New smartphones typically exhibit excellent interface responsiveness and high performance. However, over time, they may experience significant slowdowns, causing delays in launching apps and loading videos. Even tasks that should be smooth may become sluggish. Why is this happening and how to deal with it?

In this discussion, our main focus will be on Android smartphones, as there are some differences with iPhones. There are several reasons why smartphones slow down, but many of them can be resolved independently to restore proper performance.

Why do smartphones start to “slow down”?

Full cache

Mobile applications generate temporary files known as cache, which store regularly requested data for quick access and to enhance application performance. However, when an excessive number of cached files accumulate, it can lead to slower smartphone operation.

Cached data can be stored in both RAM and internal memory, depending on priority. When the RAM cache becomes full, it can lead to malfunction, instability, and slow responsiveness in executing commands, including unresponsiveness to touch inputs. On the other hand, if the cache is saved to internal memory, it's essential to monitor the available free space regularly to prevent issues. Further in the text, we will delve into this topic in more detail.

Periodically clearing the cache will help get rid of many problems associated with the slowdown of the smartphone.

Regularly monitoring and clearing the cache in frequently used applications is essential to maintain optimal smartphone performance. Popular apps like Viber, Telegram, YouTube, and Google Chrome tend to accumulate a significant amount of temporary files, impacting the device's speed. To clear the cache, users can use the built-in application manager in their smartphone settings or opt for third-party apps like CCleaner or Clean Master. Additionally, simply rebooting the device can also resolve slowdown issues as it clears the RAM, where cache data is stored. Keeping the RAM powered is necessary to maintain the cache, and a reboot erases all data in the RAM, helping to improve performance.

Interesting to know. For iPhone, restarting is the only way to clear the cache. Apple developers give the user a minimum of tools to interfere with the system.
Popular smartphones

Lack of memory

When a smartphone's internal memory is filled with media files and documents, it can lead to a decrease in device performance. As the memory becomes full, the system faces difficulty in managing old data and writing new data, resulting in slower operation. The storage space is often occupied by photos, videos, and voice messages from instant messengers, accumulating gigabytes of data. To optimize storage usage, it's crucial to explore the messenger settings and prioritize which files need to be saved on the smartphone.

When there is not enough free space in the internal data storage, as a rule, a corresponding notification is issued.

If your smartphone has a memory expansion slot, try to move as much data as possible from the internal memory to the USB flash drive. Save images, videos, music, podcasts, pictures to it and transfer application data there (if possible). Also, extra files from the device's memory can be uploaded to the "cloud".

By maintaining at least about 20% of free space in the internal storage of data, you can safely forget about the problems with the slowness of the smartphone.

Smartphones with built-in memory from 512 GB

Unnecessary apps and background processes

A lot of space in the memory of the smartphone is occupied not only by media files, but also by unnecessary applications. In addition, some of them can run in the background, loading precious RAM. In the "Applications" settings section of Android smartphones, it is usually possible to sort all the programs on the device by the last use and quickly remove everything you don't need. Remember, even if you do not use the software, it still consumes system resources.

Another useful tip is to periodically check the autostart settings of applications and prevent unnecessary programs from running in the background. But do not overdo it — if you disable the conditional "mail" in the background, then notifications of new letters will not come to your smartphone.

Operating system updates

The latest operating system updates can be a cause of smartphone slowdowns, especially on older devices. While these updates are intended to enhance functionality, they might not guarantee the same level of performance as before. New versions of Android on older smartphones often lead to the main issues of sluggishness in the device.

New versions of Android on older smartphones are becoming the main cause of the “brakes” of the gadget.

On devices that are not too powerful, it is recommended to install only those updates that relate to security. Well, or it generally makes sense to abandon new versions of the OS. However, keep in mind that the older version of Android gets, the fewer apps will be compatible with it.

OS updates often prompt software developers to release new versions of their applications. These new versions are optimized for the latest system and modern devices, which can result in slower performance on older gadgets. However, in some cases, issues with slowness or incorrect functionality might be specific to a particular application. In such instances, downloading the latest updates for that specific program can usually resolve the problem.

Widgets and animations

"Live" wallpapers and various widgets look, of course, cool. But they significantly load the system. Change the animated wallpaper to a static picture and disable unnecessary or unused widgets — all this will help to significantly increase the performance of the device.

Viruses

Malware and viruses can cause smartphones to slow down. These threats often enter the device through third-party apps or unsafe websites while browsing the Internet. To address this issue, it is advisable to install an antivirus on your phone and conduct a full scan. However, it's important to remember to uninstall the antivirus app after the scan to avoid continuous background processing, which can overload the system and lead to persistent slowdowns.

