Nothing is more infuriating than doing something important on your smartphone while it keeps hanging or working at a snail’s pace. This has you pulling your hair and shouting, “Why is my phone so slow??”
There could be a number of reasons for this.
In this article, we have listed down some primary reasons for your smartphone’s sluggish behavior and 4 ways to speed it up!
Top Reasons Why Your Phone Is Slow
Just like a computer, a smartphone can also slow down or freeze due to reasons such as:
- Too many apps or programs open at the same time
- Having insufficient storage space
- Using an out-of-date operating system
- Having an out-of-date battery
- Overheating
However, there are several ways to speed up your phone.
How to Speed Up a Slow Phone
If you’re noticing that your smartphone (Android or iOS) is lagging and not performing as efficiently as it did before, you can follow these 4 tips to regain the oomph that your phone has lost over time.
1. Clear the Cache on Your Phone
You likely use your phone to browse the internet more than your computer. This means that the web browser on your phone, whether Chrome, Safari, or Opera, saves a lot of information in the cache memory. You may save storage space and speed up your phone’s browser by clearing it. You can make some space by deleting some old pictures which are of no use.
How to Delete Photos from iCloud?
How to Clear Cache on iPhone
There are 2 methods of clearing the cache on an iPhone:
Method 1
On your iPhone, go to “Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data” to clear the cache.
Method 2
If you merely want to get rid of the website data that has been gathered, go to “Settings > Safari > Advanced > Website Data > Remove all Website Data.”
How to Clear Cache on Android
The procedure below is for Chrome; if you use another browser, the steps may differ.
Step 1
Open Chrome on your Android device and click on the 3 vertically aligned dots.
Step 2
Now tap on “History > Clear Browsing Data.”
Step 3
Now, check the boxes next to “Browsing History,” “Cookies and Site Data” and “Cached Files and Images” before clicking on “Clear Data.”
If your phone is still slow, you can try updating the operating system.
2. Update Your Phone’s Operating System
An operating system update can be very annoying as it sometimes changes everything from the design to the space usage. However, each new version of Android or iOS brings speed and security enhancements, as well as bug fixes that might improve your smartphone’s performance.
Here’s how to update the operating systems in iOS and Android:
How to Update iOS
To update an iPhone or an iPad, go to “Settings > General > Software Update.”
Alternatively, you may also enable automatic updates, which will update iOS between 2 am-5 am.
How to Update Android
On your Android device, go to “Settings > System & Updates > Software Update.”
The system will let you know if any updates are available so you can install them.
Alternatively, you may also set the update to download automatically or schedule it for later.
3. Delete Apps You Don’t Use
Deleting unused apps is the most obvious technique to speed up a phone. But, we don’t consider it because, after all, how can they slow you down if you aren’t using them? More storage space on your phone, on the other hand, means that its processor can perform more efficiently. So, if you’re not using apps, it’s a no-brainer to delete them and free up some space.
How to Delete Apps on an iPhone
On an iPhone, there are two methods for removing apps:
Method 1- Delete Apps: This gets rid of an app and all of its data.
Step 1
Go to “Settings > General > iPhone Storage.”
Step 2
Select the app you want to delete and tap “Delete App.”
Alternatively, you can also long-press the app you want to delete and then tap “x” in the top-left corner when it begins to dance around on your screen.
Method 2 – Offload Apps: This deletes an app while keeping a copy of its data
For this, go to “Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Offload Unused Apps > Enable.”
How To Delete All Photos From iPhone
How to Delete Apps on Android
Step 1
Go to Settings > Apps.”
Step 2
Click on “Apps” and choose the app you want to remove. Then tap “Uninstall.”
However, you may not be able to uninstall all of the apps on your Android phone. In this case, click on “Disable” so that they do not appear in your app list.
4. Close Background Apps
Another way to speed up your smartphone is by closing all the apps running in the background. Although according to Apple and Google, dormant apps in the background do not slow down your phone’s performance, if they are using your location, it will slow down.
Here’s how to close all apps on iOS and Android:
How to Close Apps on iPhone
Step 1
Pull up from the bottom of your iPhone screen, hold for a second, and then let go once you see the App Switcher and your app cards.
Step 2
Swipe up to close the apps running in the background.
How to Close Apps on Android
Here’s this simplest way to close apps on Android:
Step 1
Tap the “Overview” button (typically the square at the right of the “Home” button). This will make all the apps running in the background appear on the screen.
Step 2
Now, click on the “x” to close each app.
However, on some Android phones, you can swipe up each app card to close the app or click on the “Trash” icon to close all the apps in one go.
Final Words
Your phone’s performance may dwindle due to apps running in the background or unused apps taking up all the space. Information saved in the browser’s cache memory or an outdated operating system can also be an underlying cause.
So, the next time you find yourself wondering, “Why is my phone so slow?” make sure to fix these issues using our guide.
If you found this article helpful, check out similar tips and tricks on our blog.
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