Don’t spend hundreds of dollars on a new Android if it’s beginning to lag so much that you want to smash it against a wall. To put it bluntly, your phone isn’t dying; rather, it’s drowning beneath all the digital clutter you’ve been accumulating.
Apps that take ages to launch and often freeze are not fatalities. All of the applications you never use, the many old files you’ve forgotten, and the mysterious background activities that deplete your phone’s battery are just taking up space on your phone. Additionally, because the actual phone is probably disgusting, you should definitely simply clean it while you’re at it.
Therefore, don’t quit up just yet. Clearing away the junk, speeding up your phone, and making it seem much less outdated just requires a few easy tweaks.
Delete every app you’ve forgotten.
Spend a few minutes going through your app drawer or home screen and removing any programs that you are no longer using. In addition to using up valuable storage space, those applications could also have access to the permissions or personal data you gave them when you initially downloaded them.
The manufacturer of your device may have an impact on how you remove an app, but I addressed all the bases in this article. If you long-press the app’s icon and don’t see an uninstall option, give it a read.
Get rid of outdated files to increase storage space.
Go through the data stored on your Android phone to increase storage after deleting any outdated applications. It’s quite simple to forget about all the things you’ve downloaded at random, such as a friend’s GIF or the takeout menu from the new restaurant down the street. And those files mount up. Using the preloaded Files app is the fastest and most straightforward method of managing the storage on your phone.
In actuality, that identical app is used on certain phones. For instance, it’s referred to as My Files on Samsung. There are just files on the Pixel lineup. You get the idea. On the OnePlus 10 Pro, it’s File Manager.
I suggest pulling out your phone’s app drawer and selecting “files.” Whatever your phone manufacturer names the app, it’s likely to show.
Start by looking through the Downloads folder, where you may either transfer the files to an other location, like Google Drive, or remove the ones you no longer desire.
Any huge files stored on your smartphone will also be visible via the majority of file applications. For example, the File Manager software on the OnePlus 10 Pro offers a special area for files that are using a lot of storage.
Change the home screen’s settings for a fresh appearance.
The ability to completely personalize the appearance of your phone is one of Android’s finest features. There are several ways to customize your phone, ranging from adding app icon packs to swapping out the launcher entirely.
Start by exploring the home screen options your phone currently offers, however you can certainly get right into downloading app icons and adjusting launchers. I sometimes do this, and it’s amazing how little adjustments to features like app layout can give the impression that the phone is brand new.
You may choose Home settings (or a similar option) by long-pressing on a vacant section of your home screen. This will bring up your home screen’s settings, where you may adjust a number of things.
parameters such as the app grid’s size. Going from a grid of 4×5 applications to a 5×5 grid may seem like a little adjustment, but adding a column may have a significant impact (the same is true for grid shrinkage).
Settings for things like swiping down on the home screen to display alerts rather than swiping from the top of the screen may be found here as well.
Examine the corresponding options on your phone and try out different configurations for your home screen.
Make your device’s settings more optimal.
When it comes to settings, now is an excellent opportunity to review and adjust those that have been bothering you. To get the most of any Android phone, I’ve compiled a list of options you should adjust and personalize.
Dark mode, for instance, not only improves the app’s appearance but also conserves battery life. Indeed, I even demonstrate how to prevent app icons from showing up on your home screen by default.
Personalize your privacy settings.
Do yourself and your Android phone a favor before you go to bed: check your privacy settings one final time.
After launching the Settings app, choose Privacy > Permissions Manager. Look through each category to find out which applications presently have access to which personal information. Do you want to prevent an app from accessing your location? Switch it off. The same is true for calendars, contacts, and cameras.
Going through each segment doesn’t take long, and even if it did, the effort would have been worthwhile.