Don’t keep tapping away at a slow Android tablet or smartphone. Our simple tips will speed up your Android tablet or phone and get it working like new
Like many computers, your Android tablet can slow down and become sluggish over time. Depending on which brand of Android tablet you have, the steps you need to take may vary. We recommend following the advice below, but we also have specific guides on how to speed up Samsung, Google and Tesco tablets:
Restart your Android tablet
Tablets should instantly wake from sleep, ready to use. But, if yours seems sluggish, try rebooting it for a quick fix. In older models, remove your tablet’s battery for a minute or two, then reinsert it and restart the device. If your tablet lacks a removable battery, hold down the Power and Volume Up/Down buttons until it restarts.
Clear your cache on Android
Cached data is designed to help your tablet work faster. By storing important data locally for quick reference, in theory, app load times are reduced. However, caches build up over time and may actually end up slowing down your tablet performance. Clear out the cache of individual apps in the App Menu or click Settings > Storage > Cached data to clean all app caches with one tap.
Remove apps from Android
Over time, a well-used tablet can collect lots of apps that you no longer use. Deleting these will free up precious storage space and system resources, helping to speed up your tablet. In Android Marshmallow (the latest version), you can uninstall an app on your home screen or in your app drawer.
Long-press on the app drawer, then drag it over the Uninstall option. Alternatively, go to Setting > Apps and select the app you wish to delete. Tap Uninstall and then OK to confirm. You can’t delete any preinstalled apps that came with your tablet, but you can hide them by selecting the Disable option.
Upgrade the Android OS
To get the best performance from your tablet, always run the latest version of Android. With each new release, Google improves stability, performance speed and connectivity as well as adding new features. Tap Settings > About Tablet or About Device. Next, click Software Update or similar, and tap to check for updates.
Factory reset an Android device
If all else fails and you’re still stuck with a poorly performing tablet, then you may need to take the drastic step of a factory reset. Be warned: this wipes all your apps, data and settings, and takes your tablet back to its out-of-the-box freshness.
Be sure to back up your tablet onto the cloud or your computer before taking this step. Tap Settings > Backup and reset > Factory data reset, then tap Reset Device.