Phones are not designed to last a lifetime. Don’t worry just yet if you’ve noticed a noticeable slowdown on your Android phone. There are many methods to improve its performance and delay purchasing a new one for a little while, even if it may not be the slick new gadget it once was. You may prolong the life of your phone and keep it functioning flawlessly for longer by making a few minor adjustments.

Unfunny fact: You should establish a regular cleaning schedule for your phone since it can grow dirty than a toilet seat.

After resolving that, the most significant phone adjustments will be made to the system and app settings. Check out these suggestions for organizing and decluttering your Android phone to make it seem brand new again.

See our evaluations of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus for further information.

Delete every app you’ve forgotten.

Spend a few minutes going through your app drawer or home screen and removing any programs that you are no longer using. In addition to consuming valuable storage space, such applications may also have access to the personal data or permissions you granted when the program was initially installed.

Depending on the manufacturer of your device, there are differences in how to remove an app, but I addressed all the bases in this article. If you long-press the app’s icon and don’t see an uninstall option, give it a read.

Get rid of outdated files to increase storage space.

Go through the data stored on your Android phone to increase storage after deleting any outdated applications. It’s quite simple to forget about all the things you’ve downloaded at random, such as a friend’s GIF or the takeout menu from the new restaurant down the street. And those files mount up. Using the preloaded Files app is the fastest and most straightforward method of managing the storage on your phone.

In actuality, that identical app is used on certain phones. For instance, it’s referred to as My Files on Samsung. It’s simply Files on the Pixel lineup. You get the idea. On the OnePlus 10 Pro, it’s File Manager.

I suggest pulling out your phone’s app drawer and selecting “files.” Whatever your phone manufacturer names the app, it’s likely to show.

Start by looking through the Downloads folder, where you may either transfer the files to an other location, like Google Drive, or delete the ones you no longer desire.

Any huge files stored on your device will also be visible via the majority of file applications. For example, the File Manager software on the OnePlus 10 Pro offers a special area for files that are using a lot of storage.

Change the home screen’s settings for a fresh appearance.

The ability to completely personalize the appearance of your phone is one of Android’s finest features. There are several ways to customize your phone, ranging from adding app icon packs to swapping out the launcher entirely.

Start by exploring the home screen options your phone currently offers, however you can certainly get right into downloading app icons and adjusting launchers. I sometimes do this, and it’s amazing how little adjustments to features like app layout can give the impression that the phone is brand new.

You may choose Home settings (or a similar option) by long-pressing on a vacant section of your home screen. This will bring up your home screen’s settings, where you may adjust a number of things.

parameters such as the app grid’s size. Going from a grid of 4×5 applications to a 5×5 grid may seem like a little adjustment, but adding a column may have a significant impact (the same is true for grid shrinkage).

Settings for things like swiping down on the home screen to display alerts rather than swiping from the top of the screen may be found here as well.

Examine the corresponding options on your phone and try out different configurations for your home screen.

Make your device’s settings more optimal.

When it comes to settings, now is an excellent opportunity to review and adjust those that have been bothering you. To get the most out of any Android phone, I’ve compiled a list of options you should adjust and personalize.

For instance, using dark mode prolongs battery life while also improving the app’s appearance. Indeed, I even demonstrate how to prevent app icons from showing up on your home screen by default.

The rear of a telephone

Although it’s easy to overlook device settings, they’re crucial to getting your gadget exactly right.

Personalize your privacy settings.

Do yourself and your Android phone a favor before you go to bed: check your privacy settings one final time.

Select Privacy > Permissions Manager after launching the Settings application. Look through each category to find out which applications presently have access to which personal information. Do you want to prevent an app from accessing your location? Switch it off. The same is true for calendars, contacts, and cameras.

Going through each segment doesn’t take long, and even if it did, the effort would have been worthwhile.