A smartphone is an amazing piece of technology. It’s not only a gadget for communications or connectivity, but also an important productivity tool. However, it will not work with the same efficiency forever. You will notice your phone is slowing down after several months of heavy usage. Or even a year. So what do you do when your phone is slowing down and showing signs of over-use?
When a Phone is Slowing Down
Over time, your phone will begin to slow down. The situation can be manageable at first, but it can eventually become frustrating when it reaches the point that sending a simple text takes forever. A quick solution to this dilemma is to buy a replacement mobile phone; Philippines’ tech scene is always bustling and it’s easy to find a new phone that suits your needs.
Still, purchasing a new smartphone isn’t always the best or most practical solution when your phone’s starting to crawl. Most of the time, you can address the issues with some simple troubleshooting steps. Here are just a few:
Delete Some Files
Many Filipinos, especially those who don’t have a separate desktop or laptop computers, use their smartphones to store all their files. Fortunately, some phones can store up to 1 TB of data—512 GB of built-in storage, plus 512 GB or more through expandable memory. Unfortunately, if you have a lot of large files like high-resolution photos and videos, even 1 TB of storage can be consumed in a snap.
Once you fill most or all of that storage space, the operating system (OS) won’t have enough resources to run smoothly. Ultimately, this will cause your smartphone to slow down.
What you can do is delete some files to free up some space and give your phone’s OS room to breathe. If you really don’t want to or can’t delete some very important files, you can avail yourself of cloud storage services.
Clear the Browser’s Cache
According to plenty of research, most people now access the internet through mobile phones. In short, your phone’s browser is probably storing a week’s, month’s, or year’s worth of data. All of this takes up space in your phone’s storage, not to mention slows down both your phone and browser.
The way to clear your browser’s cache will depend on your phone’s OS and your mobile browser. Usually, you can find this option in the “Settings” menu. You can also decide to clear only website data, auto-fill form entries, or your entire browsing history
Do a Soft Reset
A quick fix for a lot of gadgets and electronics is to turn them off then on again. What this does is bring back the device to its default starting point, clearing its previous actions to give it a fresh, clean slate. This simple solution also works with a smartphone. Simply turn your phone off, wait a while, then turn it on again.
You can also do what is called a “soft reset” by pressing and holding the power button and either the home or the volume up/down button (this depends on your phone model). Once the phone boots up again, wait until the logo appears before releasing the buttons. For phones with removable batteries, you can also pull out the battery then put it back in to do a reset.
Update the OS
To help improve the performance of their devices and improve security, smartphone manufacturers provide regular OS updates. These new versions of the OS help speed up the phone’s processing capabilities, increase compatibility, and fix bugs.
If you don’t get these OS updates, your phone will eventually slow down and be more at-risk from security issues and, while you can get more information online about how to stay safe online, if your phone isn’t up to the task, then you will be at risk regardless of what you do. Many apps also work better and faster with the latest smartphone software. Once your phone stops receiving OS updates, consider replacing it for efficiency and security.
Close or Delete Unused Apps
Sometimes, the reason your phone is slowing down is simply that you have too many apps open. Your smartphone is a powerful device, but it has its limits! If you always keep its internals working at full-tilt, then it will definitely get “tired” and its performance will decline. Just imagine your smartphone being a person in the gym, doing all sorts of exercises without a break. Soon enough, the person will get exhausted even if they’re in great physical condition.
As much as possible, keep only one app running on your smartphone at a time. Close all background apps, unless you really need them. If you have apps that you rarely use, put them in deep sleep mode or delete them entirely.
Replace the Battery
Last but not least, your smartphone can actually be slowed down by a bad battery. This is because your phone needs a certain amount of current (measured in mAh) to operate at peak performance. If the battery isn’t able to provide this mAh requirement, it will slow down considerably.
Do note that some smartphones have what’s called a unibody construction, where the battery is built-in. If this is the case, you might not be able to purchase and install a new battery yourself; it’s best to bring your phone to a service center for this. For phones with removable batteries, make sure to purchase genuine products to get the best results.
If any or all of the above doesn’t speed up your phone, consider getting it checked by professionals. You might need more serious fixes or you might need to replace your phone entirely.