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How to fix a slow android device

An android device with a hand and thumbs-up displayedYour new Android smart-phone will do everything from making phone calls to watching Full HD movies. Applications will load quickly and your phone will boot in just a few seconds. However, you'll find that after a few months, your phone isn't as quick as it used to be. Soon applications slow down, animations don't transition very well, and everything will generally be a lot slower.

It is normal for all computers to slow down over time and there are a few things you can do to keep your Android device running as fast as possible.

Things to try first include;

Freeing up RAM
Go to the running applications list, tap the pie chart icon in the bottom right of the screen, and navigate to the RAM section. You can then tap the "Clear Memory" button and Android will stop unnecessary processes. Reducing the number of processes running in the background will reduce CPU load and speed up your device.

Removing cached data
Cached data can help to speed up your phone or tablet by saving data locally on your device. It can save loading times because your phone doesn't have to keep downloading the same bits of information from the Internet. However, cached data can take up a lot of storage and cause your device to slow down. Therefore, you should regularly clear your cached data.

Closing applications
Multi-tasking makes it easy to switch between applications, but multi-tasking can slow down
your phone. After a while, you'll find that you have many applications running in the background. Close applications you aren't using by opening the running applications list and tapping the cross on the application you want to close.


If these measures still haven't worked you should then try;

Turning it off and on again
Restarting your phone will clear the RAM and give your device a fresh start. This is usually the first thing to try if your Android device is running extremely slowly, or has encountered a critical error, restarting it can often fix errors and speed up your device.


Things that you should do on a regular basis that will also help include;

Deleting any unused applications
You are likely to have applications installed on your phone which you never use. These applications are often still running in the background and making your phone slower by using the CPU, RAM, and storage. You can delete any application by opening your list of applications. Then Tap and hold the application you want to remove and move it to the 'delete' icon at the top of the screen. Make sure you only remove applications that you do not need.

Limiting the use of widgets
Widgets can be very helpful, but they can use a lot of resources and make your device run slowly. The more widgets you use, the more resources you need to run them. You don't need to remove all widgets, but be selective and only use a few widgets.

Updates
Always keep your phone's operating system and applications up to date. New updates aren't only about getting new features. Many updates also fix bugs and make performance enhancements.


If your phone is still behaving slowly or strangely consider trying;

An Anti-virus application
Internet fraudsters will try to infect your device with malware which can cause many problems including excessive CPU and GPU use, data loss, and hardware failure. You can keep your device free of viruses by installing an anti-virus application. There are many free and premium anti-virus applications available to download in Google Play. AVG, Kaspersky, Norton, and Avast are all popular choices and are trusted by millions of Android users.


If your still having troubles, the following are much more drastic measures that should only be attempted if things are becoming really bad;

Do a factory reset
Android gradually becomes fragmented as you use your phone and sometimes the only thing which will fix a slow Android device is to perform a factory reset. Warning: Make sure that you back up all your data before you do a factory reset as all your data will be lost! Your Android operating system will have been completely restored and your device will be like new.

Rooting
Rooting your phone will give you access to advanced features to make your phone run smoother. You can install leaner Android ROMs, over-clock the processor, remove factory installed bloat-ware, and make changes to the source code. Warning: Rooting can be complicated and may void your warranty! You should only attempt to root your phone if you know what you are doing and are willing to take the risks.
 

Over time, Android devices will begin to slow down. In some cases, devices may run so slow that they are barely usable. When this happens, you need to do some maintenance to get everything back up to speed. If you've tried everything else, then you should consider performing a factory reset. If the phone still operates slowly after doing a factory reset, then you may have a hardware related problem.

It's best to perform regular maintenance on your phone instead of letting it becoming totally full and then dealing with it. There are many applications which run silently in the background which can do most of the hard work for you.

Copyright © Darryl on NiceAnswers.com 2017

Editor's Note: Find below additional information on maintenancing your android device and other actions you can consider;
How to clear Android cache
How to close background applications in Android
Why Android devices slow down and how to speed them up
Bringing your slow Android device back to life
How to factory reset your android device
How to root your android device

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