What causes Android phones to lag over time?

iN8ter

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Only install what you use.

Had samsung phones when I used android and never an issue except the first S.

So many android apps auto start or install services and over time a lot of users install more and more apps which makes it get worse over time.


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A895

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Only install what you use.

Had samsung phones when I used android and never an issue except the first S.

So many android apps auto start or install services and over time a lot of users install more and more apps which makes it get worse over time.


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Things like that is what Clean Master is for. A lot of apps put folders unknowingly I'm the devices storage and when you get rid of the app the folder stays. Clean Master will tell show you if apps left huge folders of when you uninstall and app it let's you know the app left some stuff, and asks if you want it deleted,

Posted via VZW Moto X on the Android Central App
 

tr-1

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Every since 4.3 I have never experienced any lag and I never shutdown/restart my N7 or MotoX. Google added some sort of "cache scrubber" or "defrag" utility that automatically cleans up the system (it's called TRIM I think... you can Google to see how it works). In fact, my 2012 N7 got a LOT faster after about a day. As fast as it was out of the box or even better.
So unless you are running an older version of OS or some heavily bloated Android, I don't think you should monkey around with it because it should just work.
 

iN8ter

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Things like that is what Clean Master is for. A lot of apps put folders unknowingly I'm the devices storage and when you get rid of the app the folder stays. Clean Master will tell show you if apps left huge folders of when you uninstall and app it let's you know the app left some stuff, and asks if you want it deleted,

Posted via VZW Moto X on the Android Central App

I'm talking about installed apps not folders left by apps you uninstalled. And installing yet another app doesn't really help the situation. It's a pain to have to worry about managing orphan folders and crap like that.

On any case that's part of the reason why I never installed any apps.

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Geodude074

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There are several things you can do to prevent "lag" and free up RAM and CPU usage on your Nexus devices. First thing is enable "Don't keep background activities" in the developer options. Second thing is use Advanced Task Killer and set the auto kill frequency to crazy and kill all tasks every time the screen turns off. Third thing is use an app like Autostart Manager to prevent apps from starting up automatically. The paid versions give you more control than the free versions as always.
 

droidntn

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My answer: Using an SD card.
My S4 is the first one I've had to not lag and run as efficiently as it did the day I got it nearly a year ago. And, I am yet to use an SD card.
It's not that hard. Just stick stuff in the cloud if you need it. And nobody needs 32 GB of tunes to sift through. Really?
I'm not a phoneologist, but I know my phone doesn't have to search a card for each execution.
And I have to wonder if that's what has historically kept iPhones running relatively smoother than Android devices.
HYPOTHETICALLY>>>it's not supposed to effect it.
All's I know is mine still runs absolutely great a year later, and I guess I'm considered a 'power user.'
Hope this helps.
 

iN8ter

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My answer: Using an SD card.
My S4 is the first one I've had to not lag and run as efficiently as it did the day I got it nearly a year ago. And, I am yet to use an SD card.
It's not that hard. Just stick stuff in the cloud if you need it. And nobody needs 32 GB of tunes to sift through. Really?
I'm not a phoneologist, but I know my phone doesn't have to search a card for each execution.
And I have to wonder if that's what has historically kept iPhones running relatively smoother than Android devices.
HYPOTHETICALLY>>>it's not supposed to effect it.
All's I know is mine still runs absolutely great a year later, and I guess I'm considered a 'power user.'
Hope this helps.

That is good advice. After my first phone I started putting a class 10 as card I'm everything and setting the camera browser etc to save there by default. The high read speed ones work best. Since I switched I gave mine to my friend to use in his S4. Other friend got a Maxx so didn't need it.


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Ry

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Every since 4.3 I have never experienced any lag and I never shutdown/restart my N7 or MotoX. Google added some sort of "cache scrubber" or "defrag" utility that automatically cleans up the system (it's called TRIM I think... you can Google to see how it works). In fact, my 2012 N7 got a LOT faster after about a day. As fast as it was out of the box or even better.
So unless you are running an older version of OS or some heavily bloated Android, I don't think you should monkey around with it because it should just work.

I think I need do do a factory reset on my Nexus 7 (2012). It "feels" like it lagged on 4.3 and still "feels" like it lags on 4.4.2.

Or the smoothness of my Moto X is just playing with my mind.

Posted via Android Central App
 

iN8ter

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Same type of thing happens on a computer and why I highly limit installed software. It's a big reason why my Windows systems still run like a top over a year later (since their OS was originally installed). Regular disk defrags also help. Like I said in my previous post, it has a lot to do with how much you can reduce churn on a device and minimize the subsequent file fragmentation. :)

Yep I so the same on my PC with same outcome.

I think app spam has a lot to so with the issues. Especially on platforms that tend to use a lot of separate files for apps instead of more monolithic and/or statically linked self-contained executables.


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tr-1

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I think I need do do a factory reset on my Nexus 7 (2012). It "feels" like it lagged on 4.3 and still "feels" like it lags on 4.4.2.

Or the smoothness of my Moto X is just playing with my mind.

Posted via Android Central App

I actually handed it down to my daughter after I got the 2013 model so maybe I just forgot how it feels in comparison to MotoX. I just specifically remember how impressed I was with the performance improvements. It definitely wasn't a placebo effect.
 

garublador

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My answer: Using an SD card.
My S4 is the first one I've had to not lag and run as efficiently as it did the day I got it nearly a year ago. And, I am yet to use an SD card.
It's not that hard. Just stick stuff in the cloud if you need it. And nobody needs 32 GB of tunes to sift through. Really?
I'm not a phoneologist, but I know my phone doesn't have to search a card for each execution.
And I have to wonder if that's what has historically kept iPhones running relatively smoother than Android devices.
HYPOTHETICALLY>>>it's not supposed to effect it.
All's I know is mine still runs absolutely great a year later, and I guess I'm considered a 'power user.'
Hope this helps.
Wouldn't you need to compare two S4's (one with an SD card and one without) to know if the card makes any difference? Comparing two different phone has so many variables that the results are inconclusive.

I've been using my S4 with an SD card since it came out on Verizon at the end of last May and it's also my first phone to not have lag and run as fast as it did when I got it.
 

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