Last month I wrote about securing your Android phone and this time I wish to write about giving your Android device a spring clean! No, were aren’t going to dust off the screen and case or remove the gunk from the camera lens (although this is a good idea), instead we are going to look at ways of getting space back on your phone and hopefully making it run a little quicker too.
Uninstall apps you don’t use
When you are searching for a specific app, such as a book reader, photo retoucher or mobile game, it might take you a while to find an app that you like to use. We download a few different apps, try them out and eventually find the one we want to keep, however in the meantime our phone is getting full up of apps that we never plan on using. Head to Settings > Storage > Apps to go through all the previously downloaded apps and delete those that you no longer want.
Uninstall data you don’t use
We also tend to fill our phones up with photos, music, downloads and all other manner of data which we find that over time we don’t need. As before, go to Settings > Storage > Pictures, Video / Audio / Downloads to remove any old items that you want gone from your phone. However, make sure that you have a backup of all the photos, music or downloads before you delete these items as once they are removed, you won’t be able to get them back!
Remove cached data
Once again, head to Settings > Storage > Cached Data and choose ‘Clear cached data’ to save space. It is advisable to do this after you have deleted some old apps and other files from your phone.
“Have you tried turning it off and on again?”
Turn off your phone every now and then. Like any computer it’s going to slow down after running continuously for weeks or months on end!
Keep it clean
Today’s Android OS is very good at keeping your phone running well, but it won’t automatically remove any files, apps or data that you no longer need so simply keep an eye on what is on your phone and routinely delete when necessary.
Thanks for reading.
This ‘Technology’ article was written for an expat magazine in Spain. The readers of this magazine are often middle to old aged and not very technology minded so we have designed the articles with these people in mind, however they can be enjoyed by everyone, and perhaps even the most up-to-date techie may find them of interest too!
