Smartphones have gotten a lot better in the last few years, and it's highly unlikely that users will face frequent stutters and lags in day-to-day tasks, even on cheap Android phones. But if you're someone who holds onto their device for more than a few years, you will notice it slow down as time passes. This will be more apparent on low-end devices as they're not designed to be future-proof. While you can easily overcome this by upgrading to a new phone, there are a couple of other ways you can get a better experience without spending any money. If your old Android phone is starting to show its age, here are some tips that will help you make your Android phone run faster and better.

Improve your Android phone's performance with these handy tips

Uninstall/disable unnecessary apps

While most of us frequently install new apps on our devices, many don't take the initiative to uninstall apps that are no longer in use. These apps can adversely affect your device's performance, as they might run in the background and hog valuable system resources that could be better utilized by an app you actually use. So, I recommend giving your phone a cleanup every few months by removing apps that you don't use frequently. You can use this time to uninstall or disable any apps that came preinstalled on your phone and aren't being used. If you're unsure how to do that, check out our guide on uninstalling carrier/OEM bloatware without root access.

How to remove galaxy s22 bloatware

In addition, you should remove antivirus and task-killer apps from your device. If you're just using the Google Play Store to download apps, Google's Play Protect is more than enough protection for your smartphone. You don't need a separate antivirus app unless you have an old device without Play Protect support or frequently install apps from third-party sources. Check out our in-depth explainer on antivirus apps for Android to learn more. Unlike older builds, Android today also does a great job of managing your phone's resources, so you don't need a task manager app to kill any apps to get a performance boost. The task killers do more harm than good, and you'd be better off without them.

While you're in the device settings uninstalling unused apps, you might also want to clear the cache for individual apps. This could improve the app's performance without erasing other data like your login credentials, history, and preferences.

Home-screen improvements

If you're using a really old, underpowered Android phone, live wallpapers, and too many widgets can hamper the phone's performance. While the live wallpapers or widgets won't drag the performance down on a modern and relatively powerful phone, older devices don't have the same luxury.

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So if you're using a live wallpaper or have too many widgets on your phone's home screen, remove them and pick a regular wallpaper. In terms of other home screen improvements, you can also try a third-party launcher for a faster and smoother experience.

Update to the latest Android release

A number of people don't particularly care about software updates, so they don't install them. That's a mistake, as software updates bring performance improvements and bug fixes along with new features. So it's vital you install them soon after they roll out. If you haven't installed any updates on your phone, go to Settings > System > Update (or software update) to check for updates. If you're not familiar with the process, you can reference our guide on checking and updating the Android version on your phone.

Motorola Moto G Play 2023 software updates

It's also a good idea to update the apps installed on your phone. If you've followed our advice from the previous section, you now only have a few useful apps left on your phone. So make sure you update them to the latest version to get the latest features, bug fixes, and other improvements.

Restart your phone periodically

When you restart your phone, it clears previously running apps and background processes. This could give you a slight boost in performance, but this isn't a long-term fix. So, if your phone starts feeling sluggish again, you should give it another reboot.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra with power menu on screen.

You can automate this process on some Android skins, like Samsung's One UI and OnePlus' OxygenOS, and schedule an automatic restart at pre-defined intervals.

Use Go-edition or Lite apps

The Lite or Go-edition variants of apps not only take less space, but they're also not as resource-intensive as the main apps. So using them can greatly improve your app experience, especially on older hardware. You won't find Lite or Go-edition variants for all apps, but the likes of Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other big names offer them.

Perform a factory reset

Another way to improve the performance of your Android phone is by resetting it to factory settings and starting afresh. A factory reset will remove all the unnecessary junk from your smartphone and give it a new lease on life. Just make sure you back up all important data before doing a factory reset.

It's also important to note that the factory reset will bring the carrier/OEM bloatware back to your phone. So, after a factory reset, remove all unnecessary apps preinstalled on your phone. Check out our guide on factory resetting Android phones for step-by-step instructions.

Use Developer Options to speed up animations

Android has a bunch of UI animations that look aesthetically pleasing but could make your phone feel more sluggish than it actually is. Fortunately, you can easily speed up or disable these animations, which could result in your phone feeling a whole lot faster. To do so, you'll first have to enable Developer Options on your phone.

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Once that's done, you'll need to find three animation-related settings: Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale. These are set to 1x by default, but you can select a lower value, like 0.5x, to make your device feel faster.

Install a custom ROM/ Kernel or overclock the CPU

This advice is not for everyone. Unless you know what you're doing while installing a custom ROM, custom kernel, or even overclocking the CPU, you may irreversibly damage your phone. All of these things will likely void your phone's warranty if you still have it. So it would be best if you didn't attempt it unless you're confident.

Having said that, a custom ROM or kernel can improve the performance of your old Android phone. The XDA forums are a great place to find good custom ROMs, kernels, and overclocking tips for most devices. The amazing community in these forums can also help you if you get stuck. Remember, you'll have to root your phone to install a custom kernel and overclock the CPU. Also, note that installing a custom ROM or kernel will wipe your data.

Give your old Android phone a new lease on life

These tips should help you speed up your old Android phone and get a few more months, if not years, out of it. However, it would be best to keep your expectations in check as they won't make your phone feel like it did when you first pulled it out of the box. If that's what you want, or you don't see any major difference after trying these tips, it might be time to switch to a new phone. Check out our roundup of the best Android phones to find one that fits your requirements. We have several options spanning various price points, and we're sure you'll find a device that can be a worthy successor to your current daily driver.