Uncover the mystery behind your phone’s lags and stutters with these 10 common reasons.
Struggling with a sluggish smartphone? It doesn’t speed up no matter how many times you use a cleaner? Perhaps it’s time to deep dive in the lagging issue and see if the culprit is software, hardware, or worse, both.
Disclaimer: The list in this article includes the most commonly known factors associated with lags and stutters. If your device is experiencing severe and repeating issues, consider visiting the local authorized service center near you.
10. Hungry Apps
Apps aren’t created equally; some are better, others are worse. Hungry apps are like toddlers that always demand for attention and have unmatched stamina.
When these apps detect high battery levels and internet connectivity, they race against each other to sync data and then bombard you with notifications like the world is on fire.
Here are some of the most common hungry apps based on category:
- Social media apps: They always update your feeds, hogging resources and internet bandwidth.
- Communication apps: They are always active to ensure messages will go through.
- Streaming apps: They may keep running in the background.
Lagging happens when multiple apps from these categories take action once you’re connected to the internet. The adverse effect usually goes away after letting these apps do their thing for a few minutes.
9. Background Apps
Your phone has a lot of services to load when it’s turned on. These services are from Android, Google, and your phone’s brand. Gmail, for example, is an email app and it runs in the background. The handy Google app also runs in the background, awaiting your command.
But if background apps occupy much of your phone’s memory, you’re in trouble. The possible lagging experience will hurt the loading times of apps, similar to that nagging fellow hurting your eardrums.
Among background apps, the analytics service is notorious for eating resources and battery life. Depending on your Android version, you can optimize it and other apps by going to Settings > Apps. You need to unhide it by selecting the “Show all apps” option.
8. Bloatware
Since we’re in the realm of apps, we might as well talk about bloatware or pre-installed apps. Yours truly is using the POCO X6 Pro 5G as a daily driver, so Xiaomi’s bloatware is a normal encounter.
GetApps, Mi Browser, and Security apps are bloatware that can’t be removed from the global HyperOS through normal means. Google has bloatware pre-installed too, such as the Google One and Google TV.
Unused pre-installed apps are like useless decorations on your phone, similar to senseless garnishing. They occupy memory and hog other resources, lagging your device when you need it the most. But a large RAM and powerful processor won’t be bothered by such nuisance.
7. Malware
Malicious software is a different league and it threatens not just resources, but also privacy and security. Both malware and viruses can potentially steal sensitive information and disable your phone. Some threat actors even take full control of infected devices.
Although Google Play Protect and antimalware apps do everything to stop them, the ultimate prevention is in your hands. Downloading and installing apps from unreliable sources may expose your phone to threats.
Malware can cause lags and stutters by inserting codes in the phone’s system or another app. Uninstalling suspicious apps should stop the issues but if not, factory reset is your friend.
6. Poor Connection
Lagging while gaming? It may not be the game itself or your phone. It could be your router or mobile data. Some games interpret network problems as high pings where you see your character rolling back, jumping from here to there, or not moving at all.
Test your internet connection using an app, Google’s speed test on a browser, or within the game.
5. Failing Battery
Your phone relies on its battery to power every component. Without the battery, you can’t use it unlike a laptop that can be plugged in directly.
So, how lagging got tied with a failing or faulty battery? Weak batteries die quickly, unable to power the device properly.
Low power yields reduced energy output, undervolting the processor. Just imagine it like the co-worker next to you, drained from too much workload.
4. Low Storage
Apps these days can consume 1GB or more of the storage. Keep in mind that whenever you use and update these apps, their total storage consumption changes. You can’t expect a phone with 64GB internal storage to load apps and games smoothly when the storage space left is just 1GB. The lagging will be like eternity!
Either you free some space or get a phone with a bigger storage. Card expansion slots can’t do much unless the storage hoggers are media files.
3. Not Enough Memory
The same concept with storage except the memory or RAM is more crucial in app execution. Think of RAM like a secretary with a desk and office to work with. A RAM of 4GB means a small office and a mediocre desk, while 16GB means a large office with a few staff. The bigger the RAM, the more apps and data files can be smoothly executed at the same time.
Android can allocate memory where it’s needed but RAM between 2GB and 4GB are no go today. At least get a phone with 8GB RAM.
2. Overheating
Whether you’re on Android or iOS, heat is the antagonist of your phone’s storyline. Overheating is linked to lagging and stuttering because the processor will be ordered to slow down. If not, the phone may go BOOM! This is what they called throttling and it often happens during heavy use or benchmarking tests.
Besides throttling, overheating can also cause:
- Degrade battery lifespan
- Degrade OLED panels
- Damage hardware components
1. Weak Processor
Of course, the top reason is a weak processor. No matter how amazing the secretary and her staff (the RAM), if the boss is lazy and inefficient (the CPU), the overall speed in accomplishing tasks is subpar.
This is the reason why entry-level phones have small RAMs and weak CPUs and flagships have top-tier processors and massive RAMs of 12GB and higher. That said, high performing smartphones tend to consume more battery because the hardware needs more power to handle intensive tasks and speed their way to the finish line.
So, which among these 10 are behind the lagging experience on your phone?
