5 steps to speed up your slow phone

iPhone and Android users can clash on a lot of subjects when it comes to their favorite devices. One thing all smartphone users can agree on, though, is that a slow phone is no good.

So, if you’re ever working with a customer whose phone is moving slower than an overtired sloth, or your own device is barely chugging along, here are a few possible solutions.

STEP ONE: STATUS CHECK

Okay, so your phone isn’t acting as it once did. Before you start thinking it’s the beginning of the end for it, first try a simple status check:

• Shut down all open applications: Open apps drain your phone’s memory.
• Clear cookies and data from your web browser: The more you browse, the more space these files take up.
• Restart the phone: Sometimes we all need a reset. Phones are no different. If closing all apps and clearing out your browsers don’t do the trick, this method will free up some memory.

If you need some help clearing cookies and data, here are steps for the most popular web browsers:

• Safari: Settings > scroll to Safari > scroll to Clear History and Website Data.
• Chrome (iPhone): Open Chrome > tap the three dots in the bottom right > Settings > Privacy > Clear Browsing Data > check Cookies, Site Data and uncheck the other boxes > tap Clear Browsing Data button > tap Done button.
• Chrome (Android): Open Chrome > tap the three dots in the upper right > Settings > Advanced > Privacy > Clear browsing data > select All time if you want to delete all data, or a specific time range of files > Clear data.
• Firefox (iPhone): Open Firefox > Tap on the three lines in the bottom right > Settings > Data Management > Tap the switches next to kinds of files you want to delete > tap Clear Private Data button.
• Firefox (Android): Open Firefox > Tap on History panel on home screen > Clear browsing history > tap OK button.
• Samsung Internet: Settings > Apps > scroll to Samsung Internet > Storage > Clear Data.

Additionally, Samsung phones have a built-in Device Maintenance app, which can clear out temporary and unnecessary files that clog up your phone’s memory. To access this app, go to Settings and scroll down to Device Maintenance. Tap on Storage to start clearing out those files.

STEP TWO: KILL STUFF IN THE BACKGROUND

Some apps continue running or updating content, even after we close them. The more apps on your phone, the higher the possibility you’ll have background processes clogging up your memory. The newest Android and iPhones have new features that mostly eliminate this problem, but if you have an older phone — let’s take that bandwidth back!

On an iPhone, follow this path: Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Once in there, switch the Background App Refresh option off.

This step is trickier for Android users. It all depends on who made your phone.

Samsung owners can use their device’s built-in Device Maintenance app for a quick fix. Go to Settings and then Device Maintenance. The Memory option will temporary clear out all apps running in the background. This can give you a little boost, but be aware that many of those apps will just start back up.

For a more permanent fix on a Samsung phone, go to Settings > Data usage > Background data. You can then manually turn off as many apps running in the background as you’d like. If you don’t have the Data usage option, go this route to get to the same place: Settings > Connections > Data usage > Wi-Fi data usage.

Android devices made by other companies may require you to go into advanced Developer options to stop background apps. If you fall in this camp, you may want to search out your device maker’s website for help on clearing out background apps.

STEP THREE: STOP AUTOMATIC DOWNLOADS

Many phones have automatic downloads turned on by default, updating apps whenever new versions become available. While it’s a convenient option, it can also be a drain on your phone’s speed and battery life.

With an iPhone, turn those automatic downloads off using these steps: Settings > iTunes & App Store and switch Automatic Downloads off.

Android users can do it this way: open Google Play > tap on the three lines in the upper right corner> Auto-update apps > select Do not auto-update apps.

STEP FOUR: IS YOUR SOFTWARE UPDATED?

If the previous three methods still haven’t done the trick, another option is to see if your phone is up to speed with other devices out there. As apps are updated, they are optimized to run on the newest versions of your phone’s operating system. If you aren’t updating your phone with those apps, your device could feel a little left behind.

To make sure your iPhone has the latest software, follow this path: Settings > General > Software Update.

For Android, follow these steps: Settings > Software Update > Check for updates.

Please be aware that software updates are not a cure-all. Depending on your phone’s age, it can make things even worse. Software updates, especially downloads of new OS versions, can be so large that they slow down old devices even more.

Speaking of things taking up space…

STEP FIVE: FREE UP YOUR PHONE

If you’ve read this far down and still have a slow phone, it might be time to do some spring cleaning (or summer, winter, or fall)! Deleting things off your device can always seem intimidating — as you don’t want to risk losing some cherished memories — but we got you!

Hopefully, these steps will have your device acting more like its usual self. Even if you’re not experiencing slower speeds, taking the time to clear out old data and checking for updates are good practices for regular phone maintenance.