In this article, we will tell you how to fix your slow phone: A Step-by-Step Guide but before that in the beginning, we are trying to explain briefly why phones get slower over time, and phones are like a car — the more you use them without maintenance, the slower they get, and the question arises that "How to fix my slow phone". Over time, several things contribute to a slower phone:-
• Too many apps and files: As you install apps, download files, and store more photos and videos, your phone's storage fills up, causing it to do more work.
• Software updates: New updates are designed for newer phones. Older models may struggle to keep up with the demands of modern software.
• Old hardware: Like any electronic device, your phone's internal components (particularly the battery and processor) wear out over time.
• Background activity: Apps that constantly run in the background — even when you're not using them — can silently drain resources.
• Overloaded cache and junk files: Over time, your phone stores small bits of temporary data that can pile up and slow things down.
So we will discuss the simple step-by-step instructions and Practical tips that we can implement right away to make their phone faster without spending a lot of money:-
Step 1: Restart your phone
• Restarting your phone might sound too simple, but trust me—it’s one of the fastest and most powerful solutions for a slow device. When you use your phone for hours or days without shutting it off, a lot of things start to accumulate in the background.
• Even if you swipe them away, many apps work silently behind the scenes, using up memory (RAM) and processing power.
• Temporary files build up: Apps create small pieces of temporary data to help them run faster.
This is also important because if there's a minor software glitch (like a slow app or a stuck background process), a restart often fixes it immediately, without you having to dig into complicated settings. The main Question is How often should you restart your phone?-The Answer is ideally, once a week or at least every two weeks. Set a weekly reminder to restart your phone - it only takes 1 minute and keeps things running smoothly!"
Step 2: Delete unused apps
• The biggest hidden cause of your phone slowing down? There are too many apps, especially ones you don’t even use anymore. Many of them keep running in the background, even when you’re not actively using them. They use up memory (RAM), drain your battery, consume data, and slow down your phone’s processor.
• Even apps you forgot about months ago could be quietly eating up your phone’s power right now. Removing unused apps frees up space, reduces background activity, and keeps everything running smoothly.
• Here’s a simple way to find and remove apps:-
1. Review your installed apps, Look at your home screen and app drawer.
2. Look for apps you haven’t opened in weeks (or months). If you don't remember, that's a strong sign you don't need them.
3. Most phones can show you which apps are taking up the most space, so check the usage. How?
On Android:
Go to Settings > Storage > Apps (or Apps & notifications > App info), and see which apps are taking up the most space.
On iPhone:
Go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage.
This helps you identify large apps that might not be worth keeping if you rarely use them. In the end, if you're nervous about deleting something important, start by deleting games or apps that you can easily reinstall later from the App Store or Google Play.
Step 3: Update your phone's software
• Updates aren't just for show - they fix bugs and make things faster. While it's true that many updates come with new features and better designs, most updates are focused on improving performance and fixing bugs that can slow down your phone.
• New Updates help to fix Software bugs (minor glitches in the phone's system) which can cause apps to freeze or crash, decrease battery life, and make the phone overall sluggish. Updates fix those bugs, helping the phone run smoother.
• An update can improve your phone's performance, streamline processes, and optimise resources, which means your phone will run faster.
• Updates also close security holes that could be exploited by hackers. So, while they help your phone's performance, they also help keep your personal data safe.
• Some updates bring new features, which can make your phone easier or more fun to use - and sometimes, new features are designed to be lighter on the system, which can improve speed.
So, even though an update might seem like an annoying interruption, it's actually a necessary step to keep your phone running well.
Quick guide on how to check for updates:-
For Android phones:
Open the Settings app>Tap Check for Updates>Your phone may restart during the process - be patient, it's worth it!
For i Phones:
Open the Settings app..>Tap General.>Tap Software Update.
You can enable automatic updates. For Android, go to Settings > Software Update > Auto-download updates and follow the same process as for iPhone.
Why you should keep your software updated regularly
Software updates are like regular tune-ups for your car – they keep everything running smoothly and prevent small problems from becoming big ones. So, be sure to check for updates regularly – even if you don’t notice any slowdowns, updates are always improving the system in the background.
