The effects of this optimization are most noticeable for smartphone users, who in today’s fast-paced world can become impatient and frustrated if their smartphone starts to slow down, hang, or otherwise hinder their productivity.
Slowness on an Android smartphone can be caused by a variety of reasons and usually starts to become noticeable after a few months of use. For those who feel their Android smartphone has slowed down since buying it, here are some tips.
1. Install a third-party application launcher
Most Android smartphone manufacturers customize the operating system on their devices, offering specially designed skins, launchers, or UIs that include widgets, layouts, and other customizations in addition to the stock operating system. While some users do find these customizations and added features useful, they can slow down their smartphones.
An easy fix is to install a good third-party launcher (easier than rooting or installing a custom ROM on your smartphone), which should remove most of the customization features while also providing personalization options. Some of the best launchers available on the Google Play Store include ‘Nova Launcher’, ‘GO Launcher EX’ and ‘Apex Launcher’.
2. Delete unnecessary applications, wallpapers, and widgets
If a user installs a large number of apps, it may slow down the smartphone. Users need to ask themselves if all the apps they have installed are in use and then uninstall unused apps. Some apps cannot be uninstalled (especially bloatware apps from smartphone manufacturers), so users will have to disable them.
Live wallpapers and too many widgets on the home screen can also slow down smartphones, and if users are experiencing performance issues, they should consider using static wallpapers and removing any unimportant widgets.
3. Disable non-important background processes and check synchronization applications
Some apps launch with your phone, while others are constantly synced with online services. Both of these can significantly slow down a user’s smartphone. To check which apps are running in the background, users should visit the Apps section in Settings and swipe to the Running tab. If there are unused apps running in the background, users should try to uninstall them or disable them in case they cannot be removed.
Another thing to check is if there are apps syncing in the background and if the user is taking advantage of the sync benefits. If not, users can turn off sync, saving data and system resources. To do this, visit Settings > Data Usage (which may be a separate section called Usage under the Wireless & Networks menu, depending on your version of Android) and scroll down to see which apps are using data.
Users can then access individual app settings to turn off syncing, or access the context menu in the Data Usage section, which has an “Automatically sync data” option that can be turned off (not present in all Android versions).
To do the same with any Google app or service, users need to visit Settings > Accounts > Google > User Profiles. Here they can turn off sync settings for individual Google apps and services.
A must-install for Android smartphone users is Advanced Task Killer, which allows users to kill any application that takes up too much memory (RAM) or slows down the device for other reasons, such as instability.
4. Clear application cache
Frequently used apps build a cache that slows down your Android smartphone, and users can regularly delete the cache of every used app to speed up their device. Unfortunately, this must be a fairly routine process, as the application starts rebuilding caches from the moment it is launched. To delete each app’s cache individually, users need to visit Settings > Apps, select the relevant app, and click the Clear Cache button.
To delete the cache of multiple applications in batches or set a scheduled cache clearing, users can download a third-party application called “App Cache Cleaner” from the Play Store. This application can delete the cache of multiple applications and allows users to set the time interval for regular cache cleaning. Users can also delete cached data for all apps through a native Android option, which can be found in Settings > Storage > Cache Data.
5. Disable animations
Animations are typically graphical transitions between menus, app drawers, and other interface locations. They are generated using system resources and often occur when navigating through your smartphone. They serve no purpose other than beautifying the smartphone experience, and if users find their devices slowing down, it’s best to turn animations off so they don’t adversely affect day-to-day use.
Unfortunately, it’s not easy to turn off animations, and the option is usually hidden behind the Developer Options section. To access Developer Options, users need to visit Settings > System > About Phone, where they can find their phone’s Build Number. After clicking “Build Number” seven times, users will see “Developer Options” in the system menu. Here they have turned off all types of animation. Users should be careful not to turn on or off any other options in this section.
6. Clean up the built-in storage
If your smartphone’s built-in storage is almost full, the device will run significantly slower. 10% to 20% of the total built-in storage should be available or free to avoid slowdowns. While a simple solution might be to simply delete all unused apps and clear cache data to save space, ideally users should look for a more permanent solution. Most smartphones have the option to expand the built-in storage via a microSD card.
If the user’s smartphone has a microSD card storage expansion feature, they should move all their media to it, such as pictures, music, and videos. Access an app’s settings and navigate to individual apps via Settings > Apps, and you can also move apps from internal storage to the SD card. Some older versions of Android do not support this feature and users have to download the App to SD Card app from the Google Play Store.
7. Update firmware
While some updates may have adverse effects, a general rule of thumb is that firmware updates for smartphones will bring various types of improvements, often including performance optimizations. Users whose smartphones experience degraded performance should check if the manufacturer has released a firmware update for them.
To do this, users should visit Settings > System > About > Software Update and check if an over-the-air update is available. If it is not available here, users can also check by connecting their smartphone to the PC Suite software provided by the manufacturer and check for updates there.
While most updates don’t require users to back up their smartphones before updating, we recommend users do so in case something goes wrong – it’s better to be safe than sorry.
8. Root your phone and install custom ROM
While we don’t recommend this method to anyone but advanced users, the issue of Android smartphone slowdowns can often be solved by this method, which allows users to install a custom ROM that is lighter and less resource intensive than the manufacturer’s customized UI and firmware. This method is similar to installing a third-party app launcher (Tip 1), but has a broader effect, essentially replacing all software on your phone.
There are several guides and resources available online to help users root their devices and install custom ROMs from independently developed firmware databases. The XDA Developers forum is one of the best resources in this regard and users are advised to read the instructions and discussions about the specific custom ROM for their particular smartphone in detail before proceeding. You can also visit CyanogenMod’s website, which provides several simple installation tools and ROM walkthroughs.
Please note that rooting a smartphone or installing a custom ROM on it is usually a rather complex task (there are also tools available) and a risky one that may cause the user to lose all their data or end up bricking the device. Rooting or flashing a smartphone will also often void the manufacturer’s warranty.
9.SSD trimming
Smartphones utilize solid-state drives for their storage needs, and the inherent drawback of this storage device is that when data is deleted from a flash memory cell, the cell needs to be completely erased before it can be used again for the writing process. This requires the operating system to issue a TRIM command to the drive to specify which cells are unused and should be erased.
Google reportedly fixed the issue in Android 4.3 and above, but if you’re running an older version of Android, a solution does exist that allows users to issue TRIM commands to the SSD. Users need to root their smartphones and install LagFix from the Play Store. Again, rooting a smartphone is a dangerous process and we recommend proceeding with caution.
What do you think of our suggestions? Do you have any simple tips to add? Let us know in the comments section below.
