Though the hardware of smartphones is steadily becoming more
capable it can't be utilised to its fullest potential without the software
to tap it. This is personal technology's modern hurdle - the
optimisation of both hardware and software to ensure a fast
and seamless user experience.
The effects of this optimisation are most tangible for smartphone
users, who in today's fast-paced world become impatient and
frustrated if their smartphone starts slowing down, hanging, or
otherwise impeding their productivity.
The slowdown of Android smartphones can be caused by several
reasons, and usually starts becoming noticeable after several
months of using them. Here are a few tips for users that feel their
Android smartphones have slowed since they purchased the devices.
1. Install a third-party app launcher
Most Android smartphone manufacturers customise the OS on their
devices, with specially-designed skins, launchers or UIs that sport
widgets, layouts and other custom features in addition to the vanilla
OS offering. While some users do find these customisations and
added features useful, they can potentially slowdown the smartphone.
A simple workaround is to install a good third-party launcher
(simpler than rooting or installing a custom ROM on the smartphone),
which should remove most of the custom features, whilst also
providing personalisation options. Some of the best launchers
available in the Google Play store are 'Nova Launcher',
'GO Launcher EX', and 'Apex Launcher'.
2. Remove extra apps, wallpapers, widgets
If users have a significant number of apps installed, it could slow
down their smartphones. Users need to ask themselves if all the
apps they have installed are being used, and then uninstall unused
ones. Some apps cannot be uninstalled (especially bloatware apps
from smartphone manufacturers), so users will have to settle for
disabling them.
Live wallpapers, and an excess of widgets on home screens,
can also slow down smartphones, and if users are experiencing
performance issues they should consider using static wallpapers
instead, and removing any non-vital widgets.
3. Disable non-vital background processes, check
syncing appsSome apps start up with the phone, while others
are constantly syncing with online services. Both of these can
dramatically slowdown users' smartphones. 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 apps
running in the background that are not being utilised, users
should try uninstalling the apps, or disabling them, in case
the apps can't be removed.
Another thing to be checked is if there are apps that are syncing
in the background, and if the benefits of syncing are being utilised
by the user. If not, users can turn off synchronisation, saving both
data and system resources. To do this, visit Settings>Data usage
(could be a separate section called 'Usage' under 'Wireless & networks
' menu, depending on your Android version), and scroll down to see
which apps are using data.
Users can then either visit individual app settings to turn off
synchronisation, or visit the 'Data usage' section's context menu,
which has the 'Auto-sync data' option (not present in all
Android versions), which can be turned off.
To do the same for any Google app or services, users will need
visit Settings>Accounts>Google>UserProfile. 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 apps that are taking too much memor
y (RAM) or slowing down the device for other reasons, such as instability.
4. Clear app cache
Much-used apps will build up a cache that can slowdown an
Android smartphone, and users can delete each used apps
' cache regularly to speed up their devices. Unfortunately, this
will have to be a rather regular process, as apps will start rebuilding
their cache from the moment they are launched. To individually
delete each app's cache, users will need to visit Settings>Apps
, select the relevant app, and then click on the 'Clear cache' button.
To bulk-delete multiple apps' cache, or to set up scheduled
cache-clearing, users can download a third-party application
called 'App Cache Cleaner' from the Play Store, which can
delete cache for multiple apps, and allow users to set up
intervals for regular cache cleaning. Users can also delete
cache data for all apps via a native Android option, found
at Settings>Storage>Cached data.
5. Disable animations
Animations are usually graphical transitions between
menus, app drawers, and other interface locations. They
use system resources to be generated, and occur quite
regularly when navigating through a smartphone. They serve
no purpose apart from beautifying the smartphone experience
, and if users find their devices are slowing down, it is a good idea
to turn off animations with no adverse impact on day-to-day use.
Turning off animations unfortunately is not very easy, with the
option usually hidden behind the 'Developers options' section.
To access 'Developers options', users need to visit Settings>
System>About Phone where they can find the 'Build number
' of their phone. Once they tap the 'Build number' seven times
, users will then see 'Developer options' in the system menu.
Here, they turn off all types of animation. Users should be careful
not to turn on or off any other option in this section.
6. Clean out built-in storage
If the built-in storage of a smartphone is nearly full, the device will
slow down quite dramatically. Between 10 and 20 percent of the
total built-in storage should be available or free to avoid slowdowns.
While a simple solution could be to simply delete all unused apps
and clear cache data to save space, ideally users should be looking
at a longer lasting solution. Most smartphones come with the option
to expand built-in storage via microSD card.
If users' smartphones feature microSD card storage expandability,
they should move all media to it, such as pictures, music and videos
. Apps can also be moved from internal storage to SD card, by
visiting the app's settings via Settings>App and navigate to
individual apps. Some older versions of Android don't support this
feature, and users will have to download an 'Apps to SD card' app
from the Google Play store.
