Over time, Android phones slow down due to unused apps, bloatware, low storage, and resource-heavy widgets. To restore speed, remove unused apps, disable preinstalled bloatware, free up storage by moving files or clearing cache, minimize widgets (especially on older devices), avoid battery/RAM optimization apps (which drain resources), and consider a factory reset as a last resort. These steps help reclaim performance, mimicking the phone’s original responsiveness.
1. Removing unused apps (obviously)
This is the most important step. You might think that it doesn’t matter and that you don’t use those apps, so they aren’t affecting your phone, but you will be wrong. Most of the apps, even when you’re not using them, are running in the background, taking up system resources, and on top of that, your phone regularly checks for updates to those apps and uses up bandwidth and resources too. This step is important to making your Android phone fast again.
2. Remove or Disable Bloatware
Bloatware includes some useless apps that come preinstalled with your Android phone. You might have thought that some of these apps cannot be removed because you don’t have the option to do so, and you are right; some of these apps don’t have an Uninstall option but what you can do is go into settings, then apps, and find the app and disable it. This is also a really important step to making your Android phone fast. Disabling the bloatware apps completely shuts them down and stops them from using up any resources.
3. Free up phone storage space
Next, you want to check your phone storage and free up some space if you’re running low on it. Check if you have any videos or pictures on the phone storage and move those to your SD card. You can also check if any app is saving data to phone storage, like pictures from different messengers, and move those to your SD card too. Clearing app cache will also help to free up space. Cache data accumulates over time, and it can take up a lot of space. Remember to only clear Cache and NOT clear the app data itself because that makes the app like it was when you first installed it, logging you out from your accounts and losing all the data on the app. This helps making the Android phone fast because apps need some amount of storage to function and if that storage is low it will cause over all low performance from apps.
4. Using less widgets
This will mostly benefit older phones with less RAM. It helps to clear your homescreen of too many widgets because it takes up a lot of resources, like running apps simultaneously even though you’re only at the homescreen. Especially remove those that update very frequently.
5. Don’t use Battery/RAM optimization apps
These apps do more harm than good. These don’t make any difference whatsoever and use up more resources. It is best to avoid such apps and just use the system’st-in function to clear open apps when needed.
6. Factory reset the device (last resort)
This is not the most convenient step, but if all else fails, it will help to factory reset the device and start fresh. Remember to back up all important data first because it will remove all data present on the phone storage.
Some of the common questions asked over the net related to old Android Phones, here’s the frequently asked questions:
Unused apps often run in the background, consuming RAM, CPU, and bandwidth for updates, which reduces overall performance.
Go to Settings > Apps, select the bloatware app, and choose “Disable.” This stops it from running or updating.
No. Clearing cache removes temporary files, while clearing data resets the app (logs you out, deletes saved info).
These apps drain resources themselves and interfere with Android’s built-in memory management, worsening performance.
Use this as a last resort if other fixes fail. Backup data first, as it erases all content and settings.
Yes. Widgets (especially frequently updating ones) consume RAM and CPU, straining devices with limited resources.
People also search for:
- How to Browse Fast and Secure With New Cloudflare DNS
- Reliable Internet connectivity in Islamabad: PTCL or Nayatel?
- How to Increase Internet Speed on Android (Root Method)
- Top 5 Best VPNs in Pakistan
About INCPak
INCPak has been a trusted source for independent journalism and digital updates in Pakistan since 2012. This post has been updated on 13 May, 2025.
Join theINCPak Whatsapp Channel to stay updated!
Don’t use a battery/RAM optimization app.
Edited