Like a computer, your phone and or tablet requires regular maintenance to keep your device and apps running smoothly.
For many of you, this might already be part of your routine weekly. Those with newer handsets will find much of this has been automated, but for some of us, device care is not obvious within the device features or is just not something we think about.
Given the variety of mobile devices available in todays’ market, we will be sticking to Android features, however much of this does still apply to Apple devices.
Tip #1 - Keep your device and apps up to date
There are two key considerations here, the Android software the device is using and your apps. Software updates are how manufacturers / developers provide you with much needed security patches to protect your information from intruders. These updates also serve to provide you with new features and efficiencies. If you don’t update your software regularly you can’t be sure you are running apps at their optimum and most secure.
- To check for device updates, open your settings app and head to “About Phone”. In “About Phone” you will be able to select software updates. Apply any available to bring your device operating system up to date. We recommend this is set to auto update where possible.
- To update your apps, you will need to open the “Play Store”. Click on the settings drop down in the upper right of the screen, it will have your initials in it. The first option in the list is “Manage Apps & Devices” click on this and go to the manage tab. You will see a list of your installed apps and whether these apps have updates available. Click the check box next to each app and then the tick on the top of the screen to download and install each app update. Some versions also have an “Update All” option.
Updates can be applied automatically through settings. Click the icon in the upper right of the Play Store screen, select settings from the menu. Click the option to “Auto-Update apps”. You can select “Over any Network” which will allow all apps to update using mobile data. You should consider your data allowance in your phone plan before selecting this option.
Tip #2 - Clean up storage regularly
There are two good places to make a habit of clearing, temporary files, and unused apps.
- To tidy your storage, go to the device settings, “Storage” menu. Modern Android devices have a clean up wizard though the naming of this feature differs between manufacturers. For example, Samsung calls this “Battery and device care”. Click to start the wizard which will guide you through steps designed to tidy up your old files, remove clutter & junk and in some cases advise you of old apps you haven’t used for some time.
- If the clean-up wizard hasn’t already done so, it’s time to have a look at your app list. The best place to review a list of installed apps is in Google’s “Play Store” app. In the Play Store go to settings then “Manage Apps & Devices”. The full list of installed apps can be sorted by the amount of use. If it is not getting used, do you still need the app installed? Uninstalling unused apps will save storage, prevent the app using any background resources and save data on auto updates. To remove, check the box next to the app in the list and click on the “bin icon” in the top of the screen.
Tip #3 - Close apps running in the background
This tip is more immediate in its benefit. When you open a new app what happens to the old one? Is it closed? The answer is no, unfortunately. Like minimising a program on your PC, an app often isn’t truly closed, it is still open in the background ready to be used again.
In daily operation this is great for quickly switching between tasks but if your device is running slow there may be too many apps running in the background. To free up resources you can close these apps down. This process differs between devices, try swiping lightly from the bottom to the top of your home screen to show all open apps in a staggered or side by side view, these can then be swiped closed.
Note: Some manufacturers including Samsung have their latest android software release automatically put unused background (active) apps to sleep and disables apps that have not been used for a long period of time.
Tip #4 Restart your device regularly
A mainstay of IT support, this is a simple but effective option. We suggest restarting once a week and anytime you are having issues. This will allow the device to refresh and clear all running apps providing a fresh slate.
Bonus tip, some devices will allow you to schedule the restart process and device clean-up.
Tip #5 Check your device manufacturers optimisation routines
Beyond the default options, many manufacturers provide centralised locations to cover maintenance and other optimisation measures. These are typically found in settings and should be considered. As mentioned previously, an example of this is Samsung’s “Battery & device care” option.
