The Easy Way to Speed Up Your Phone

In an age when the smartphone has become indispensable, a device that is sluggish can become a never-ending nuisance. It’s important to remember, however, that a slow device doesn’t necessarily mean that it needs to be replaced. In fact, a slow device can be sped up without too much hassle and more importantly - for free. This guide will show you how to boost the speed of your Android or iOS device using a few simple steps.

Basic Steps for both Devices

Before you get into the phone’s nitty gritty, there are a few habits you can adopt to speed up your phone and keep it running smoothly for a long time.

• Backup your photos and videos and delete them from the device – When you save a photo or video to your device, you take up space in its memory. If the device’ memory is overloaded, it slows down the phone. Instead, backup your photos and videos on your computer, or on the cloud (using Google Photos or Apple’s backup service). To back data into your computer, use a USB cable to connect both devices. This also saves your precious memories in case your phone breaks/is lost/stolen.
• Turn the phone off and on again once a week – If you’re not in the habit of doing this yet, start doing it. A smartphone is a computer, and sometimes these devices need some rest. A quick restart only takes a couple of moments, but the increase in speed is worth it.
• Keep your phone cool – Heat has a strong negative effect on electronics. Your phone should be kept in a cool and shaded environment, and kept out of direct sunlight and excessive heat. Additionally, avoid using your phone when it’s charging, as that process generates a lot of heat as well.

Select your device:

Android Devices

1. Make sure your phone’s operating system is up-to-date

Google, the makers of Android, are constantly updating and upgrading the program to improve speed and stability, as well as fix bugs from older versions. System updates are usually automatic, but just in case, you can manually check for the newest version in this manner:

• Go to Settings, select More, and then select About Phone.

• Select Software Updates and choose the Update option.

• The system will connect to the Google servers and check for an available update for your device, and then download and install it if it is available.

• It is also recommended that you go to the Google Play store, access the main menu (the three white stripes), and then go to My apps and select Update All.

• Do this while connected to a WiFi network to minimize cellular data consumption.

2. Minimize (or cancel) animations

Android devices animate a lot of functions (such as sliding between apps, etc.), but these animations can slow down your device. If you prefer performance to aesthetics – you can cancel the animations entirely.

• Go to Settings, select More, and then enable Developer options.

• Scroll down until your find the Window animation scale and Transition animation scale.

• Reduce the animation level to 0.5X or cancel it altogether.

3. Clear useless data from your device

The applications on your phone collect a lot of unneeded data that can (and should) be removed. Clearing space on your phone makes it faster.

• Go to Settings, select More, and then select Application Manager.

• Slide the menus to the side until you’re at the All tab.

• Check which applications save the most data on your phone and clear that much-needed space on your phone. Things you can start with are browser history and Cache. Try and avoid using the Clear Data option, and stick to the Cache.

• Go to Settings, select Storage, and then go to Cached data and clear it.

4. Remove apps you don’t use

You may have had fun downloading that game, or trying out that new app everyone’s been talking about, but you find that you don’t use it anymore. By removing useless applications, you get to clear up space on your smartphone.

• Go toSettings, select More, and then on Application Manager.

• In the new menu, you will see how much space each app takes on your phone. Scroll through the list and decide which apps you want to delete. Once you’ve decided, select the relevant app and choose the Uninstall option.

• Apps that are part of the operating system cannot be uninstalled, but they can be turnedoff instead.

5. Reduce the automatic sync of various apps 

Your Email, Facebook and other social networks all update live, sending and receiving data non-stop. By reducing the amount of updates your device performs, you’ll extend the lifespan of your battery, as well as its speed. However, Note: this option only exists in Android 5 (“Lollipop”) or higher.

• Go to Settings, select Accounts.

• You can completely stop automatic updates by unmarking the Auto-sync data option, or remove accounts you don’t use.

• Some apps allow you to selectively stop or start auto-syncing.

iPhones

1. Check the data usage on your phone

Many applications that you don’t use take much-needed space on your phone, slowing it down. This is how you can check how much space is taken, and by which applications, removing the ones you don’t need.

• Go to Settings, select General, and select Usage.

• Under the Storage tab choose Manage usage space.

• In this menu, you can see all the apps you have installed, sorted by usage volume.

• You can now select the ones you don’t use and remove them, freeing much-needed space.

2. Clear your browsing history

When you browse the web, your iPhone saves a lot of data so it can load them faster in the future. While it may save you a few seconds next time you go to those sites, it will slow down the rest of your phone. It’s good to get into the habit of clearing this data every once in a while.

• Go to Settings and select Safari.

• Select Clear Cookies and Data, and confirm.

3. Disable automatic application updates

Apple’s App Store is constantly on, searching for updates for installed apps, and while this assures that you enjoy the newest version available, it also drains your battery and slows down your device. If you don’t mind manually updating apps once in a while, you can cancel auto updates easily.

• Go to Settings, select App Store and iTunes.

• Under Automatic updates unmark all of the options.

• When automatic updates are disabled, you need to make sure you update your apps from time to time. To do that, go to the App Store, select Update all on the top right side of the screen.

4. Disable automatic connection

Whenever your device searches for a wireless network or a Bluetooth connection it slows down all the other processes. These options might make things easier by saving you the need manually connect to network and devices, but the time you save means that your device will be slower when performing other functions.

• Go to Settings and select Wi-Fi.

• Disable the Offer to join networks option.

• Go back to the previous menu and select Bluetooth. Disable this option until you actually need it.

• In the Settings menu, go to Privacy, and select Location Services.

• Disable the Location Services, but remember to reactivate it when you need it.

• You will also find apps that use your location and disable all of the ones you don’t need.

5. Disable animations and effects

If your device is running iOS 7 (or higher), you know it’s very sleek, as it uses animations and other effects to make the user experience more smooth. These effects, however, aso slow down the device, so if you prefer performance over beauty – you’ll want to disable these options.

• Go to Settings, select General, and then Access.

• Select Increase Contrast and enable the three options in the sub-menu. This will disable the “blurring” option, which slows the device down.

• Back in the Access menu, enable Reducing shifts. This will stop animating menus.

6. Stop apps from working in the background

Your phone can run several apps at the same time, which allows you to move between them and enjoy multitasking with ease. However, this feature slows down your device considerably.

• Go to Settings, select General.

• Select Background App Refresh.

• In the new menu, you can disable the option completely, or manually decide which apps are allowed to remain in the background and which ones aren’t.