These settings slow down your Android smartphone imperceptibly
Even if your Android phone is equipped with powerful hardware, sometimes it still doesn't work as fast as you'd like. Often, it's not the hardware, but the settings that limit performance.
MakeUseOf writes about the features that can hold back your gadget.
Adaptive Battery
Android monitors which apps you open less frequently and cuts off their background activity to save battery power. This sometimes results in slower app launches and delayed notifications. If you have a large battery or fast charging, you should turn off the Adaptive Battery switch in the Settings — Battery — Adaptive Settings menu. Samsung smartphones have a different way: "Settings" — "Battery" — "Background usage limits", then three dots — "Adaptive battery".
RAM Plus or RAM Boost
The function turns part of the internal storage into virtual RAM. Since the storage is slower than RAM, frequent access to it slows down app switching and increases boot times. On devices with 8 GB of RAM or more, the additional "pseudo-memory" is unnecessary. You can disable it in Settings — Battery & Device care — Memory — RAM Plus (Samsung) or by searching for RAM Plus/Boost in the system settings.
Change Processing Speed
Most manufacturers offer performance modes. On Samsung, the default setting is "Optimized" — a balance between performance and battery life. If you notice freezes during games or heavy applications, switch to "High" or "Maximum" in Settings — Device care — Processing speed. On other models, look for the "Performance Mode" item.
Background App Activity
Dozens of apps remain active to synchronise data. Check the battery consumption in the battery menu: if a rarely used app is listed as a "glutton for punishment", limit it to the background. This will reduce the load and extend battery life.
Auto-Sync for Accounts
Each new account immediately receives constant synchronisation of contacts, mail, and calendar. A large number of them creates significant traffic and processor load. Go to Settings — Accounts and backup — Manage accounts, and leave synchronisation only where it is really needed.
1x Animation Scale
Animations make the interface look good, but on older devices, they can make it slow. In the Developer Options menu (accessed by seven taps on the Build Number in the software information), reduce the Window Animation Scale, Transition, and Animation Duration to 0.5x or disable them altogether to make the interface faster.
Background Processes Limit
Android keeps multiple apps open at the same time. This can cause pauses and freezes on weak or budget models. In the same Developer Settings, find Background Process Limits and select Few allowed processes or Standard. If notifications are lost or music stops after the change, go back to the Standard limit.
None of the above changes will make your smartphone instantly fly, but together they significantly improve the smoothness of the experience.
As a reminder, Google has discovered 62 dangerous vulnerabilities in Android smartphones. Users have been warned that two of them pose a particular threat and that they should immediately update their devices.
We also wrote that users are used to seeing the "System updated" message on Android smartphones after downloading a new version of the operating system. However, this is not always the case, and there are important updates hidden in the system that go unnoticed.