These slow down your phone — The worst habits of Android users

Most Android users are familiar with the basic functions of their smartphones, but many useful features remain unused. You may encounter errors that make using the device less enjoyable.

MakeUseOf wrote about ten of these mistakes.

Ignoring Face Unlock and Extend Unlock

Most Android smartphones have built-in fingerprint sensors, but face unlock can also be useful. It's handy when your hands are wet or busy.

Extend Unlock (formerly Smart Lock) lets you keep your device unlocked in trusted environments — at home, in your hands, or when connected to a smartwatch or car.

Using the standard refresh rate of 60 Hz

Even if your phone supports 90Hz or 120Hz, it may default to 60Hz to conserve battery power. However, a higher refresh rate makes swiping, gaming, and UI interactions smoother.

Opting-out of the dual-application feature

If you use multiple Telegram, Facebook, or Instagram accounts, the Dual Apps feature allows you to create a second copy of the app to avoid constantly switching between accounts.

Ignoring battery protection functions

Over time, your phone's battery loses capacity, but the Battery Protect feature helps slow down the process. It limits charging to 80% to prevent overheating and battery wear.

Skip Digital Wellbeing settings

If you're spending too much time on your phone, Digital Wellbeing helps you control screen time, set app limits, and activate focus mode. There's also a bedtime mode that turns the screen to grayscale and turns off bedtime notifications.

Use of standard ring tones and notifications

With personalized ringtones, you can instantly identify who is calling. You can also customize different tones for different applications to quickly distinguish between important and unimportant messages.

Use the default button layout

You can customize the Quick Access panel to suit your needs. Add the buttons you use the most, such as notes, QR scanners, or TV controls, for quick access.

Notification history is turned off

By default, Android deletes notifications after you close them. But enabling the notification history will help you view them even after accidentally deleting them, as well as read deleted messages in Telegram.

Ignoring split screen and PiP modes

Split screen lets you work in two apps at once, so you can check your calendar while you type a message. And picture-in-picture (PiP) mode lets you watch a video or use Google Maps while using other apps.

Avoiding the Developer Options Menu

The Developer menu contains useful settings that can speed up your device. For example, reducing animations makes your phone faster, and Force Dark Mode enables dark mode even in apps that don't support it.

Many of these features are turned off by default, but turning them on can significantly improve your Android experience.

We also wrote that the performance of any smartphone slows down over time. There are several reasons for this, as well as methods to help improve performance.

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