How to Speed Up a Slow Android Phone (12 Fixes That Work)

A slow Android phone almost always has one of four causes: storage that is nearly full, too many apps running in the background, a worn battery, or one badly behaved app. The fixes below run from the two-minute ones (restart, free up space, clear cache) to the one that takes an evening (a factory reset). Work through them in order and stop when the phone feels right again. Most phones under four years old recover without a reset.

Key takeaways

• Restart first. A phone that has been on for weeks holds stale processes in memory.
• Keep at least 10 to 15 percent of storage free. Android’s file system slows down sharply when the last few gigabytes fill up.
• Clearing an app’s cache is safe. Clearing its data signs you out and wipes settings, so do that only for an app you can set up again.
• Animation scale, background app limits and the stock launcher give the most noticeable “snappier” feel on older phones.
• A factory reset fixes software problems, not a worn battery or a phone that was slow on day one.

Find the cause first

Ten minutes of checking saves an hour of random fixes. Open Settings and look at four things.

• Storage. Settings, Storage (Samsung: Battery and device care, Storage). Under 10 percent free is your first fix.
• Memory. Samsung’s Device care screen shows RAM in use; on Pixel, Developer options has a Memory page. A 3 GB or 4 GB phone that is constantly full is killing and reloading apps, which feels like lag.
• Battery health. A battery below about 80 percent of its original capacity cannot deliver peak current, and some phones slow the processor to compensate. Samsung shows it under Battery and device care, Battery, Battery information; Pixels on Android 14 or later under Settings, Battery, Battery health.
• One app. Settings, Battery, usage list. An app you barely open near the top of the list is running in the background and is a likely cause.

Slow suddenly after installing something? Uninstall that app first. Slow gradually over a year or two? Storage and battery are the usual suspects. Google’s own guidance on a slow or freezing phone is on the Android Help page for fixing a slow phone, and it starts with the same two steps: restart and free up space.

The 12 fixes, in the order to try them

1. Restart the phone

Hold the power button (or power plus volume down on newer Samsung and Pixel phones) and choose Restart. This clears memory leaks from apps that have been open for days. If the phone speeds up for a week and then slows again, keep going down the list.

2. Free 10 to 15 percent of storage

Settings, Storage, then tap the largest category, usually photos and videos. Back them up with Google Photos or one of the cloud backup services we compare, then use the “Free up space” option in Google Photos to delete the local copies. The Files by Google app finds duplicates, old downloads and large videos under its Clean tab. Aim for at least 10 percent free; below that, flash storage has to work harder for every write and the whole phone stutters.

3. Clear app cache

Cache is temporary data an app keeps so it loads faster. Over months it can grow to several gigabytes and occasionally become corrupted. Settings, Apps, pick an app, Storage, Clear cache. Start with the browser, social, streaming and map apps, which cache the most. Do not press Clear data unless you want the app returned to a freshly installed state.

4. Install pending updates

Two places: Settings, System, System update (Software update on Samsung) for Android, and the Play Store, profile icon, Manage apps and device, for apps. Performance regressions in a single app version are common and usually fixed within a release or two.

5. Remove third-party launchers, live wallpapers and widgets

A custom launcher, an animated wallpaper and a home screen full of widgets all run every time you press the home button. On a phone with 4 GB of RAM or less, the stock launcher, a still wallpaper and one or two widgets make a visible difference. Settings, Apps, Default apps, Home app switches back.

6. Reduce the animation scale

This changes how the phone feels more than how fast it works. Enable Developer options by tapping Build number seven times under Settings, About phone. Then in Developer options set Window animation scale, Transition animation scale and Animator duration scale to 0.5x. Every screen change now takes half as long. Off feels abrupt to most people.

7. Limit background activity

Settings, Apps, choose the app, Battery, then Restricted (Pixel) or Sleeping (Samsung also has a “Put unused apps to sleep” toggle). Do this for shopping, travel and game apps you use once a month. Leave messaging and alarm apps alone or you will miss notifications.

8. Uninstall what you do not use

Every installed app can run at boot, sync in the background and receive push notifications whether or not you open it. Settings, Apps, sort by last used, and remove anything untouched for three months. Pre-installed apps that cannot be uninstalled can usually be disabled, which stops them running.

9. Check for a rogue app with safe mode

Hold the power button, then press and hold the Power off option on screen until the phone offers safe mode. Only pre-installed apps run there. If the phone is fast in safe mode, an app you installed is the problem: restart normally and uninstall recent additions one at a time. This is also the standard test if you suspect something worse than lag; see our guide on the signs your phone has been hacked for what to look for.

10. Check battery health

If capacity is under 80 percent, the battery is the bottleneck and no software fix will help. A replacement at a manufacturer service centre or a reputable repair shop costs a fraction of a new phone at the time of writing, and on a three-year-old phone it is often the best upgrade available.

11. Turn off auto-sync for accounts you rarely use

Settings, Passwords and accounts (Accounts and backup on Samsung). Set an old work account or a second Gmail you never read to sync nothing.

12. Factory reset, done properly

The last resort, covered below, because it deletes everything.

Where the menus are on Samsung, Pixel and Xiaomi

Manufacturers rename and move settings. The table gives the paths on the three most common brands for their current software at the time of writing. Older versions differ slightly; the Settings search bar finds each item by name.

Samsung documents its own maintenance tools on the Samsung support page on optimising a Galaxy phone. Xiaomi’s built-in Security app has Cleaner and Boost speed tools that cover steps 2, 3 and 7 in one place.

Factory reset, the right way

A reset fixes problems caused by years of accumulated apps, settings and half-finished updates. It does not fix a worn battery, failing storage or a phone that was slow when new. Tick every item below first. The most common regret is losing authenticator codes, not photos.

1. Charge to at least 50 percent and stay on Wi-Fi.
2. Back up with Google One: Settings, Google, Backup, Back up now. Samsung owners should also run Smart Switch to a computer, which captures layout and app data Google’s backup misses.
3. Move every two-factor authenticator account. Google Authenticator syncs if cloud sync is on; Microsoft Authenticator and Authy have their own backups. Save recovery codes for anything without one.
4. Run a WhatsApp chat backup (Settings, Chats, Chat backup) and wait for it to finish.
5. Check downloads, voice recordings and anything stored “on device only” in note and PDF apps. Remove the SD card.
6. Sign out of your Google and Samsung accounts. This turns off Factory Reset Protection, and skipping it can leave the phone asking for a password you do not remember.
7. Reset using the paths in the table, then set up as new and restore only the apps you actually use.

Expect the phone to feel slow for the first hour while it downloads apps and re-indexes photos. Judge the result the next day.

When the phone is simply old

Android phones stop receiving updates three to seven years after launch, depending on brand and price tier, while apps keep being built for newer hardware. A 2019 phone with 3 GB of RAM will run today’s banking and social apps, but it will swap them in and out of memory constantly, and no setting changes that.

If your phone no longer gets security updates and is slow even after a reset, it has reached the end of its useful life. The entry level has moved a long way since it was new. Current budget phones under $300 ship with 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM, 128 GB of faster UFS storage and 90 Hz or 120 Hz screens, which together remove all three causes of lag you have been fighting. Look for a brand that promises at least four years of security updates so you are not back here in two.

Who these fixes are not for

• A phone that is slow only in one app. Update, clear cache or reinstall that app.
• A phone that is hot and slow while charging. That is heat throttling, often from a damaged cable, charger or case.
• A phone that reboots or freezes rather than lags. That points to failing storage or a hardware fault. Back up immediately and get it looked at.

Frequently asked questions