7. Update firmware
While certain updates can have adverse effects, the general rule
of thumb is that a firmware update for a smartphone will bring
improvements of various types, usually including performance
optimisations. Users experiencing reduced performance on their
smartphones should check if the manufacturer has released a
firmware update for them.
To do this, users should visit Settings>System>About>Software
Updates and check if an update is available over-the-air. If not
present here, users can also check by connecting their smartphones
to the PC suite software provided by the manufacturer, and check
for updates there.
While most updates do not require users to back up their
smartphones
before the update, we recommend users do so just in case
something does go wrong - it's better to be safe than sorry.
8. Root phone, install custom ROM
While we don't recommend this method to anybody but a
power user, the problem of a slowing Android smartphone
is often solved by this method, with the user installing a custom
ROM that is lighter and less-resource intensive than the manufacturer
-customised UI and firmware. The method is similar to installing
a third-party app launcher (Tip 1), however, has a much wider
effect, essentially replacing all the software on the phone.
There are several guides and resources available online that
can help users root their devices, and install custom ROMs
from a database of independently developed
firmware. XDA Developers Forum is one of the best resources
for this, and users are recommended to read
in detail the instructions and discussions about the specific custom
ROM for their particular smartphone before
going ahead. You can also visit CyanogenMod's website, which
provides several easy
installation tools and walkthroughs for its ROMs.
Please note, rooting smartphones or installing custom
ROMs on them is usually (there are some tools also
available) a rather complicated task, and a risky one
that can see users lose all their data, or end up with
a bricked device. Rooting or flashing smartphones
also usually voids manufacturer warranty.
9. SSD TRIM
Smartphones utilise solid state drives for their storage
needs, and an inherent flaw with such a storage device
is that when data is deleted from flash memory cells
, the cells need to be completely wiped before they
can used for a write process again. This requires
the OS to issue a TRIM command to the drive to
specific which cells are unused and should be wiped.
Google reportedly fixed this problem in Android 4.3 and
higher, but if you are running an older version of Android
, a solution does exist that will allow users to issue TRIM
commands to the SSD. Users will need to root their
smartphones, and install LagFix from the Play Store.
Once again, rooting smartphones is a risky process
and we recommend caution.
What do you think of our tips? Do you have any simple tips to add?
Let us know in the comments section below.
capable it can't be utilised to its fullest potential without the software
to tap it. This is personal technology's modern hurdle - the
optimisation of both hardware and software to ensure a fast
and seamless user experience.
The effects of this optimisation are most tangible for smartphone
users, who in today's fast-paced world become impatient and
frustrated if their smartphone starts slowing down, hanging, or
otherwise impeding their productivity.
The slowdown of Android smartphones can be caused by several
reasons, and usually starts becoming noticeable after several
months of using them. Here are a few tips for users that feel their
Android smartphones have slowed since they purchased the devices.
1. Install a third-party app launcher
Most Android smartphone manufacturers customise the OS on their
devices, with specially-designed skins, launchers or UIs that sport
widgets, layouts and other custom features in addition to the vanilla
OS offering. While some users do find these customisations and
added features useful, they can potentially slowdown the smartphone.
(simpler than rooting or installing a custom ROM on the smartphone),
which should remove most of the custom features, whilst also
providing personalisation options. Some of the best launchers
available in the Google Play store are 'Nova Launcher',
'GO Launcher EX', and 'Apex Launcher'.
2. Remove extra apps, wallpapers, widgets
If users have a significant number of apps installed, it could slow
down their smartphones. Users need to ask themselves if all the
apps they have installed are being used, and then uninstall unused
ones. Some apps cannot be uninstalled (especially bloatware apps
from smartphone manufacturers), so users will have to settle for
disabling them.
Live wallpapers, and an excess of widgets on home screens,can also slow down smartphones, and if users are experiencing
performance issues they should consider using static wallpapers
instead, and removing any non-vital widgets.
3. Disable non-vital background processes, check
syncing appsSome apps start up with the phone, while others
are constantly syncing with online services. Both of these can
dramatically slowdown users' smartphones. 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 apps
running in the background that are not being utilised, users
should try uninstalling the apps, or disabling them, in case
the apps can't be removed.
Another thing to be checked is if there are apps that are syncingin the background, and if the benefits of syncing are being utilised
by the user. If not, users can turn off synchronisation, saving both
data and system resources. To do this, visit Settings>Data usage
(could be a separate section called 'Usage' under 'Wireless & networks
' menu, depending on your Android version), and scroll down to see
which apps are using data.
