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How to speed up your Android phone

Top tips to get your mobile moving...

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There are loads of great Android smartphones to choose from. Some are blazingly fast, like the latest and greatest Samsung phones - you’ve got no worries there. But if you’ve had your phone for a few years it might be a different story, as some models do get slower with age. So, if you think your older Android is struggling to keep up with you, here are some top tips to try and bring it up to speed.

Restarting your phone

First things first, let’s try a simple restart. This can help speed up your Android phone in a few different ways:

  • Clearing memory. Restarting closes all apps and processes running in the background, freeing up resources to help things run faster.

  • Clearing the cache. Temporary files and cached data accumulated over time can slow down your phone. A cache clear can solve this.

  • System updates. Sometimes, restarting can trigger pending system updates - which can optimise performance and fix bugs.

Here’s how to restart your Android phone. Remember to save any unsaved work before restarting your phone, as it closes all open apps and processes.

  1. Press and hold the power button (it’s usually on the side or top of an Android phone). A menu should appear on the screen with options including Power Off, Restart, and Emergency Mode.

  2. Tap ‘Restart’ and confirm if prompted.

  3. Wait for your phone to power off and restart. This might take a couple of minutes.

  4. Now unlock your phone and start using it again. Hopefully, its performance will have improved.

Updating the Android operating system

Updating the Android operating system on an old phone can speed it up by:

  • Optimisation. Newer versions of Android often include performance optimizations, making the operating system run more efficiently on older hardware.

  • Bug fixes. Updates typically address software bugs and glitches, which can improve your phone’s system stability and performance.

  • Security patches. Updating Android ensures that your device has the latest security patches. This reduces the risk of malware and other security issues that can slow down your phone.

  • App compatibility. Some updated apps need newer versions of Android to run smoothly. Updating your phone can make it compatible with the latest apps, which can help improve your phone’s all-round performance.

Here's a quick step-by-step guide to updating Android on your phone. Before you start, make sure your phone’s charged up and connected to a stable Wi-Fi network. And please note - these steps might vary slightly depending on the make and model of your phone, and the version of Android it's running.

  1. Go to ‘Settings’.

  2. Scroll down and tap on ‘System’ or ‘About phone’, depending on your device.

  3. Look for an option called ‘Software update’ or ‘System update’ and tap on it.

  4. Your phone will now check for available updates. If an update is available, follow the prompts to download and install it.

  5. After the update is installed, restart your phone to apply the changes.

Managing storage

Keeping on top of your phone’s storage can free up valuable space and help optimise its performance. Here are a few top tips for doing it properly:

  • Delete unnecessary apps. Go through your installed apps and uninstall any that you hardly use any more.

  • Remove old files. Bin any old files, documents, and downloads you no longer need. You can use a good file manager app to speed up this process.

  • Clear your app cache. Go to Settings > Apps > [select app] > Storage > Clear Cache.

  • Transfer photos and videos. Moving photos and videos to your computer or cloud storage is a great way of freeing up space on your phone. You can use apps like Google Photos or Dropbox to do this.

  • Move apps to a memory card. If your phone supports it, move apps to an SD card to free up internal storage. To do this go to Settings > Apps > [select app] > Storage > Change storage location (if available).

Streamlining apps

Streamlining apps on your old Android phone can help speed it up by reducing the number of processes running in the background. This frees up system resources and reduces unnecessary clutter. Here's what you need to do:

  • Disable bloatware. Some Android phones come with pre-installed apps that you may not use. Disable or uninstall these apps if possible. You can do this by going to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Disable.

  • Limit background processes. Restrict background processes for apps that don't need to run in the background constantly. Go to Settings > Developer options > Background process limit and choose a lower limit.

  • Disable animations. Reducing animation effects to make your phone feel snappier. Go to Settings > Developer options > Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale, and set them to 0.5x - or turn them off completely.

Factory resetting your Android phone

Factory resetting your old Android phone can help speed it up by removing accumulated junk files, clearing out unnecessary apps and processes, and resetting system settings to default. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Back-up your data. Before performing a factory reset, make sure to backup any important data such as photos, videos, contacts, and documents.

2. Disable factory reset protection (if applicable). If your phone has Factory Reset Protection enabled, you'll need to disable it before proceeding. Go to Settings > Accounts > Google, select your Google account, and remove it from the device.

3. Navigate to setting. Open the Settings app on your phone. You can usually find it in the app drawer, or by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the gear icon.

4. Find backup & reset. In the Settings menu, scroll down and look for the ‘System’ or ‘System & updates’ option. Tap on it, and then go to ‘Backup & reset’.

5. Start the factory reset. Somewhere in the ‘Backup & reset’ menu you'll see an option called something like ‘Factory data reset’. Give it a tap, then confirm.

6. Enter your PIN or password. Depending on your phone’s security settings, you might be prompted to enter your PIN, password, or pattern to confirm the reset. If so, go ahead and do it.

Your phone will now reset, which might take a few minutes. After that, it’ll boot up as it was brand new, and you can follow the onscreen instructions to set it up again. Hopefully this’ll give you a faster phone!

Any more questions?

Is there anything else you’d like to know about choosing a new phone? Check out our 10 truths you need to know about your phone, or find out what to do with your old phone. If you want to talk to an expert, feel free to pop into one of our stores for a chat.

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Full speed ahead...