While we can expect declination in performance as our smartphones grow old, dealing with a sluggish device is the last thing you would wish for an enemy. If your Android device is moving at a snail’s pace today and you can’t wrap your head around it, here’s the ultimate guide to solving slow phone performance issues.
Why Is My Phone So Slow and Laggy?
Depending on your device’s hardware configuration and software optimization, several things could sum up its poor responsiveness and why you need the ultimate guide to solving slow phone performance issues. Some phones are naturally slow and unsuitable for demanding tasks like playing graphic-intensive games or handling heavy multitasking. But that’s not all.
Even the most powerful Android device may stutter as they become old. If you wonder why using your smartphone feels like waiting for a snail to cross the road, the reasons may include the following:
- Outdated software
- Insufficient storage space
- Too many apps running in the background
- Malware or viruses, and many more.
Knowing this, you already have insight into steps to tackle your predicament and make your Android device run as snappy as a cheetah when you follow the ultimate guide to solving slow phone performance issues.
Here we go!
How Can I Improve My Slow Phone Performance?
First, we recommend you restart your phone to see if it solves the issues. That’s just the only trick you need to solve software-related problems sometimes.
But the mobile device still feels sluggish afterward; here are the tried and trusted ways to improve its performance. You don’t need any tools or technical knowledge to pull this off.
1. Clear out unnecessary data and files.
Most phones have at least 128GB of storage nowadays, but that doesn’t guarantee they will not run out soon. And that’s where most performance issues originate.
Thanks to Google’s analytics, your phone may become laggy when the internal storage is less than 10%. But for proper optimization and optimal performance, I recommend around 20% free storage.
If your device already tells you to “free up storage space” or the volume is less than the stated percentage, it’s time to declutter. Use built-in storage cleaners, such as Files by Google, to locate and free up space on your phone. It comes pre-installed on many Android devices, but you can also get it from the Play Store.
- Open the Files (by Google) app
- Tap the “Clean” tab to show cleaning suggestions.
- From there, you’ll get recommendations to clean junk files, large files, heavy media files, backed-up media, trash, and more. Meanwhile, you can tap the storage usage bar at the top to see what’s clogging your device, then delete them.
Meanwhile, if you own a TECNO, Infinix, or itel smartphone, the Phone Master app on your device has many tools to pull this off effortlessly.
2. Disable or uninstall unused apps
Besides insufficient storage, keeping bloatware and unused apps on your device may clog the RAM if they’re always running in the background. Thankfully, finding such bloatware on Android phones isn’t hard. They’re there the first time you set up your space, and they may keep posting incessant notifications and run in the background until you deal with them.
Removing this bloatware and other apps you rarely use will free up memory and keep your device running at its best. For starters, long-press any app icon on your phone screen and tap Uninstall from the menu or drag it to the delete prompt on top of the screen.
But if you love doing things faster and more effectively, like me, it’s better when you use a tool like Phone Master. It’s pre-installed on most TECNO, Infinix, and itel devices, but you can also get it from the Play Store.
- Launch the Phone Master app
- Scroll to the bottom and select Uninstall apps (under the Application Manager section)
- Select the rarely used apps you want to delete, then tap the Uninstall button to take action.
If you don’t want to uninstall an app because you may need them later, use the Freezer feature on your device to suspend them. And for system-level bloatware you can’t uninstall directly, disable them instead:
- Long-press a system bloatware app icon you want to disable from your app drawer.
- Tap App info (or the I button)
- Click Disable from the app info page to eliminate the app.
3. Cut through the chase with faster animation.
Watching those buttery animations can be soothing sometimes, but since you’re here for the ultimate guide to solving slow phone performance issues, reducing animations help a lot. And while it won’t magically speed the device up, it will make it feel snappier. Navigating across apps with speedy transitions creates a perception of a zippy user interface.
Besides that, the GPU and CPU will focus on offering better performance with the memory freed from rendering more visuals. However, manufacturers usually bury the option to change system animation under developer options, but here’s how to reveal it.
- If you’re new to “Developer options,” enable it first by going to Settings > About phone and tapping the Build number seven times.
- Once that’s out of the way, navigate to Settings > System > Developer options and scroll to the “Drawing”
- From there, reduce the Windows animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale to .5x.
That way, you get faster animation, and navigating your device feels snappier.
4. Ensure you’re running the latest software and apps
Intelligent devices are prone to unannounced issues, but manufacturers try to fix them on smartphones with system updates. In simpler terms, updating your smartphone to the latest version can help free up system resources and resolve arising issues on it.
If you haven’t done that recently, go to Settings > System > Software update to check and install the latest updates.
Besides that, also visit the Play Store to update your apps.
- Launch the Play Store app
- Click your profile image in the top right.
- Tap Manage apps & device
- Select Updates available, then tap the green “Update all” button to get the latest apps.
5. Use stripped-down apps if possible.
We can all agree that entry-level smartphones feature low-end specs and that you may experience declination in performance on older phones. Isn’t it? Using lightweight apps, however, you can stay up with the world with a snappy smartphone.
App developers and OEMs usually offer a stripped-down version of some apps to make them work flawlessly on low-end phones. These apps may skip some features and functionalities available on the standard app, but they offer the essentials with top-notch performance. Thankfully, the Google Play Store is a home of many lite edition apps like Facebook Lite, Instagram Lite, Spotify Lite, Google Go, Assistant Go, Twitter Lite, and more. They’re faster, lighter, and less resource-demanding than their standard counterpart.
6. Consider a factory reset or professional repair.
If you’ve tried every tip in the ultimate guide to solving slow phone performance issues and your device still runs sluggishly, it’s time to give it an extra push. Factory reset is a tested and proven way to speed up a slow phone, but it comes at the enormous cost of losing everything on the device.
Before you click that blue “ERASE EVERYTHING” button, ensure you’ve backed up your crucial data.
And once you’re ready, here’s how to reset your device:
- Open the Settings app from the home screen or anywhere.
- Scroll to the bottom and select
- Tap Reset phone, then click Erase all data (factory reset)
- Follow the on-screen instruction and confirm with your security method to reset the device.
Meanwhile, you may seek professional help if you can’t perform a factory reset or the issue persists afterward. That’s where Carlcare Services come in.
Book a Repair Service With Carlcare in Kenya to Fix Your Laggy Android Device
Carlcare is the official after-sales service brand for TECNO, Infinix, and itel device users globally. We provide top-notch repair and customer service, so you never have to waste your energy on fixing issues like the one tackled in this article or become worried about handing your device into the wrong hands.
If you’re still unable to solve your phone’s performance problem or have another issue, like a cracked screen, poor battery, charging port not working, software issues, and others, Carlcare is the best place to visit. Book a repair reservation with any Carlcare service center in Kenya to hasten your repair process. With that, you can quickly repair your phone without queueing for long hours or getting disappointed with unavailable spare parts.
Besides that, you also enjoy all the VIP perks and priority services attached to making a reservation with Carlcare. Book a repair appointment now!
