- Dec 4, 2012
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Everyone gets lag once in a while. I have had a Pixel and a couple Nexus devices, and sure they get lag. But if you are reading this, you are probably wondering, 'What should I do to fix it?'
Here is a list of things that can be done....
1. Try a restart.
Or in the case of many Android devices, power down and restart it.
This being the least intrusive. What this does is kicks all apps out of RAM so the OS can start fresh. To a degree, most lag can be pinned to insufficient RAM for all open apps.
2. Try a cache clear.
You have a couple different ways to do this. One is in recovery, and the other is through settings. The process in recovery may be a better way to go as there is a reboot in the procedure.
This step honestly may or may not help, but, it is another process to try that isn't very intrusive, it's just a little time consuming.
Nexus instructions: https://forums.androidcentral.com/nexus-5-rooting-roms-hacks/352008-guide-nexus-5-recovery.html
(Note, the Pixel does not have a cache clear option in recovery.)
Samsung: https://forums.androidcentral.com/s...ing-into-recovery-mode-galaxy-s2-s3-tab2.html
HTC (possibly outdated): https://forums.androidcentral.com/h...-stock-recovery-htc-one-m8-3.html#post5500417
More on cache clearing: https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...-how-tos/558872-guide-bit-cache-clearing.html
3. Try resetting app preferences.
You may have a conflict between apps. This will remove all default selections, but nothing more. Once this is done, things like your preferred launcher will revert to the stock one, etc.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=848436
In all honesty, I wasn't sure if step 2 should be swapped with 3. I deemed 2 to still be less intrusive than 3, thus setting the order.
4. Monitor RAM usage.
In settings, you can monitor the memory used by apps. The app breakdown should show you what is using the most. You may review the app list, and remove any user installed apps that are no longer used. It may be possible that an app like Facebook is using too much RAM, or may have a RAM leak, and an alternate could be used. (Facebook is nefarious for not running well on Android.)
The above can be in several different places, depending on your device. Please confer with your device forum for additional help.
5. A Factory Reset.
As a last resort, go for a reset. I would also suggest setting your phone up as a new device on the setup screen. This way, you can add your apps slowly to see which ones kill your RAM.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...ta-reset-your-android-device.html#post4981900
Final thoughts.....
1. Depending on the age of your device and what OS version you are running, you may have insufficient RAM from a hardware standpoint. I am far from saying that you need a new device, but if your phone falls into this category, you should be aware that this will be an ongoing issue that none of the above steps will truly fix.
2. Android does like having RAM full. The overall purpose of this guide is not to help reduce RAM use to it's bare minimum, but to help reduce or even eliminate lag. One form of lag can be from the delay of the OS kicking something out of RAM to fire up what a user needs done. Unlike desktop Windows PCs, where having some unused RAM on standby can be a good thing, keeping RAM full helps reduce battery drain when swapping apps on a mobile device.
Here is a list of things that can be done....
1. Try a restart.
Or in the case of many Android devices, power down and restart it.
This being the least intrusive. What this does is kicks all apps out of RAM so the OS can start fresh. To a degree, most lag can be pinned to insufficient RAM for all open apps.
2. Try a cache clear.
You have a couple different ways to do this. One is in recovery, and the other is through settings. The process in recovery may be a better way to go as there is a reboot in the procedure.
This step honestly may or may not help, but, it is another process to try that isn't very intrusive, it's just a little time consuming.
Nexus instructions: https://forums.androidcentral.com/nexus-5-rooting-roms-hacks/352008-guide-nexus-5-recovery.html
(Note, the Pixel does not have a cache clear option in recovery.)
Samsung: https://forums.androidcentral.com/s...ing-into-recovery-mode-galaxy-s2-s3-tab2.html
HTC (possibly outdated): https://forums.androidcentral.com/h...-stock-recovery-htc-one-m8-3.html#post5500417
More on cache clearing: https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...-how-tos/558872-guide-bit-cache-clearing.html
3. Try resetting app preferences.
You may have a conflict between apps. This will remove all default selections, but nothing more. Once this is done, things like your preferred launcher will revert to the stock one, etc.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=848436
In all honesty, I wasn't sure if step 2 should be swapped with 3. I deemed 2 to still be less intrusive than 3, thus setting the order.
4. Monitor RAM usage.
In settings, you can monitor the memory used by apps. The app breakdown should show you what is using the most. You may review the app list, and remove any user installed apps that are no longer used. It may be possible that an app like Facebook is using too much RAM, or may have a RAM leak, and an alternate could be used. (Facebook is nefarious for not running well on Android.)
The above can be in several different places, depending on your device. Please confer with your device forum for additional help.
5. A Factory Reset.
As a last resort, go for a reset. I would also suggest setting your phone up as a new device on the setup screen. This way, you can add your apps slowly to see which ones kill your RAM.
https://forums.androidcentral.com/a...ta-reset-your-android-device.html#post4981900
Final thoughts.....
1. Depending on the age of your device and what OS version you are running, you may have insufficient RAM from a hardware standpoint. I am far from saying that you need a new device, but if your phone falls into this category, you should be aware that this will be an ongoing issue that none of the above steps will truly fix.
2. Android does like having RAM full. The overall purpose of this guide is not to help reduce RAM use to it's bare minimum, but to help reduce or even eliminate lag. One form of lag can be from the delay of the OS kicking something out of RAM to fire up what a user needs done. Unlike desktop Windows PCs, where having some unused RAM on standby can be a good thing, keeping RAM full helps reduce battery drain when swapping apps on a mobile device.
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