How to Boost Android Performance

Boosting Android Performance

Remember when you first used your new Android phone or tablet and it ran
quickly and smoothly? If you have had your device for more than 6 months, it's
a fair bet that it isn't running so well any more. Luckily, there are several
simple ways to improve the performance of any Android device, particularly
those running newer versions of the OS. By applying some or all of these
simple tips you could see a decent boost in stability, frame rate and
smoothness.

Choose Widgets Carefully

Widgets are a key part of what makes Android so usable but it is very easy to
fill several home screen panels with the ones you find useful. Doing so will
almost certainly impact on the running of your device, as each widget uses
small amounts of processing power (not to mention battery power),

Clearing some of these widgets off your home screens will, in many cases, give
you a noticeable improvement in performance. You don't need to strip your home
screens back to nothing, just remove those widgets you rarely use or which
don't increase usability that much.

Use Device Maintenance

Many devices, including most current Samsung Galaxy phones and tablets,
feature a built-in device maintenance tool. These provide a one-click way to
clear out old files left behind by apps, clear the cache, scan and clean
storage and force apps that are using up device memory to close. You don't
need to use these tools every day but a few minutes each week spent using them
can make a huge difference, particularly if you install and remove lots of
different apps.

Clear the Cache

The more you use an app, the more data is cached to improve that app's
performance. Unfortunately, what is good for the app, may not be good for the
rest of the device. Deleting the individual caches can be done in the Apps
menu (settings > applications) but there are also free apps available in
the Google Play store that can automate the process. One of the most popular
is Clean Master.

Turn Off Animations

A hidden settings option in Android will give you access to commands you may
have never known existed: the Developer Options Go to Settings > About,
scroll down to Build Number and tap it seven times. You will now have access
to developer options. Most of the options here should be left alone unless you
really know what you are doing but some, including the animation options, can
be altered for a potential speed increase. Try turning off animation settings
one at a time to see if things speed up on your device.

Switch to ART Runtime

Your device might also support the ART runtime environment. If so, switching
to it from the DALVIK runtime could provide a considerable performance boost.
ART is now a standard feature for all Android versions, and newer devices will
likely already be using it. Just as with animation options, you can access
this setting via the Developer Options menu. Not all apps can use ART at the
moment, so if one of the apps you use is unable to open or you are having
trouble receiving a software update, simply switch back to Dalvik mode using
the same process.

Clear Out Some Apps

Most apps take up just a few MB of space in your device memory, so most modern
Android phones and tablets can handle a lot of apps before they start to run
out of space. However, just because you can fit loads on your device, doesn't
mean that you should Having periodic clear outs of apps you no longer need can
really help to improve device performance, particularly if the apps you remove
are ones which update or work in the background.

To uninstall apps easily, open the main app list (or app drawer) on your
device and tap and hold on the one to be removed. Drag and drop it on to the
trash can (or uninstall) icon at the top of the screen.

Keep the OS Updated

Make sure that your Android device is up to date with the latest system
software releases. Major and minor software updates could include improvements
to how the processor handles various functions and could result in a decent
speed boost You can check for updates by opening the main settings, tapping
About and then looking for the Software Update section. You can manually check
for updates using the button there, or you can check the box next to
Automatically check for updates

Factory Reset

If your device has become cluttered up with apps, files and other stuff and is
showing signs of struggling to do anything, it could be time for a Factory
Reset (also called hard reset). This is just about the best way to achieve
a performance boost, particularly with older handsets.

Factory reset is not a step to be taken lightly, it will permanently delate
all your data and customized settings and still also remove any applications
you downloaded and Installed. Be sure to back up any data and files you want
to keep Factory reset will not remove the data and files that are on your
microSD card.

The simplest way to perform a factory reset is through the settings
menu. Go to Settings » SD and device Storage (or privacy) a Factory Data
Reset. On newer versions of Android, backup, and reset has its own section in
the main Android settings. On the following screen select Reset Device or
Factory Reset. Once the device has restarted, you will need to enter your
Google account details, etc. so make sure you know them and have them to
hand.