How to speed up your phone– simple Android & iPhone tricks to clear storage, reduce animations, stop background apps and make your phone feel brand new.
How to Speed Up Your Phone – Tell Me How
A slow phone is frustrating, but you don’t need to buy a new one. These proven steps will make your Android or iPhone feel noticeably faster in under 30 minutes – no technical skills required.
1. Free Up Storage Space
Phones slow down dramatically when storage is almost full.
- Aim to keep at least 20 % free (e.g., 12 GB on a 64 GB phone)
- Android: Settings → Storage → Free up space
- iPhone: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → Offload Unused Apps
- Delete old photos/videos, offload apps you rarely use, and clear WhatsApp media.
2. Update Your Operating System & Apps
Out-of-date software is one of the biggest causes of slowdowns.
- Android: Settings → System → System update
- iPhone: Settings → General → Software Update. Then open Google Play Store / App Store and update all apps.
3. Restart Your Phone Weekly
A simple reboot clears memory leaks and background processes. Hold the power button → Restart. Do this every Sunday night and notice the difference on Monday morning.
4. Clear Cache (Android) / Offload Apps (iPhone)
- Android: Settings → Storage → Cached data → Clear cache (safe to do weekly)
- For individual apps: Settings → Apps → [app name] → Storage → Clear cache
- iPhone: Settings → General → iPhone Storage → select heavy app → Offload App (keeps documents, removes the app, reinstalls fresh)
5. Reduce Animations & Visual Effects
Both Android and iPhone slow down animations to make the phone feel faster.
- Android (Developer Options): Settings → About phone → tap Build number 7 times → back to Settings → System → Developer options → set Window/Transition/Animator scale to 0.5x or Animation off
- iPhone: Settings → Accessibility → Motion → Reduce Motion (On)
6. Stop Apps Refreshing in the Background
- Android: Settings → Apps → select app → Battery → Restricted
- iPhone: Settings → General → Background App Refresh → Wi-Fi or Off
7. Use Lite Versions of Apps
Install Facebook Lite, Messenger Lite, TikTok Lite, Gmail Go etc. – they use far less RAM and storage.
8. Remove or Disable Unused Widgets & Live Wallpapers
Every home-screen widget constantly uses resources. Long-press and remove anything you don’t use daily. Switch to a static wallpaper.
9. Factory Reset (Nuclear Option)
If nothing else works:
- Back up everything first (Google Photos, iCloud)
- Android: Settings → System → Reset options → Erase all data
- iPhone: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Erase All Content and Settings Your phone will feel brand new.
Quick 5-Minute Speed Boost (Do This Now)
- Restart phone
- Delete 10 apps you haven’t opened in months
- Clear cache (Android) or offload 3 heavy apps (iPhone)
- Update all apps
FAQ
Q: Will a factory reset really make my phone faster?
A: Yes – it returns the phone to day-one performance (but back up first!).
Q: Do “phone cleaner” apps actually work?
A: Most are useless or contain ads/malware. Do the steps above instead.
Q: Why is my phone still slow after clearing storage?
A: Old battery health can throttle performance. Check:
- Android: dial ##4636## → Battery information
- iPhone: Settings → Battery → Battery Health
Q: Does dark mode make my phone faster?
A: Slightly – it reduces GPU load on OLED screens (Samsung, recent iPhones).
Follow these steps in order and your phone will feel years younger – often faster than when you first bought it!
