Android phone tuneup: 5 easy steps that are worth your time

Each spring when the climate begins to heat, flowers begin to bloom and bees begin to buzz, it jogs my memory that it is time for spring cleansing. And positive, we have plenty of spring cleaning tips that can assist you pace up the tedious chores, however what about your gadgets? They want consideration, too. Begin by cleaning the outside of your phone with out destroying the display. Then, you may dive into the software program side of your telephone. 

We simply coated how you can declutter and revamp the iPhone, and now it is time to try Android phones. 

In only a few minutes you may make your telephone really feel like new once more, or on the very least trick your self into pondering it’s when you maintain up for an improve. Beneath I will present you 5 methods to provide your Android telephone a tuneup. 

Delete these single-use apps

Take a couple of minutes to undergo your private home display or app drawer and delete any and all apps you not use. Not solely do these apps take up treasured storage, however they doubtlessly nonetheless have entry to any of the private data you accredited when the app was first launched. 

The way you go about deleting an app can range based mostly on who makes your gadget, however I covered all the bases in this post. Give it a learn if you happen to do not see an uninstall choice after long-pressing on the app’s icon. 

Liberate much more gadget storage

After eradicating any previous apps, liberate extra storage by going by way of the recordsdata saved in your Android telephone. It is too simple to neglect about all the recordsdata you have randomly downloaded — just like the takeout menu of the brand new place down the street, or a GIF a good friend despatched you. And people recordsdata add up. The quickest and best method to handle your telephone’s storage is to make use of the Recordsdata app that comes preinstalled. 

Truly, some telephones use a variation of that very same app. On Samsung, for instance, it is referred to as My Recordsdata. On the Pixel ($88 at Amazon) lineup, it is simply Recordsdata. On the OnePlus 9, it is File Supervisor — you get the purpose. 

I like to recommend opening the app drawer in your telephone and reaching for “recordsdata.” Odds are that may reveal no matter your phone-maker calls the app. 

Begin with checking the Downloads folder, the place you may both delete the recordsdata you not need, or transfer them someplace like Google Drive or one other cloud storage supplier. 

Most file apps may also reveal any massive recordsdata which might be saved in your gadget. As an example, the OnePlus 9 Professional’s File Supervisor app has a devoted part within the app for recordsdata which might be taking over a whole lot of house.

Dig into house display settings

The most effective components of Android is how a lot you may customise all the look of your telephone. From putting in app icon packs to utterly changing the launcher your telephone makes use of, there are many choices to personalize your telephone. 

When you can undoubtedly bounce into tweaking launchers and putting in app icons, begin by digging into the house display settings your telephone already offers. I do that every so often and it is stunning how refined tweaks to features like app structure could make it really feel like a completely new telephone. 

Lengthy-press on a clean space of your private home display, then choose Residence settings (or some variation of that). That can open the choices on your house display, the place you may customise varied settings. 

Settings like the dimensions of the app grid. It might seem to be a small change to go from a grid of 4×5 apps to 5×5, however that additional column could make a giant distinction (the identical could be mentioned about shrinking the grid). 

That is additionally the place you may discover settings for issues like swiping down on the house display to view notifications as an alternative of getting to swipe from the highest of the display. 

Undergo the respective settings your telephone has and experiment with your private home display setup. 

Triage your gadget settings

Talking of settings now is an effective time to undergo and alter any settings which were annoying you. I’ve a roundup of settings you may need to change and customise on any Android telephone to get essentially the most out of it. 

For instance, turning on darkish mode not solely makes the app look higher, but it surely saves battery life. And sure, I even present you how you can cease app icons from robotically showing on your private home display. 

Undergo your privateness choices

Earlier than you’re taking a break, do your self and your Android telephone one final favor — double-check your privateness settings.

Open the Settings app then faucet Privateness > Permissions Supervisor. Undergo every class to see which apps at the moment have entry to which treasure trove of your private knowledge. Discover an app you do not need to have entry to your location? Flip it off. The identical goes for contacts, calendar or digicam. 

It does not take lengthy to undergo every part, and even when it did, it is effectively well worth the effort. 

After you are performed giving your Android telephone a tuneup, try these hidden features you’re sure to love. There’s additionally a new document scanner that makes it simple to make digital copies of paperwork. And, lastly, check out the features in Android 12 that we’re looking forward to the most.