Your old Android phone isn't dead yet: 7 ways to make it run faster and last longer
PCWorld|June 2020
Freshen it up with a good reboot, an OS update, battery-boosting tricks and more.
MICHAEL SIMON
Your old Android phone isn't dead yet: 7 ways to make it run faster and last longer

Your old Android phone needs some help. Maybe it’s feeling sluggish. Maybe it’s groaning under the weight of excess photos and apps. Maybe the battery dies way too soon. Or maybe you’re not quite ready to part with it.

The good news is, you can save it. With a little work, you can make your sluggish Android phone feel fresh enough to get you through at least a little more time together. Here are seven ways to make your old Android phone feel a little younger, starting with...restarts!

1. RESTART YOUR ANDROID PHONE REGULARLY

Let’s start simple. You might not think about restarting your phone unless an update comes along, but just like a PC, it can do a lot to fix an ailing handset. A simple 30-second restart will give your phone an instant speed boost by freeing up your memory, killing background apps and processes, and unsticking any stuck apps. Even if you dutifully swipe away apps on your Recents screen, they might still be holding onto some RAM, which quickly adds up. And if you’ve only got 2GB or 3GB to begin with, a weekly restart will do wonders for your phone’s performance and battery life.

2. CHECK FOR ANDROID UPDATES

While Google’s own Pixel and Nexus phones update automatically in the background due to seamless updates that rolled out with Android’s Nougat, most other phones do not. Depending on your settings, you might not even get a notification alerting you that an update is available. So you’ll want to make sure your phone is up to date with the latest security patches and bug fixes.

This story is from the June 2020 edition of PCWorld.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 2020 edition of PCWorld.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM PCWORLDView All
5 Compelling Reasons to Buy a Windows Laptop Instead of a MacBook
PCWorld

5 Compelling Reasons to Buy a Windows Laptop Instead of a MacBook

MacBooks are powerful and chic. That's also true of many Window Notebooks - And they have other advantages that MacBook can't counter.

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2023
5 tips to make Gmail more secure
PCWorld

5 tips to make Gmail more secure

Bank statements, contracts, tickets, love letters…most things in this world can be sent via email, and protecting your email is extremely important.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
TunnelBear VPN: It's just right for beginners
PCWorld

TunnelBear VPN: It's just right for beginners

Come for the bear puns, stay for the security.

time-read
6 mins  |
September 2023
Contour SliderMouse Pro: This mouse saves your hands
PCWorld

Contour SliderMouse Pro: This mouse saves your hands

Unusual ergonomic mouse is here to save your hands

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023
Woohoo! You can get a Raspberry Pi again
PCWorld

Woohoo! You can get a Raspberry Pi again

Availability hasn't completely recovered, but it's looking much better already.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Microsoft begins pulling the plug on Cortana
PCWorld

Microsoft begins pulling the plug on Cortana

Cortana probably won't live for much longer.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
Norton's free Al-powered Genie tool helps you spot online scams
PCWorld

Norton's free Al-powered Genie tool helps you spot online scams

Not sure if the message, email, link or social media post you've received is a scam? The Al-powered Norton Genie is designed to help.

time-read
1 min  |
September 2023
Google now alerts you if your contact info appears online
PCWorld

Google now alerts you if your contact info appears online

Better decades late than never.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Microsoft 365 makeover: Office docs are getting new default look
PCWorld

Microsoft 365 makeover: Office docs are getting new default look

Significant changes are coming to your Office documents with Microsoft 365's new default theme.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 2023
Smart Answers: GenAl tool makes it easier to find the info you need on PCWorld
PCWorld

Smart Answers: GenAl tool makes it easier to find the info you need on PCWorld

Smart Answers puts you in the driving seat for content discovery.

time-read
5 mins  |
September 2023