Question Best Way to Improve Android Phone Performance Without Factory Reset?

[Jaxon Varr]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some advice on improving Android phone performance without doing a full factory reset.

Over time, my device has become noticeably slower, apps take longer to open, background processes feel heavy, and battery drain has increased. I’ve already tried basic steps like clearing cache and removing unused apps, but the improvements are minimal.

I wanted to ask the community:

• Are there specific system settings that actually make a difference?
• Do background apps or permissions have a bigger impact than we think?
• Is using Lite versions of apps worth it long-term?
• Any safe optimization tips that don’t involve risky third-party cleaner apps?

I’d prefer solutions that don’t require rooting or advanced modifications, just practical steps that work on most Android devices.

Thanks in advance, looking forward to learning from your experiences.

 

[bearone2]

over how much time, might be time for a new phone??

 

[Golfdriver97]

Welcome to the forums.

What phone do you have?

Over time, my device has become noticeably slower, apps take longer to open, background processes feel heavy, and battery drain has increased.

Do you notice it with one app or all of them?

Are there specific system settings that actually make a difference?

None that I am aware of.

Do background apps or permissions have a bigger impact than we think?

Probably not.

Is using Lite versions of apps worth it long-term?

Usually they are slimmer in storage space taken.

Any safe optimization tips that don’t involve risky third-party cleaner apps?

Maybe? It depends on what you think you need to optimize. Android actually likes having RAM full. That is what allows for app shifting to happen smoothly. If you are manually removing apps from recents, that might be the cause of the slowdowns, battery drain, etc. Back in say, 2012, Android was terrible at app and memory management. It's a lot better now. Let the OS do it's thing.


If you have all of your files and whatnot synced to the respective services, why should a reset be that big of a pain? I did one on my phone not long ago, I spent maybe an hour, two tops, resetting everything.

 

[spARTacus]

...Is using Lite versions of apps worth it long-term?...

Perhaps, depending also if your device is maxed out or getting close (relatively, like over 80% used) to it's storage/space limit.

 

[spARTacus]

...and battery drain has increased...

Through device care or battery settings, you should be able check and see what apps are worse than others for battery consumption, and then consider targeting those.