Is your Android phone "crawling"? Slow apps, delays in multitasking, and stuck screen movements are often not the result of outdated hardware, but of poor "digital hygiene."
The good news? You don't have to buy a new phone! With a few simple cleaning steps, you can restore the speed and performance of your device.
First Steps: Clean the Browser on Any Smartphone
Browser optimization is equivalent to dusting off digital tissues and is equally effective for Android.
Many Android users prefer the Google Chrome browser, while Samsung phone owners may prefer the default Samsung browser.
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Regardless of your choice of browser on an Android device, the process for clearing the cache is similar.
Step 1: Open the browser and tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner.
Step 2: Scroll through the list of options and tap Settings.
Step 3: Tap Privacy and Security. Then, select Clear browsing data.
Step 4: Select the time period for the saved data by tapping the down arrow. Then, check the boxes for Browsing history, Cookies and website data, and Cached images and files.
Step 5: Tap the Clear Data button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
Clearing Cache Round Two — The Applications
Browser cache data takes up valuable memory space and can slow down your phone. The same approach helps eliminate unnecessary cache files and temporary files in Android apps that slow down your phone's performance.
Step 1: Go back to your Android phone's settings menu (not your browser's settings). Tap App Storage.
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Step 2: Tap on each installed app name. Depending on the type of app, you will see options like Clear Storage and Clear Cache. Tap one or both for a more thorough clean. Doing this will NOT delete the apps, only their digital junk.
Maintenance Tip: Regularly clear both your browser and application cache to reduce the buildup of temporary files and prevent gradual performance slowdowns.
Uninstall or Disable Unnecessary or Unused Apps and Games
When an app is uninstalled, it is completely deleted from your phone. Disabling an app removes it from your list of active apps and stops it from running in the background. Disabled apps will not receive updates or run in the background if you are not using them, unlike other installed apps.
Step 1: Go to the phone's Settings.
Step 2: Tap on Apps.
Step 3: Find the installed app you want to disable and tap on it.
Step 4: Tap the Power Off option at the bottom of your phone's screen.
Bonus Tip: Avoid installing Android apps that claim to clean up RAM and data storage. They often consume more of your phone's resources than they save.
See more: Android: How to recover deleted photos and videos
Disable or Change Animation Effects Settings
By changing some animation settings, you can significantly improve the performance of your Android phone. Reducing screen effects, such as zooming, rotating, and fading, can also improve battery life.
On slower devices, the default animation effects can cause lag. Adjusting the scales can make both slow and fast devices seem more immediate.
Step 1: Go to Settings > System and tap Developer options in the System menu. If you don't see Developer options, skip to Step 2 to enable this feature. Otherwise, skip to Step 3.
Step 2: Return to the main settings page and perform the following actions: A, B, C and D.
A) Scroll down and select About phone.
B) Scroll to the bottom of this screen and tap the build number seven times.
C) Confirm your device's lock screen if prompted.
D) Go back to Settings > System and tap Developer Options in the System menu.
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Step 3: Make sure the toggle switch is in the on position (right side of the switch position).
Step 4: Go to the Design tab in the Developer Options menu.
Step 5: Find the following three options in the list — Window animation scale, Animation transition scale, and Animation scale duration.
Step 6: Tap the scale bar below each of these three settings and select the speed options.
Note that the options range from off to the fastest speed. Your phone is likely either on the off setting or at .5x speed. To increase performance, select the desired scale.
Step 7: Experiment to decide the ideal setting for your needs. Depending on the type of games you play or apps you use, you will see different motion responses by trying different scaling options.
Here's a list of simple and quick settings, as well as helpful tips, to further enhance the performance you can achieve.
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Check for Android app updates regularly. Many of them are updated very frequently. Older app versions not only contribute to slow performance, but also make it easier for malware and hacking attacks to enter the Android operating system.
Restart your phone every few days. This practice frees up internal storage and memory, clearing out the digital clutter that builds up. It's always a good first step when your phone isn't working properly.
Remove too many widgets. Let's face it: widgets are a great way to activate specific features of an app without loading and navigating the entire app. But adding too many widgets — some of which take up a lot of screen space — increases the number of home screens.
Widgets consume system resources, which further reduces RAM and battery life. So, uninstall all but the most useful widgets for your most basic app functions.
Adjust the Refresh Rate. The refresh rate of your Android display controls how quickly the screen responds to updated images. The higher the rate, the faster or smoother the screen updates. The higher the frequency (such as 120Hz), the faster the screen responds and refreshes.
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Open Settings and tap the screen. Most Android phones offer options like:
Auto — enables smart optimization up to 120Hz,
60Hz — offers smooth refresh and lower battery consumption, and
120Hz — for smoother refresh and greater battery consumption.
Source: technewsworld
