3 hacks that can instantly boost your slow Android smartphone

There’s nothing quite like unboxing a new smartphone, and nothing certainly compares to the first few months of using it! Not only is it smooth to handle, but it feels significantly snappier and highly responsive. If you’re using a relatively older device, you probably miss this feeling.

After all, everyday use, constant media exchange and multitasking can slow it down and make it more frustrating to use. However, there are other ways to boost its performance, and you don’t always have to switch to newer technology or factory reset your phone. Here are some tweaks you can find within your phone settings that can help you get your phone up and running in no time.

3 ways to boost your Android smartphone

Before you begin, make sure your phone is already in Developer Mode. Your phone’s developer mode is primarily designed for app developers, but it can help you unlock useful settings and allow you to take more control of your device.

That said, you won’t necessarily find it because it is often hidden on your smartphone and contains advanced information that isn’t quite useful for day-to-day usage. But here are some steps you can follow to enter Developer Mode on your phone:

Step 1: Open the Settings app on your phone.

Step 2: Navigate to About Phone and scroll till you see the build number.

Step 3: Tap the build number seven times (you’re likely to see the phone tell you that you’re ‘X steps closer to being a developer’.

Step 4: You should see a message that reads ‘You’re now a developer!’, which indicates Developer Settings has been activated on your phone.

Step 5: Once through, you will be able to see a bunch of other settings under Developer Options.

If you don’t see these Settings despite following all the steps, try restarting your phone, as it sometimes takes a reboot to reflect.

Now that you’re done, here is how you can leverage these settings to get your Android smartphone running smoothly:

1. Reducing Logger Buffer sizes

Your Android phone creates something known as a Logger Buffer, which logs your system activities for debugging purposes. This typically helps developers to diagnose issues. However, this also causes logs to pile up over time and end up consuming memory as well as CPU unnecessarily.

ALSO READ: Is your iPhone running slow? Here’s how to fix it

Reducing these files can free up RAM on your phone for other apps. It also restricts background CPU usage and prevents minor lags in your routine work. You can also adjust Logger Buffer sizes by following these steps:

Step 1: Within Developer Options (shown above) scroll to find Logger Bugger sizes

Step 2: Tap this, and select the smallest option available in the list (this could be 64K or 128K)

Step 3: When you’re done selecting, reboot your phone so that changes can come into full effect

Note: While this option is available across most phones, if you don’t see it, chances are your phone’s manufacturer may have removed it. In this scenario, you can jump to the next option we have suggested.

2. Disable animations on your Android smartphone

Android animations are fun and often make your smartphone experience a memorable one. But more often than not, they’re also what could be causing a lag or a delay on your device. In fact, each of these animations also adds milliseconds of delay to each task.

Your phone will generally use three types of animations for your tasks. Some of these include:

– Windows Animation Scale (to open and close apps)

– Transition Animation Scale (when you’re switching between screens)

– Animation Duration Scale (usually noticed within in-app animations)

ALSO READ: Checking RAM on your Android smartphone: A simple guide

While this may make your phone seem basic, disabling them also makes it particularly faster. If you don’t entirely want to do away with them, you may also find an option that can reduce the effect to 0.5x. If you’re wondering how to turn them off, follow the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Within Developer Options, find the animation settings mentioned above.

Step 2: Tap each one of them and toggle the animation off, or reduce it to 0.5x, if you still want some of them.

Step 3: Exit Settings to see these changes reflected.

With this, you might find your apps opening faster and your phone no longer stuttering at every transition.

3. Limit background processes 

Whether you like it or not, Android allows certain apps to run in the background on your smartphone. This activity is useful for notifications and real-time updates, but is notorious for slowing down your device. The good news is you can turn this off to enjoy a snappy interface. Here’s how:

Step 1: Within Developer Options, find Background Process Limit.

Step 2: Tap to choose ‘at the most 2 or 3 processes’.

Step 3: With this, your phone should automatically prioritise important apps that will continue running in the background.

This prevents your phone from running unnecessary apps in the background. This also improves multitasking speed and thereby reduces battery drain.

In addition to these steps, you can also clear the cache to ensure a better overall smartphone experience. It’s crucial to note that your Android phone doesn’t always slow down immediately, and most of these are the effects of files piling up in the system.

It’s always a good idea to revisit these settings every now and then to make sure your phone remains fast and responsive. For more such tips and tricks, be sure you remain subscribed to Unboxed by Croma.