How to make your Android phone / tablet faster
There are many ways to make an Android device run faster: empty trash folders, close apps that are hanging in the memory, delete unused apps, update the OS and the apps, and many others.
Typically, Android devices tend to slow down over time. This is a natural process, especially due to the accumulation of cache data, apps, and files. Additionally, each OS and app update might require more hardware resources.
Regardless of the cause, when your device is slower than you expect or desire, you will find plenty of ways to enhance its performance.
Reasons Why Android Devices Slow Down
You might be concerned about why your Android device is running slowly or experiencing other performance issues such as lagging and unresponsiveness. Here’s a list of possible culprits:
- You need to restart your device: Something might have occurred or isn’t working properly with your current device state. A simple restart can often resolve many issues, so give it a try.
- The device is overloaded with files, unused apps, and cache data: If the free space is less than 10%, Android will begin to slow down in performance.
- You have many apps running in the background: It’s advisable to close all apps when you’re not actively using the device.
- Your device is obsolete: In this case, you’ll need to make extensive performance optimizations or consider upgrading to a new device.
- You may have unwanted software such as malware: Malware can significantly slow down your device.
If the slowness occurred recently and wasn’t progressive, it might be because you installed an unstable app or app update, or the latest OS update might not be functioning properly on your device.
Also, it’s important not to confuse device slowness with a slow internet connection. If you’re experiencing a slow internet connection or poor network connectivity, apps that rely on the internet such as YouTube, Google Maps, Facebook, etc., will not function well. In this case, improving your internet connection is necessary.
1. Close Apps After Use and Manage Apps Usage
When you switch between apps, they often remain open in the background, consuming system resources and impacting memory availability. This can significantly degrade your device’s performance.
The fix for this issue is simple: regularly clear all background apps. You can do this, for example, when you charge the battery, or even better, just before locking the device. Simply press the three horizontal lines button and tap “Close all”. This action frees up the device’s memory.
Another important consideration is how you manage the usage of the apps you have running. A common example is having numerous tabs open in your browser without closing the ones you no longer need. Each time you open the browser, these unnecessary tabs are reloaded, consuming memory needlessly.
If you have dozens of tabs open, it’s natural to experience a significant slowdown in device performance. Develop a habit of cleaning up the apps you use, and your overall experience with the device will be greatly enhanced.
2. Run automatic optimizations
Your device offers automatic optimizations, but sometimes it’s beneficial to initiate them manually.
Navigate to Settings > Battery & Device Care and execute all the optimizations suggested for each available category:
- Battery: Depending on your device usage, you might consider enabling Power Saving mode and enforcing background usage limits by putting unused apps to sleep.
- Storage: Here, you can get an overview of available storage. Cleaning up trash and cache data will free up space on your device.
- Memory: You can often initiate a Memory Cleanup, which will significantly free up memory.
- Device Protection: Basic protection against malware and suspicious activities is included in the Android OS. Therefore, optimizations and security recommendations may be provided.
3. Increase storage on the device
To avoid experiencing performance issues, it’s recommended to maintain at least 10% of free storage space on your device. It’s always beneficial to have as much free storage space as possible. Therefore, consider safely deleting files you no longer need, including those in the trash.
In many cases, you can easily increase free storage space by removing files from the Trash. When you delete a file, it’s moved to the Trash folder, where it remains for 30 days before permanent deletion.
Additionally, consider removing unneeded documents from the Downloads and Documents folders, as well as deleting pictures and videos that are no longer necessary.
Furthermore, you might want to consider transferring old files, pictures, and videos to your computer as a backup plan.
4. Remove apps you don’t use
Part of decluttering your device involves removing unnecessary apps that you don’t use.
Navigate to Settings > Apps > Unused apps to access a list of apps that are installed but rarely used or haven’t been used for a long time.
Proceed to uninstall all the apps that you don’t actively use. Keep in mind that some apps come preinstalled with the Android operating system, and you won’t be able to uninstall them.
