When your Android phone suddenly becomes sluggish, it can be frustrating to deal with.

Have you ever questioned why your Android smartphone is running sluggishly?

Your beloved apps no longer appear on the screen as swiftly as they once did. Multitasking seems more time-consuming than ever, and screen animations now drag on.

Why does your smartphone seem sluggish, behaving as if it’s struggling to wake up? In many cases, the culprit is poor user maintenance.

These signs of sluggishness mirror the issues commonly observed in desktop and laptop computers. However, the cause isn’t typically aging electronic components. Instead, it’s often due to users neglecting proper phone upkeep.

The solution isn’t necessarily to rush out and buy a new phone—unless, of course, you’re someone who must have the latest model every year or two. Even with a new top-of-the-line model, you may eventually encounter the same slowdowns.

Understanding the factors behind digital clutter accumulation is crucial for revitalizing an Android smartphone, and restoring its optimal performance is more straightforward than you might imagine.

By adhering to these practical tips, you can efficiently speed up your lagging Android device and enhance its functionality.

Cleaning your browser on any smartphone

Streamlining the web browser is like clearing away digital cobwebs, and it’s just as beneficial for Android tablets.

Most Android users gravitate towards the Google Chrome browser, while Samsung phone owners may favor the default Samsung web browser.

Regardless of the browser selected on an Android device, the method of clearing the cache remains consistent.

Step 1: Open the web browser and tap the three vertical dots in the top right corner.

Step 2: Scroll down the list of options and tap Settings.

Step 3: Tap Privacy and Security. Then tap Clear browsing data.

Step 4: Select the time range for stored data by touching the down symbol. Then tap the check boxes for Browsing history, Cookies and site data, and cached images and files.

Step 5: Tap the Clear data button in the lower right corner of the screen.

Cleanup the Cache — The Apps

Browser cache data consumes significant internal storage and has the potential to decrease your phone’s speed. Applying the same method aids in removing redundant cache and temporary files within Android apps, which can otherwise impede your phone’s performance.

Step 1: Return to the Android phone’s settings menu (not the browser settings). Tap Apps storage.

Step 2: Tap each installed app name. Depending on the app type, you will see choices such as Clear storage and Clear cache. Tap one or both for a more thorough cleanup. Doing this will NOT delete the apps, just their digital clutter.

 Maintenance Tip: Regularly perform both cache-clearing functions to minimize the buildup of temporary files and cache, preventing a gradual performance slowdown.

Uninstall/Turn Off Unnecessary/Unused Apps and Games

When you uninstall an app, it is deleted from your phone completely. Disabling an app removes it from the active apps list and stops it from running in the background. Disabled apps will no longer receive updates or run in the background if you do not use them, unlike other installed apps.

Step 1: Go to phone Settings

Step 2: Tap on the Apps option.

Step 3: Look for the installed application that you want to disable and tap it.

Step 4: Tap the Disable option at the bottom of the phone’s screen.

 Bonus Tip: Avoid installing Android apps that claim to clean your RAM and data storage. They often consume more of your phone’s resources than they salvage.

Disable/Change Animation Settings

Changing a few animation settings can significantly improve an Android phone’s performance. Reducing the use of screen effects like zooming, spinning, and fading can also improve battery life.

On slower devices, default animations might cause a lag in responsiveness. Adjusting the scales can thus make both slow and fast devices feel more immediate.

Step 1: Head to Settings > System and tap Developer options under the System menu. If you do not see the Developer options, go to Step 2 to enable this feature. Otherwise, skip to Step 3.

Step 2: Return to the main settings page and proceed with the following actions: A, B, C, and D.

• Scroll down and select About phone.
• Scroll down to the bottom of this screen and tap Build number seven times.
• Confirm your phone’s lock screen if asked.
• Return to Settings > System and tap Developer options under the System menu.

Step 3: Make sure the toggle switch is in the on position (right side of the toggle slot).

Step 4: Go to Drawing under the Developer menu.

Step 5: Find these three options in the list — Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale.

Step 6: Tap the scale line under each of these three settings and select the speed options.

 Note: The options go top-down from off to fastest. Your phone is probably in either the off or 5x speed setting. To speed up 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 the apps you use, you will get different motion responses as you try various scale options.

More Quick Fixes for Noticeable Slow Phone Performance

The steps outlined above handle the essential heavy lifting to rid your Android phone of its slowness. Here is a list of quick and easy tweaks and tips to add even more zest to the reclaimed performance.

Regularly check Android app updates: Many of them update very frequently. Older app versions not only contribute to sluggish performance but also make it easier for malware and hack attacks to sneak into the Android operating system.

Restart your phone every few days: This practice frees internal storage and memory by clearing accumulated digital clutter. It is always a good first step when your phone is not performing properly.

Remove excessive widgets: Let’s face it: widgets are a wonderful way to jump-start special features in an app without loading and navigating an entire app. But adding too many widgets — some of which consume lots of screen real estate — can increase the number of home screens.

Widgets consume system resources, which further detracts from the RAM and battery longevity. So uninstall all but the best shortcut Widgets to your most essential app features.

Adjust the Refresh Rate. The refresh rate of your Android screen controls how fast the screen responds to updated images. The higher the rate, the speedier or more fluid the screen refresh happens. The higher the hertz or refresh rate (like 120Hz), the faster the screen responds and refreshes.

Open the Settings and tap Display. Most Android phones offer refresh choices such as:

• Auto — which turns on smart optimization up to 120Hz,
• 60Hz — which provides smooth refresh and lower battery consumption, and
• 120Hz — for smoother refresh and higher battery consumption.

Restoring Peak Performance

We trust that these steps will successfully revitalize your Android smartphone, restoring it to the responsive and efficient condition akin to when you first used it. By following these steps, you should observe a substantial enhancement in your device’s speed and overall functionality, thereby enriching your everyday digital interactions.