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| How to Fix Your Slow Phone A Step-by-Step Guide |
If your phone is running low on storage, it’s not just a minor inconvenience—it can slow down your entire device. I’ll tell you why, and then I’ll show you how to free up some valuable space.
Why Full Storage Makes Your Phone Crawl?
ANSWER: Phones store temporary files, app data, and system files to keep things running smoothly. When storage is full, it takes longer for the phone to find and access those files. The phone “shuffles” data around, which significantly slows down performance.
If your phone is almost out of storage, it can’t download updates. You may also get error messages when trying to install new apps or photos. This prevents you from getting important bug fixes or performance improvements. With no space to work with, apps may crash or take longer to load.
So it's important to know how to make space without losing anything:-
• Go to your photo library and delete photos or videos you don't need. Consider moving your photos to cloud storage (like Google Photos or I Cloud) to free up local space but still keep your memories. Don't forget to empty the "Recently Deleted" folder! These photos take up space until they're permanently deleted.
• Apps store temporary files to speed up your experience. However, after a while, these cache files accumulate and take up a lot of space.
On an Android phone, first go to Settings, then Storage, and clear cached data.
On iPhone: You can't directly clear the cache for individual apps, but you can clear Safari's cache by going to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data.
• If there's an app you don't use often, you can "offload" it rather than deleting it completely.
On iPhone: You'll see an option to offload unused apps. This removes the app but keeps your data, so you can reinstall it later if needed.
On Android: Some phones offer a similar feature, called "Free up space," which suggests apps you can delete without losing data.
• If there are apps you don't use at all, uninstall them completely. Games, social media apps, and old shopping apps are the most common culprits of taking up unnecessary space.
If your phone is running out of space, you might also consider switching to a lite version of the app. Many popular apps, like Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram, have "lite" versions that are smaller, faster, and use less storage.
Step 5: Turn off background processes
Background processes are one of the sneakiest causes of a slow phone. You may not even realise that many of your apps are running and consuming resources even when you're not actively using them.
How Background App Refresh Can Slow You Down?
ANSWER:- Many apps, especially social media, messaging, and email apps, are designed to run processes in the background. Known as Background App Refresh, this feature allows apps to update content, load notifications, or sync data without you having to open them. Although this sounds helpful, it can slow down your phone for several reasons:
• Background processes can drain your battery by constantly checking for updates or syncing information, even when you're not using the app.
• These processes take up space in your phone's RAM, which means your phone has less memory available for the apps you're actively using. As a result, your phone may feel slower.
• With so many apps running in the background, your phone has to divide its resources between all these processes, which can cause noticeable delays when you try to open an app or switch between tasks.
Fortunately, it's very easy to turn off background processes:-
• Turn off Background App Refresh completely, or choose Wi-Fi instead of Wi-Fi and Cellular Data to limit updates to only when you're connected to Wi-Fi (this also helps save data and battery).
• Additionally, you can use battery saver mode or data saver mode on Android, which reduces background activity across all apps, speeding up performance and saving battery.
• Although both Android and iPhone allow apps to run in the background, closing unused apps can help temporarily stop them from consuming resources:
If you don't know which apps need background refresh, social media apps like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and messaging apps are often the biggest culprits. Try turning off background refresh for apps you don't need to constantly update. By turning off unnecessary background processes, you're giving your phone the freedom to focus on what really matters: you. With fewer apps running in the background, your phone's resources (battery, memory, and processing power) are available for the apps you're actively using. This leads to a faster, more responsive experience.
Step 6: Check for malware or problem apps.
• A phone can slow down for a variety of reasons, but one reason that is often overlooked is the presence of malware or problematic apps. Just like your computer, your phone can fall victim to malicious software or poorly designed apps that drain resources and slow everything down.
• Malware, poorly optimised apps can cause a variety of problems, including draining your battery by constantly running in the background, using data without you knowing, which slows down your phone's performance.
• Overloading your system with unnecessary processes that your phone doesn't need.
