This will reduce the load on GPU and make your phone responsive and snappier. However, to disable animations, you first need to enable the Developer options. Follow the steps given below to disable animations on Android phone:

1. Firstly, open the Settings on your phone then tap on the System tab.

2. Under the System tab, tap on Developer options.

3. Here, look for the Windows animations scale and tap on it.

4. Now, select the “Animation off” option.

Select the “Animation is off” option | How To Speed Up A Slow Android Phone

5. Similarly, look for any other option with the word animation in it like the Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale, and turn off the Animation for them.

Look for any other option with the word animation

Method 6: Optimize Chrome to speed up a Slow Android phone

Chrome has a dedicated Data Saver mode for devices having a slow internet connection and hardware limitations. In the Data Saver mode, Chrome automatically compresses websites by 30 percent and videos by 50 percent. This significantly improves the browsing speed and makes your device feel faster. Follow the steps given below to enable the Data Saver mode for Chrome.

1. Firstly, open Chrome on your phone.

2. Now tap on the three-button menu on the top-right corner of the screen.

3. From the drop-down menu, select Settings and then tap on the Data Saver option.

Select Settings and then tap on the Data Saver option

4. After that, enable the toggle switch next to the Data Saver option.

Enable the toggle switch next to the Data Saver option

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With that, we come to the end of this article and we hope that you find this information helpful. There is nothing quite frustrating as struggling with a slow and sluggish phone. Since most of the work is carried out on our phones, they must be fast and responsive.

If none of these methods can speed up your Android device, you can try to reset it to factory settings. This way, the phone will go back to its original state out of the box. However, since it will completely remove all your apps and data, make sure that you backup all your essential data before opting for a factory reset.

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