Android is a complex and multifunctional OS, so it is not immune to slowdowns over time. Fortunately, it is often possible to restore the previous performance without rolling back to factory settings. In this article, we will look at several effective methods.
Don’t get carried away with closing background applications
Yes, you heard right. Closing and relaunching an app takes more resources than restoring it from the background. According to Apple’s vice president of engineering Craig Federighi, constantly closing apps also doesn’t help your battery life.
You should only close the program if it does not work correctly or is used extremely rarely.
Disable unnecessary apps from running in the background
Some applications continue to work even in “closed” mode, thereby using the coveted capacity of random access memory (RAM). Such programs can transfer data to the Internet, create backup copies, and perform other tasks.
Surely you don’t need all of the installed services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
How to disable background application work on Android:
- Go to “Settings” and tap on the “Power & performance” section;
- Click on “Activity Control”;
- In the list that appears, select a rarely used application and in the settings, click on “Hard limit” or “Pause the application when not in use”
Clear the cache memory
Cache is the memory of a program or device that stores frequently used files for quick access. Each application stores tens, if not hundreds of megabytes of data – they should be deleted periodically.
To speed up your phone, go to the settings of each frequently used application and manually clear the cache. These are probably messengers, browser, YouTube and players.
For example, here’s how to clear the cache in Google Chrome:
- Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner;
- Open “Settings”;
- Select “Privacy and Security” (or “Personal Data”) – “Clear History”;
- Check all boxes;
- Click the “Delete data” button.
Check for viruses
It’s not just your PC that’s vulnerable to malware. In the case of an Android phone, we strongly recommend that you don’t follow dubious links or download files from suspicious resources, but limit yourself to official stores like Google Play and AppGallery.
But don’t rush to download the first antivirus program you come across – the built-in scan will be enough.
- Go to Play Market;
- Click on your profile;
- Select “Play Protection”;
- Click “Check”.
Wait until the system returns the result. If it detects a threat, it will offer to remove the dangerous program.
In addition, most smartphone manufacturers integrate their own services to check files for viruses. For example, in Xiaomi phones, the antivirus is located in “Security” and works similarly to “Play Protection”.
Turn off automatic app updates
This is one of the background tasks that can seriously affect the performance of your phone.
How to disable automatic app updates on Android:
- Go to Play Market;
- Click on “Settings” and select “Connection Settings”;
- Change the automatic update setting to “Disable”.
However, you shouldn’t get carried away with this – we recommend updating the most frequently used applications manually from time to time. The older the version of the program, the higher the chance of low optimization.
Reset to factory settings
Perhaps the most labor-intensive method, before which you should definitely create a backup copy of your data, since the gadget will be completely cleared.
How to reset your smartphone to factory settings:
- Go to “Settings”;
- Click “Backup & reset” and “Erase all data”;
- Wait until the cleaning is completed.
The settings items may vary depending on the smartphone, but the general principle is the same for all