Ah, that new-phone thrill!
“Look, I tap an app, and it opens immediately!”
Yet just a few months later, you notice what was once the sportscar of phones is now crawling
like an old clunker.
Why does that happen, and how can you speed yours up?
It might not seem like you have much in common with your phone, but tell me this: what helps
YOU work at your best?
We’ll take my friends Jim and Joe as examples…
Jim here got enough sleep last night, and he’s just had a nice hearty lunch and a
cup of coffee.
It’s still early in the day, and the boss has only given him one task to focus on for
now.
Jim’s pretty lucky too!
He’s got a brand-new computer, his workspace is comfortable and tidy, and it’s not too
hot or too cold in th e room.
Then there’s Joe.
He didn’t get much shuteye last night (the wife swears she doesn’t snore, but tell
that to Joe’s eye bags), had to skip lunch because he can’t keep up with all the work
the boss is piling on him, and this slow-as-molasses computer isn’t making it any easier.
His desk is a mess, his back is already aching because of that busted office chair, and the
room is boiling hot!
Obviously, Jim’s going to have an easier time being productive – Joe, not so much.
And that’s why your phone slows down.
It’ll struggle when it has too many apps installed and running in the background, there’s
hardly any storage space on it, it’s overworked and overheated, your operating system is out-of-date,
and your battery deserves a happy retirement.
It can also just be a matter of perception when you see an ad for a newer model and think
of yours as something outdated and slow.
There can be some other reasons, like viruses and other malware.
But for now, let’s see what you can do to speed your phone up!
- Give it a restart.
As simple as it sounds, sometimes just restarting your phone is all it needs to kick it into
high gear.
The reason for its snail’s pace is often a misbehaving app.
Turning the gadget off and on again will clear out the memory and tame those disruptive programs.
If your device has frozen up and doesn’t want to restart the right way, you might have
to force shut down.
For Androids, you can even try going radical and just remove the back cover and the battery
and put them back in after a few moments.
- Update your phone.
Keeping your Operating System up-to-date is good for your gadget because updates include
the latest security patches and fixes for some common issues.
A newer OS also knows how to manage the battery better.
You can turn on automatic software updates in your Settings or check them for updates
every now and then.
This trick won’t always make things better for certain phones.
The hardware for an iPhone 5, for instance, won’t be able to handle updates for an 11
because it doesn’t have the same power and memory.
Keep that in mind if you have an older model!
- Free up some space.
Your phone needs at least 10% of available storage free to be able to function correctly.
You can see how much storage you have and which folders or apps are eating the most
memory in your Settings.
But even before you check it, I can tell you it’s probably photos, videos, and music.
So sort out your stuff – you don't really need 36 pictures of a plane wing from your
latest vacation, do you?
If you do, at least keep them in cloud storage or import them to your laptop.
The same goes for music and messages.
Find threads with the most photos or videos and delete them, or just delete the files
you don't need in those conversations.
- Sort your apps.
Most phones come with bloatware – apps that are pre-installed and useless if we’re being
honest.
Sometimes you also install apps to get a discount at a store or just to try it out.
Find the list of all your apps in the Settings.
Go through them, and if you see something you never use or didn't even know existed,
try deleting it.
If you can’t decide which apps to get rid of, also look at how much space they’re
taking up and say goodbye to the heaviest of them first.
Some of them are designed for the latest hardware, and if you have an older phone, they gum it
up.
- Try lightweight versions of apps.
If you just can't say good riddance to some bulky apps, at least replace them with lighter
versions.
Most social networking apps do have a version with a tiny footprint that still lets you
check your news feed, comment on friends' posts, and share your own.
- Turn down the graphics.
An ambient display keeps you up-to-date with all the important notifications, and you don't
even have to unlock your phone to see them.
But… it eats up your battery life, and you know what it does to your phone speed already.
You can reduce Motion and Transparency of background effects in your Settings.
Changing from a live to a static wallpaper is also your best bet.
- Clear your cache.
Your built-in browser keeps a cache of the web pages you visit with cookies, login information,
and other data to help you navigate through them easier.
But when the cache is too full, your phone slows down.
If you have an iPhone, go to Settings > Passwords and Accounts > Safari, and click Clear History
and Website Data.
For Android, depending on what browser you have, open the Menu in your Browser app, tap
Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data or Cache.
Before you do it, make sure you know all the passwords you’ve typed in on different sites
and remember any URLs you need.
- Turn Bluetooth on only when you need it.
Hey, is your Bluetooth on right now?
Is it connected to anything?
If not, then turn it off.
It’s a real drag for your phone!
- Disable automatic background processes.
iOS 13 has a Low Data Mode that doesn't let apps update or download any data, including
emails, in the background.
You can turn this mode on in Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options.
If you have an older iOS, you should turn off Background App Refresh in the Settings.
You’ll also need to go to iTunes & App Store and switch off Music, Apps, and Updates in
the Automatic Downloads section.
On most Androids, you can uncheck Auto-sync Data in Settings > Data usage.
- Replace the battery.
The older your phone's battery gets, the more likely it is to shut down unexpectedly, even
when it was charged well enough.
This can even happen when your phone is just a year old.
After a couple years, most batteries pass their peak performance capability.
You can check how yours is doing in Settings > Battery > Battery Health if you have an
iPhone.
If it says something like "significantly degraded," it's a good time to get a replacement.
Androids don't have built-in apps to see the battery’s condition, but there are downloadable
ones that do the trick!
- Restore to factory settings.
This is the most radical of all steps, but if all else fails, you’ve always got this
option!
Resetting your phone deletes all the apps and data you’ve had on it, so make sure
you back it up on cloud storage or a computer before you wipe it clean.
If you have an iPhone, you can do it in Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and
Settings.
It’ll ask for your passcode to confirm the operation.
When it’s done, you can restore important data from your backup.
On an Android, it’ll be in Settings > Backup & reset > Factory data reset.
When it’s done, choose to restart the phone.
- Finally, if none of that helps, you can take your phone back to where you bought it
and let them check if it’s a hardware issue.
They might even be able to replace it under warranty!
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friend!
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Just click to the left or right, and stay on the Bright Side of life!