5. Update everything (Android OS and apps)
Ensuring that both your Android OS and apps are up-to-date is crucial as new versions often include performance enhancements, bug fixes, and security features.
It’s important to note that while keeping your OS and apps updated might lead to a temporary slowdown in performance, this typically occurs after years of usage. This is because software requirements tend to increase over time, generally aligning with the enhanced hardware capabilities of new devices.
To update your device:
- Update Android OS: Check for instructions on how to update Android to the latest version.
- Update Apps: Open Google Play Store > Apps > Update all to ensure that all your apps are up-to-date.
6. Use Lite (Alternative) Versions of Apps You Frequently Use
Certain apps consume a significant amount of a device’s resources, making them unsuitable for use on devices with limited memory and storage space. Additionally, some apps may encounter software issues or bugs specific to your Android version or device state.
In such cases, using alternative apps can be a solution. Many companies offer alternative versions of their apps optimized for better performance and increased compatibility with various Android versions.
If you experience sluggishness or issues with a particular app, consider using its alternative version, often referred to as a “lite” version. Examples include Facebook Lite, Spotify Lite, Google Maps Go, and Google Go. These lite versions are designed to be more efficient in resource usage and may provide a smoother experience on your device.
7. Optimize you Android home screen
Fancy elements on your home screen, like complex themes, animated wallpapers, and numerous widgets, can decrease overall performance. To optimize your home screen, consider the following:
- Use a Simple Theme: Consider using a simpler theme, or try a different theme than the current one, which might be causing the performance slowdown.
- Set a Static Image as Wallpaper: Opt for a static image as your wallpaper instead of an animated one. This can help reduce resource consumption.
- Remove Unused Widgets: Remove any widgets that you don’t use regularly. Unused widgets still consume resources and can contribute to performance issues.
By implementing these optimizations, you can help improve the performance of your device’s home screen and overall user experience.
8. Adjust animation speeds
Animations play a significant role in enhancing the interactive and visual appeal of Android devices. They dictate how windows and other graphical elements are displayed on the screen, including transitions such as fading in, fading out, and other visual effects.
The longer the duration and scale of animations, the greater the demand for system resources.
Adjusting animation speeds can notably improve performance without any noticeable downside for the user.
To begin, enable developer options: Go to Settings > About phone > Scroll down to OS build number > Tap Build number seven times.
Next, navigate to Settings > System > Developer options > Drawing > Animation scale. Then, change the default values (1x) to .05x for the following options:
- Window animation scale: Controls the speed of window animation playback, such as menu pop-ups.
- Transition animation scale: Governs the speed of transitions between screens, like navigating back out of a menu.
- Animator duration scale: Determines the speed of animations that occur within the OS, such as opening and closing app effects.
While it’s possible to turn off animations entirely, doing so can make the system feel unfamiliar and is not advisable. Adjusting animation speeds offers a balance between performance improvement and maintaining a familiar user experience.
9. Reset Android to factory settings
Resetting your Android device to factory settings is often the most effective solution for resolving software issues and speed up your Android phone or tablet. This process erases all data on your system and restores it to its original factory state.
Resetting the device is a time-consuming task. You’ll need to back up your data, perform the reset, and then reinstall necessary apps and copy backed-up files back onto the device. Therefore, before proceeding with the reset, it’s advisable to try the methods presented above.
Refer to the instructions on how to reset Android to factory settings for guidance on performing this task.
Keeping a clean Android system is crucial for maintaining optimal device performance, including its speed and overall functionality. However, effective device usage also plays a significant role:
- Close All Apps: Before locking the device, ensure that all apps are closed. This prevents unnecessary background processes from consuming system resources.
- Periodically Transfer Files: Move old files to your computer as a backup plan. This helps free up storage space on your device and keeps it organized.
- Limit Browser Tabs: Avoid keeping too many tabs open in the browser. Closing unused tabs conserves memory and improves browser performance.
By adopting these practices, you can enhance the performance and longevity of your Android device.