It is impossible to exclude options when the smartphone starts to “slow down” due to malicious software.

You can use the services of an antivirus once a month or six months. This is enough to not worry about the presence of malware or hacker attacks.

Old battery

An aging battery can be a less obvious reason behind smartphone slowdowns. After a few years of use, the device's battery naturally degrades and may struggle to maintain the required voltage. This can lead to reduced maximum clock frequency of the processor and slower memory access speed, resulting in performance issues.

Some manufacturers even programmatically lay down a drop in device performance in order to provide a more gentle operation of the old battery. Apple was caught on this at one time. The key to excellent smartphone performance is a fresh battery.


In a separate line, we note that many problems with the slowness of the smartphone are solved by resetting to factory settings. But in this scenario, you will completely lose all data on the device, so it is recommended to back up before the “hard reset” procedure.

Smartphones with capacious batteries

Why do iPhones slow down less?

In contrast to Android devices, "Apple" smartphones experience less frequent slowdowns, and sometimes older iPhones even maintain or improve their performance over time . This is attributed to the effective iOS optimization, which helps maintain system performance at a high level. Additionally, Apple enforces strict app optimization requirements for developers, ensuring that applications perform well and do not slow down on its devices.

iPhones tend to be more stable than Android gadgets over long distances.

Rebooting the iPhone to clear the cache from RAM and ensuring at least 10-20% free space on the data drive can solve many issues with slowing down. However, modern versions of iOS include numerous visual effects and animations. While these have no impact on the performance of newer of Apple smartphones, they can cause slowdowns on older models.

iPhones are much more stable than Android gadgets over a long distance. And despite the fact that the amount of RAM in the top models of Apple smartphones does not exceed 6 GB.

Apple Smartphones

How much RAM does a modern smartphone need?

As technology advances, smartphones are tasked with processing increasingly larger amounts of data. Mobile games incorporate more realistic textures, video resolutions are higher, and software uses improved graphics and animations. This places a substantial load on the system. To enhance performance, smartphones are equipped with more powerful processors and increased RAM capacity. RAM acts as a temporary buffer between the internal storage and the processor, storing essential data and running programs to ensure smoother operation.

The role of a temporary buffer falls on the shoulders of the RAM, which stores important information at the moment and running programs.

A larger amount of RAM does not always guarantee a slowdown-free experience on Android devices. iPhones typically function smoothly with 3-4 GB of RAM, while high-end models like the Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max offer 6 GB of RAM. The reason for the difference lies in how Android applications, which use Java, handle memory management. Android employs a process called garbage collection to automatically free up application memory. However, this process relies on available free memory in the system. As the number of active programs increases, the efficiency of garbage collection declines, causing it to consume more memory than necessary. This leads to complications and slowdowns. Hence, Android smartphones typically require more RAM compared to iPhones to handle such memory management intricacies effectively.

For Android devices, comfortable amounts of RAM can be classified as follows:

  • 4 GB — for basic daily tasks;
  • 6 GB — for comfortable work;
  • 8 GB — so as not to worry about anything;
  • 12 GB or more — for video processing and running "heavy" games.
Smartphones with 12 GB or more RAM

Currently, the ideal RAM capacity for smartphones is considered to be 6 GB. This amount provides fast system operation with a good buffer for future use for at least a couple of years. If you plan to frequently use resource-intensive applications, it's advisable to consider models with 8 GB of RAM. The price difference between smartphones with different RAM capacities is relatively small. On the other hand, devices with 2 — 3 GB of RAM are not recommended as they might not meet the performance requirements of modern applications.

With each new generation of RAM types, there is an increase in bandwidth and a decrease in the power consumption of RAM.

Another important factor is the type of RAM, which directly affects the processing speed of data loaded into RAM. Here the rule “the newer the LPDDR type, the faster the “RAM” works and the better the smartphone’s operating system functions” works. Smartphones currently have the following types of RAM:

With each new generation of RAM, the supply voltage also decreases, thanks to which the latest LPDDR editions are advanced in the field of energy saving.


To prevent your smartphone from slowing down, follow these recommendations: regularly clear the cache, keep the internal memory free, uninstall unnecessary applications, monitor background processes, avoid installing resource-intensive widgets, perform virus checks, and monitor the battery's condition. However, if the device still experiences significant slowdowns, it might be time to consider upgrading to a more modern model with a higher RAM capacity.