An Android device, like any electronic device, shows the passage of time. This is often seen in the overall slowdown. You can give him a boost. Here’s how.
When your smartphone starts to slow down, you wonder if this is the beginning of the end. Maybe it’s just because of all the data accumulated over time. At the start of the year, it might be time to dust it all off and get a much faster device. We are talking about Android, the exact course of action may differ from one model to another, from one version to another, but all the functions mentioned are there natively.
Turn off and on again
This may be a very commonplace advice, but it is not in vain that it is at the top of this list. Many problems in Android (and in technology in general) can be fixed with a simple restart. If your phone has been slow for a while, try restarting it.
Take a minimalist approach
Instead of using apps for whatever service you want to try, you can keep it to a minimum. For example, the Instagram app is designed to keep you on the platform and watch as many ads as possible. The same goes for TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, and more. If you uninstall these apps and use their sites through your favorite browser, you will find that your battery drains much more slowly.
Another option is to use “lite”versions of popular apps. These are lighter versions, well thought out and designed for entry-level smartphones. Go to Google Play and search for Camera Go or Facebook Lite. These apps consume less resources and therefore require less of your phone.
Check for software updates
Most often, we recommend that you always keep Android up to date, but if you want to maintain performance, there may be a compromise. If there is a security update, you should install it, obviously. On the other hand, for feature updates, it’s more delicate. If they are making major changes, searching the web should give you a general idea. If your smartphone is getting old, a small or poorly optimized software update can cause your device to freeze.
Very often, manufacturers release patches immediately after a major software update. It is often better to wait a bit before installing such a major release.
Delete apps you no longer use
We all download too many apps that we forget very quickly. If your smartphone is full of unused apps, uninstall them to free up your device.
Many of them also run in the background and use your device’s sensors and resources even when you’re not actively using them, draining your battery and slowing down your entire device. To quickly uninstall these apps, go to Settings > Storage > Other Apps and remove unused apps. This option may appear elsewhere depending on your phone.
Get rid of junk to make room
A good file manager is essential to know what is taking up space on your smartphone. The Google Files Go app is designed for slow and outdated Android smartphones, but you can use it on any device to free up space quickly and easily. There are a lot of things to do, but Files Go is very efficient on any device.
You can also check the settings of your favorite messaging apps to see if you’re getting too many files piling up. Apps like WhatsApp allow you to turn off automatic media downloads so that whatever files you open don’t end up in your photo gallery.
Upload your photos to the cloud
If you only keep your photos on your smartphone, the slightest accident and you will lose precious memories. Save copies of your photos to the cloud using apps like Google Photos or OneDrive to keep them safe and free up space on your device and let it breathe.
Start from scratch
If none of this helps, back up all your data and start from scratch. There are two ways to do this. The easiest and safest way is to reboot the device, which erases everything and restores the factory configuration of the device. You won’t lose anything if you make a proper backup, but a brand new version of Android will do you good.
If you’re feeling more adventurous, you can try installing custom firmware on your phone. The procedure is not simple, you risk losing the warranty on the device and even making it completely unusable. Don’t if this is your primary smartphone.
However, this has many advantages if you choose the right ROM for your device. For example, Pixel Experience is a ROM designed to bring the Google Pixel experience to other Android smartphones. Similarly, Paranoid Android is a privacy-focused version of Android.
Custom ROMs allow you to remove invasive Google tracking, test the latest versions of Android on devices that don’t suit them, and add useful features that might not be available otherwise. If you know what you’re doing, this is a great way to upgrade an old phone.