Despite being made by standard brands or owning awesome features, mobile devices may lose their full functionality in the course of time. After a few years, they may seem to be a bit sluggish or behind the times. The older and more featureful the gadget is, the more severe this impact is likely to be. A few easy techniques can restore the efficiency to your old Android phone. And whether you continue to use the gadget as a daily driver or for more creative reasons, any improvement matters. 

Ways to Keep Your Smartphone Running Like New

Upgrade Your Operating System

Ensure that your operating system is up to date. This will guarantee that you get the most recent security and bug updates, as well as any useful new features. If your phone refuses to accept the newest update due to out-of-date hardware, this is not the end of the world. However, if your phone has become outdated due to a few upgrades, maybe it is time to upgrade.

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Speaking of which, avoid discounting refurbished phones in favour of brand-new ones. You may get a more recent model at a reduced price. Certified pre-owned phones offered by the manufacturer are good values since they are repaired by the same people who manufactured them and often have substantial warranties.

Replace the Battery

How to make your old and slow smartphone fast again? After around two years, you will undoubtedly notice a decrease in performance from your phone's battery. There are things you can do to prolong the life of your battery, such as avoiding excessive phone charging. Exercising your battery is also believed to help it perform more effectively for a longer period of time. Exercising a battery entails allowing it to discharge to near zero and then charging it to full capacity.

If your battery is draining its charge and you are always fumbling for chargers, it may be time for a replacement. While some phones feature readily removable batteries, many newer models have batteries that are not intended to be changed by the user. Replacement services are available via tech support centres and directly from specific manufacturers. While there are several internet guides claiming that changing a smartphone battery is simple, if you are not a confident tinkerer, there is no harm in hiring a professional technician to conduct the repair for you.

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Run a Factory Reset

If your dependable old phone remains slow after completing all of these procedures, there is one last option: wiping it clean and starting over from scratch. A factory reset removes any cobwebs and nearly usually speeds up a phone, at least temporarily.

Ascertain that all critical data and settings are fully backed up, and then seek the option to do a complete factory reset inside your system settings. Allow the phone to finish the procedure, then sign in and restore your settings. Consider doing steps 6 and 7 as well; they will be applicable even after the reset.

Uninstall Unnecessary Apps

Almost everyone has installed some applications that have outlived their value - maybe an airline app for which you travelled just once, a photography app that you never quite mastered, or a game that wasn't quite as amusing as you'd hoped. It's OK to change your decision about an app, but be careful to delete those that are no longer necessary.

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Unnecessary programs consume storage and, if they're sometimes doing tasks in the background, system resources, so regularly examine the apps on your smartphone and delete any that are no longer helpful to you. Disable pre-installed applications on your Android phone that cannot be removed to prevent them from using resources.

Reduce Usage of Animation

If your phone seems sluggish to switch between tasks, try disabling certain of the operating system's animations. On Android, you must first enable developer options through the Settings app and then minimize or disable certain animations. Consider switching to a static picture if you're currently utilizing a live wallpaper. On iOS, switch to a static picture as your background and disable parallax and app zooms by opening the Settings app in the Accessibility section.

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Free Up Storage

If you've removed any unnecessary applications but are still short on storage, erase any downloaded files that are clogging up your phone's memory, or backup and delete the years' worth of images that have gathered on your phone. Sync them with your computer or use the app for your preferred cloud service to backup and then delete them from your phone.

Eliminate outdated message threads that take up valuable storage space. Additionally, on Android, periodically clear the app cache to remove data that applications keep to expedite their operations; on iOS, erase the history in apps such as Safari.

Stop Maximum Background Task

On both iOS and Android, you may take a few measures to ensure that the applications you choose to retain do not adversely affect your phone's performance. Consider lowering the frequency with which programs such as your preferred mail client or social networking applications such as Facebook connect to your account and load fresh updates on Android.

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Consider which applications on iOS have Background App Refresh enabled and consider lowering their number to reduce the number of resources required in the background. Additionally, while not in use, switch off Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Add in a Few Useful Features

Finally, don't allow a lack of affection from the maker of your phone to keep you down. Android features a plethora of imaginative applications that may enhance and simplify the usage of your phone's UI.

Consider my list of productivity-boosting Android applications and treat yourself to a much-needed update on your own terms — then sit back and revel in the bliss of your new-feeling old phone.

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Bottom Line

In this article, we have discussed some practical ways to make your old phone feel new again. When your phone is operating slowly, clearing up unwanted applications or just restarting it might help. However, there are occasions when you've tried everything, and your smartphone is still not operating as expected.

In such a scenario, you may take a more drastic step and do a factory reset, which often resolves random app bugs and eliminates faults that defy detection. Simply keep in mind that before you reset your phone, you should back up all of your critical data and media.