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What to Do if My Android Phone Runs Slowly

By Michael | Last Updated

My Android phone ran as fast as a rocket when I first got it. After a period of usage, I found it slowed down quite a bit. What happened? Why is my phone so slow? What to do if my Android phone runs slowly? If you have such questions, don't hesitate to read this article to get the powerful solutions which can help to speed up your Android phone.

what to do if my android phone runs slowly

Why Does Your Android Phone Run Slowly

Insufficient memory is the main cause of the slow Android phone most of time. There are two types of Phone memory: one is the internal storage space, which is the built-in SD card used to install the software. And the other one refers to the running memory, determining the speed of operation for the mobile phone. Generally, the more apps running in the background or garbage files created by excessive apps, the less memory is, and the slower the phone runs.

How to Make Your Android Phone Faster

Solution 1: Free Up Phone Memory with Eight Tips

  1. Tip 1: Avoid using the dynamic wallpaper
  2. Dynamic wallpaper is very interesting, but it can take up some memory. To speed up your Android phone, it is recommended to change the live wallpaper to a static one.

    Execute operations: Tap SettingsDisplayWallpaper.

    set Android wallpaper

  1. Tip 2: Use fewer widgets
  2. You may put some widgets such as weather, calendar or map onto your phone desktop in order that you can use them conveniently and quickly when you open your phone. However, these widgets can occupy the phone's memory. So, just keep several needed widgets on your phone home screen and then you will find that your Android phone boots and runs faster than before.

    Execute operations: Keep tapping the unneeded widget for 2-3 seconds and then drag it to the top rubbish bin.

    remove Android widgets

  3. Tip 3: Manage the auto-start apps
  4. Some auto-start apps can not only affect the boot speed of your phone but also consume the memory. You can manually set the wanted auto-start apps based on your own need.

    Execute operations: Tap SecurityPermissionAuto-start management.

    android auto-start management

  1. Tip 4: Don't open too many apps at one time
  2. The open applications will continuously run in the background, which uses a large number of system resources as well as energy. It is suggested to exit the application in time after using it.

    exit app

    Note: Some apps will continue to occupy our precious memory though we shut down it consciously, then we need to manually pull out of it.

    Execute operations: Access Settings > tap Appsswitch to Runningselect the Running app to Stop.

    stop background process

  1. Tip 5: Clear cache data
  2. Most of the users directly press the Home button when they finish using apps instead of correctly exiting them, which creates a large amount of the cache data over time. It is useful to speed up your Android phone by regularly clearing the out-of-date cache.

    Execute operations: Access Settings and tap Apps, then select the app to Clear cache.

    clear Android cached data

  1. Tip 6: Uninstall unnecessary apps
  2. We might download such unnecessary applications that are just used one or two times. Their background services still take up a lot of resources like CPU, memory as well as storage space, even though you no longer use them. Therefore, it would be good to uninstall these apps to make room for the phone memory.

    Execute operations: Choose Apps in Settings and select the unnecessary app to Uninstall.

    uninstall unnecessary apps

  1. Tip 7: Clean storage space
  2. Many users have the habit of holding messages & call logs and hardly realize that it is also a reason for the slow response of the Android phone. If your Android phone keeps many files you don't need, such as pictures downloaded from the web, screenshots shared with your friends, videos that have been watched and so on, please delete them without hesitation.

    Execute operations: Open Explorer to delete your redundant files.

    explorer icon

  1. Tip 8: Restart your device
  2. Some generated junk files cannot be completely cleaned up even with the help of the third-party software. Therefore, it would be a useful way to reboot your slow Android phone to release resources when it gets stuck.

    Execute operations: Hold pressing the Sleep button and select Reboot.

    restart Android phone

Solution 2: Boot your device into safe mode

Safe mode refers to a kind of mode in which all third-party apps are disabled but the default programs work. This mode can't solve the problem directly but it helps you check if the sluggish Android phone is caused by a third-party app. If your phone runs so well in this mode, it means that there must be one of the installed apps slowing down your device. So your next action is to uninstall the probable apps one by one until you find the problematic app.

Execute operations: The detailed steps vary depending on your device model, for more information, you can see Safe Mode on Android.

boot to safe mode

Solution 3: Root / Factory reset

  1. 1. Root
  2. Root authority is equivalent to the super administrator privilege in the Windows system. You will have the highest level of operating privileges on the system files if root accessing to your Android phone. After getting the root privilege, you can completely uninstall some preloaded software that we don't want to use but can't delete. This could make a benefit to free up the memory.

    However, it is risky to root your phone. Rooting your phone:
    1. may turn your phone into a brick.
    2. may make your phone easily infected with the virus.
    3. may result in system problems.
    4. may void your warranty.

    For security purposes, root is not recommended. Root your device only if you are aware of the risks and know the right procedure. Just play it safe when you do it!

    Execute operations: Please see How to Root Android Phone.

    root android phone

  1. 2. Perform a factory reset
  2. Factory resetting your phone is the last option to consider when you fail to solve the problem using the solution 1&2. You know that this decision will make your phone back to the original look. It also means that you will lose all data in your phone like all the message/contacts unless you put them on the cloud. So make sure that you haved backed up the important data before you perform a factory reset for your Android device.

    Execute operations: Go to Settings, choose Reset phone and select Local backups or Factory data reset.

    factory reset Android phone

Hope that the methods above could clarify your confusion and make your Android phone faster.

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