If our phone suddenly slows down and it is not possible to use it
with more than two or three applications together, we can try a solution for
the most common problems that resurface during use, so that even the oldest
phone comes back in excellent shape. . In this article we see how to speed
up the slow phone and what are the causes of slowdowns and performance
losses after a certain period of use, which cannot be solved with a simple
reboot.
System updates
By buying a phone with a certain operating
system, we will have the best possible performance with that version of the
system (if we buy a phone with Android 11 it will now be optimized for this
system). If the system has received new updates in the meantime, they should
theoretically have been properly tested by the manufacturer, but the
performance may not necessarily be the same. Although on PCs this is a more
insignificant factor, updates to the operating systems of the main mobile
phones, that is, Android and iOS, occupy more and more space and activate
new functions not foreseen when the phone is launched, still doing so.
slower than before. .
Regarding this factor, however, not much
remains to be done to avoid the problem, but to solve it it may be useful to
perform a reset to the initial configuration, in order to eliminate any
conflict between the update and the basic version of the system. To know
more we can read our guides. Format Android and restart the phone erasing
everything is Factory reset iPhone and iPad erasing and restoring data.
App
updates
On both Android and iPhone Applications that remain in the
background are the main causes of slowdowns. In some cases, then, especially
speaking of social media and chat apps, updates bring new features and
consequently more memory and battery consumption. For example, just think of
how much the Facebook app has changed over the years, getting bigger and
heavier which is no longer sustainable on older phones.
In the
guides on how to speed up the iPhone and on how to manage active
applications on Android we have explained how to check which applications
are in the background and how to limit them so that they do not use CPU and
RAM. as battery charge, is to use lighter versions of popular applications
such as Facebook Lite is Messenger Lite is to use the web browser as much as
possible, especially if you can also generate notifications for sites (such
as Google Chrome for Android and iPhone).
ALSO READ: How to Close Background Apps on Android and iPhone
Background apps
One of the main reasons why a phone seems
slower is the background applications, that is, those that are not seen but
are active in memory. Let's start by saying that closing applications in the
background on iOS and Android is useless and unnecessary, in fact, the
opposite effect is obtained since the application will start by itself.
In
our guides on how to speed up the iPhone and how to manage active
applications on Android we explain how to check which applications are in
the background and how to limit them so that they do not use CPU and RAM in
addition to battery power.
Internal memory space
All smartphones and tablets have a flash memory called NAND.
While NAND is fast and affordable, its performance is adversely affected by
the amount of memory it occupies and the decrease in free space. The exact
mechanics of this dynamics are beyond the scope of this article, suffice it
to say here internal memory always needs "empty blocks" to achieve maximum
data writing performance, not forgetting that NAND memory degrades with use
and over time.
If the deterioration is caused by time (at least 3
years of constant use) there is little to do, but if the phone slows down
dramatically after only one year we can optimize the speed of the internal
memory. keep at least 40% of the total available space free.
To
give some quick examples: if we have a phone with 32 GB of internal memory
we must make sure that it always has at least 13 GB free to always have the
maximum performance. We can calculate the amount of memory that is free with
a simple calculator, subtracting 60% from the total amount of memory, in
order to obtain the amount of memory that will always be free.
To
know more we can also read our guide. Survive with Android with full
internal memory or without space on your mobile.
The phone is always slow even if it restarts
Many times
the perception of slowness is just "hysterical" - a smartphone may appear
slower because that is how it is perceived, not because it has slowed down
in the meantime. Usually this kind of feeling occurs after an operating
system update or after the launch of a new model of the same smartphone.
While iPhones tend to slow down much less noticeably than they seem, for
older Android smartphones, the best way to get rid of this "old-fashioned
feeling" is to install a lighter custom ROM, which can give you a new life
and you can introduce the functions available only on new phones.
Conclusions
A
phone that drastically slows down can make anyone's life difficult as we now
spend many hours a day with these devices in hand. As soon as we notice that
something is wrong, let's remember this guide and follow all the steps to
the letter, to be able to return a little shine even to phones that are
still in full operation but with a few years on their shoulders.
To know more we can read the guides. How to make Android fluid
and fast is The fastest and lightest Android launchers for slow
smartphones.
