A common problem among all smartphones is that the devices, after about two years, begin to become slow, have stability problems and are hit by strange errors. This can happen on any device, but Android smartphones tend to be more affected by these issues.
To get the most out of a slightly old smartphone (such as a Samsung Galaxy S4) and extend its life, in this guide we will show you some good tips to keep Android fast, to extend battery life and other good tips to be able to give a new life to the smartphone abandoned in the drawer that we had set aside precisely for the problems encountered.
At the end of the guide we will also show you some valid solutions in which to use old smartphones, even if we have new models: we can therefore assign a new "task" to any smartphone that is too old to be used as a mobile phone.
READ ALSO -> How to speed up Android on every smartphone
1) How to get a smartphone back (simple method)
To make the Android smartphone go back as quickly as it has just been purchased (or almost) we can follow valid advice, already covered extensively in other similar guides.
- Check which apps and files take up the most storage space: we access Settings -> Memory so you can control the distribution of files, photos and other things on the storage memory. If the space is less than 40%, it is better to delete the older material and save the photos via Google Photos, so as to free up a lot of space.
The ideal is to always have 60-70% of the free memory on the old smartphone, which otherwise would slow down too quickly.
- Check the number of apps present: let's go to Settings -> Apps and check how many apps are running in the background and therefore occupy RAM, uninstalling a lot of memory.
In this regard, we can read an article in which we explain what it takes to check which apps consume the most battery.
It is not convenient to use applications such as Battery Doctor that terminate the apps in use to free up RAM because they do not give any benefit.
On Android, it helps free the screen from widgets and change Android launcher by installing a lighter one.
- Uninstall the applications that are not needed : if there are apps that we do not need, it is better to uninstall them to free up space and make the system and other apps faster.
Unfortunately, on Android there may be pre-installed applications that cannot be removed; the only way to quickly remove these unwanted or always starting system apps is to enable root permissions or change ROMs, as we will see in another section of this guide.
- Deactivate location location: many applications, from Google Maps to Facebook, constantly monitor the position of the mobile phone.
Let's go to the Settings menu -> Location and enable low-power location, so as not to use GPS anymore (only triangulation will be made via cellular network when required).
- Deactivate automatic app update: on Android, updating applications is automatic and consumes a lot of battery.
To disable the update for all the apps, open the Google Play Store, go to the side scrolling menu and open the item Settings > Automatic app update ; here we activate the item Do not automatically update apps .
If, on the other hand, we want to disable the update only for a specific app installed, let's look for it in the Google Play Store, open its tab and click on the menu at the top right, so we can disable the check mark under the item Automatic updates .
- Deactivate automatic synchronization or updating
Another responsible for the depletion of the battery is the synchronization function, however useful for receiving messages and emails automatically and promptly.
On Android it is possible to install an app like AutoSync to activate synchronization only when the screen is on, excellent to guarantee us anyway the updating of the apps that use it to be able to work regularly (for example messaging apps).
- Do a restart or reset
Unfortunately, smartphones with aging tend to have more stability problems and to lock more often; when it freezes or does not work well, it is better to restart it or turn it off and on again.
If it does not restart by itself, hold down the power button for a while or, if possible, remove and replace the battery.
It is also possible to start Android in safe mode or reset the phone to factory settings by going to the Settings -> Backup and reset menu and clicking on the item Factory data reset or Reset phone .
In these cases, make sure that the data, address book and photos are saved online as a backup, for example by reading the tips in the following guide -> How to backup your Smartphone to save data.
2) How to get a smartphone back (advanced method)
After seeing the easy and affordable tips for everyone to speed up an old Android smartphone, let's see together the most advanced tips, those to be applied only if we really have capacity and if we are not afraid of losing the phone (some procedures may be a bit risky to be applied, therefore we always act with caution).
- Unlock root permissions : the first step to unlocking the full potential of an Android smartphone is to unlock root permissions, which will allow you, for example, to delete the system apps provided by the mobile phone manufacturer and the Google apps you don't want. .
The best guide that will show you step by step how to unlock permits is available here -> Guide to ROOT Android to have your cell phone free and unlocked.
- Install a different ROM : if the system supplied by the manufacturer is too slow, we can replace it with a new and free ROM, such as LineageOS .
To proceed with the replacement of the operating system, however, we will have to follow specific steps: we will often have to unlock the bootloader and place a new recovery to manage all the packages (since these are unofficial updates).
All these steps are well described in our dedicated guide -> How to install a Custom Android ROM.
By combining root permissions with a new and different ROM, we will surely see our system reborn and go faster, finally giving life to a phone that most likely we would never have used again.
We want to use the Android smartphone for a purpose other than calling and using apps "> 15 different ways of using the old Android phone