Users can then either visit individual app settings to turn offsynchronisation, or visit the 'Data usage' section's context menu,
which has the 'Auto-sync data' option (not present in all
Android versions), which can be turned off.
To do the same for any Google app or services, users will need
visit Settings>Accounts>Google>UserProfile. 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 apps that are taking too much memor
y (RAM) or slowing down the device for other reasons, such as instability.
4. Clear app cache
Much-used apps will build up a cache that can slowdown an
Android smartphone, and users can delete each used apps
' cache regularly to speed up their devices. Unfortunately, this
will have to be a rather regular process, as apps will start rebuilding
their cache from the moment they are launched. To individually
delete each app's cache, users will need to visit Settings>Apps
, select the relevant app, and then click on the 'Clear cache' button.
To bulk-delete multiple apps' cache, or to set up scheduledcache-clearing, users can download a third-party application
called 'App Cache Cleaner' from the Play Store, which can
delete cache for multiple apps, and allow users to set up
intervals for regular cache cleaning. Users can also delete
cache data for all apps via a native Android option, found
at Settings>Storage>Cached data.
5. Disable animationsAnimations are usually graphical transitions between
menus, app drawers, and other interface locations. They
use system resources to be generated, and occur quite
regularly when navigating through a smartphone. They serve
no purpose apart from beautifying the smartphone experience
, and if users find their devices are slowing down, it is a good idea
to turn off animations with no adverse impact on day-to-day use.
Turning off animations unfortunately is not very easy, with theoption usually hidden behind the 'Developers options' section.
To access 'Developers options', users need to visit Settings>
System>About Phone where they can find the 'Build number
' of their phone. Once they tap the 'Build number' seven times
, users will then see 'Developer options' in the system menu.
Here, they turn off all types of animation. Users should be careful
not to turn on or off any other option in this section.
6. Clean out built-in storage
If the built-in storage of a smartphone is nearly full, the device will
slow down quite dramatically. Between 10 and 20 percent of the
total built-in storage should be available or free to avoid slowdowns.
While a simple solution could be to simply delete all unused apps
and clear cache data to save space, ideally users should be looking
at a longer lasting solution. Most smartphones come with the option
to expand built-in storage via microSD card.
If users' smartphones feature microSD card storage expandability,they should move all media to it, such as pictures, music and videos
. Apps can also be moved from internal storage to SD card, by
visiting the app's settings via Settings>App and navigate to
individual apps. Some older versions of Android don't support this
feature, and users will have to download an 'Apps to SD card' app
from the Google Play store.
7. Update firmware
While certain updates can have adverse effects, the general rule
of thumb is that a firmware update for a smartphone will bring
improvements of various types, usually including performance
optimisations. Users experiencing reduced performance on their
smartphones should check if the manufacturer has released a
firmware update for them.
To do this, users should visit Settings>System>About>SoftwareUpdates and check if an update is available over-the-air. If not
present here, users can also check by connecting their smartphones
to the PC suite software provided by the manufacturer, and check
for updates there.
While most updates do not require users to back up their
smartphones
before the update, we recommend users do so just in case
something does go wrong - it's better to be safe than sorry.
8. Root phone, install custom ROM
While we don't recommend this method to anybody but a
power user, the problem of a slowing Android smartphone
is often solved by this method, with the user installing a custom
ROM that is lighter and less-resource intensive than the manufacturer
-customised UI and firmware. The method is similar to installing
a third-party app launcher (Tip 1), however, has a much wider
effect, essentially replacing all the software on the phone.
There are several guides and resources available online that
can help users root their devices, and install custom ROMs
from a database of independently developed
firmware. XDA Developers Forum is one of the best resources
for this, and users are recommended to read
in detail the instructions and discussions about the specific custom
ROM for their particular smartphone before
going ahead. You can also visit CyanogenMod's website, which
provides several easy
installation tools and walkthroughs for its ROMs.
Please note, rooting smartphones or installing customROMs on them is usually (there are some tools also
available) a rather complicated task, and a risky one
that can see users lose all their data, or end up with
a bricked device. Rooting or flashing smartphones
also usually voids manufacturer warranty.
9. SSD TRIM
Smartphones utilise solid state drives for their storage
needs, and an inherent flaw with such a storage device
is that when data is deleted from flash memory cells
, the cells need to be completely wiped before they
can used for a write process again. This requires
the OS to issue a TRIM command to the drive to
specific which cells are unused and should be wiped.
Google reportedly fixed this problem in Android 4.3 andhigher, but if you are running an older version of Android
, a solution does exist that will allow users to issue TRIM
commands to the SSD. Users will need to root their
smartphones, and install LagFix from the Play Store.
Once again, rooting smartphones is a risky process
and we recommend caution.
What do you think of our tips? Do you have any simple tips to add?
Let us know in the comments section below.
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