In some cases, seemingly harmless apps (like free games or photo editing tools) may contain malware, either intentionally or because the app developers didn't bother to properly optimise the code. Third-party apps or apps that come from entrusted sources are more likely to cause problems.
Here's how you can easily identify the problem apps and deal with them:-
• Uninstall apps you don't use regularly, as these may be causing system lag. Check the apps you've installed recently - if they came from entrusted sources, they could be causing problems.
• Apps that come from third-party sources (outside of the official app store or Google Play) are more likely to be harmful. If you downloaded apps from places like APK websites or other unauthorized sources, they may contain malware.
• Some apps ask for too many permissions (such as access to your camera, contacts, and location) for no good reason. If an app doesn't need those permissions to work, it can be a red flag.
• On Android, you can use Google Play Protect to check for malicious apps. This tool scans your apps and alerts you if there are any known security threats.
• You can also install a trusted third-party antivirus app like Avast, McAfee, or Bitdefender. These apps will help you run a full device scan for any malware or other issues that might be slowing down your phone.
• Make sure all apps are updated to their latest version (as app updates often fix vulnerabilities).
Both Android and iPhone allow you to review and manage app permissions. Sometimes apps can slow down your phone by asking for permissions they don't need. You can adjust permissions for each app in your phone's settings, limiting them to only those that are necessary for the app to work.
On Android: Go to Settings > Apps > [app name] > Permissions to control what each app can access.
On iPhone: Go to Settings > Privacy, then review each category (such as Photos, Camera, etc.) and adjust which apps can access what.
Step 7: Reset settings (if necessary)
• If you've tried everything —restarting your phone, clearing storage, updating software, and checking for malware — but your phone is still slow, it's time to reset settings. This is a more advanced step, but it can solve long-standing performance issues without erasing all your data.
• Unlike a full factory reset, this option won't delete your personal data like photos, messages, or apps. Instead, it resets all of your phone's system settings (like Wi-Fi passwords, display settings, and app preferences) back to their defaults.
If you think that a Settings Reset Can Help?
Answer:- Sometimes, performance issues are caused by incorrectly configured settings, conflicts between apps, or settings that have changed over time (such as network settings or display preferences). Restores performance by removing any custom settings that may conflict with the phone's normal operation.Clears glitches in System Preferences that may be contributing to slowness.
However, it doesn't delete your apps, photos, messages, or personal files, so it's a safe option when troubleshooting slow performance.
For iPhone:
Open the Settings app >Scroll down and tap General >Scroll to the bottom and tap Reset (or iPhone Transfer or Reset on newer iOS versions). Your iPhone will reset settings and reboot automatically.
Note: Your apps and data are safe, but Wi-Fi passwords, VPN settings, and customized settings (like display preferences) will be erased.
For Android:
Open the Settings app>Scroll down and tap System>Tap Reset (or Reset Options)>Select Reset Settings (it may be listed as Reset All Settings or Restore Default Settings)>So, confirm the action and enter your PIN/password (if needed).
Note: This will not erase your data, but will reset network settings, system settings, and preferences back to default.
If your phone is slow and you've already tried the basic solutions, resetting your settings can help resolve pending issues without requiring drastic measures (like erasing your entire phone). It's a simple, low-risk step that can save you the frustration of a slow device without losing anything important.
After the reset, you'll need to go through the initial setup process again, just like when you took your phone out of the box. This includes connecting to Wi-Fi, signing in to your Google or Apple account, and reinstalling apps.
You'll also need to restore your data from your backup. For Phones, this is done through i Cloud or iTunes. For Android, you can restore from your Google account backup. Lightweight apps take up less space and memory, making your phone faster. A clean home screen reduces unnecessary clutter, improving phone performance. A new battery can restore power efficiency and reduce performance degradation, especially if your phone is older.
Conclusion:
In the last, we have already answered the above question on how to fix your slow Phone that we've all been through this situation - the frustration of waiting for your phone to respond when it's running slower than a snail. But here's the good news: you don't have to suffer with a slow phone forever! With just a few easy steps, you can get your phone running fast again. Whether it's clearing storage, updating the software, or using lighter apps.
