Three apps are the culprits that make your phone run slowly... almost everyone has them on their phones.
A gradual slowdown in smartphone performance is one of the most frustrating experiences for any user. After a few months of use, simple tasks, such as opening the keyboard or switching between apps, become sluggish, and the battery seems to drain more quickly for no apparent reason.
While we often blame planned obsolescence or hardware obsolescence, the truth is usually simpler: the culprit lies in the list of applications. Although Android and iOS manage RAM very efficiently these days, some applications consume excessive resources, draining power and processing capacity in the background.
Facebook and its ecosystem
It's a well-known fact in this field: the main Facebook app is one of the heaviest and least optimized apps you can install, especially on mid-range devices.
The problem isn't just the amount of data the app consumes while you're browsing but also its hidden activity. The app keeps numerous processes running in the background to update notifications, track your location, and pre-load media. Furthermore, it tends to accumulate a massive cache; if you check your storage, you'll find it might be using hundreds of megabytes or even gigabytes of temporary data.
If speed is your priority, the best solution is to switch to Facebook Lite . This official version is significantly lighter and consumes a fraction of the data and battery power compared to the full version. Another smart option to avoid installation is to use the web version by creating a shortcut on your home screen.
- Deceiving performance enhancers and performance cleaners
Herein lies the great paradox of app stores. Apps like Clean Master and CCleaner (in their free versions), or any app that promises to cool the processor, are often the direct cause of slow performance.
Modern operating systems manage RAM by keeping applications in a sleep state, allowing them to launch quickly when you return to them. Performance optimization programs force these processes to close, artificially freeing up RAM. This forces the processor to work twice: first to close the application and then to reload it from scratch when needed. This inefficient cycle drains the battery and raises the device's temperature. Furthermore, these applications often include intrusive background ads.
Therefore, the best solution is to delete them all. Your phone already has built-in maintenance tools in its settings that perform this function safely, efficiently, and without ads.
- Factory applications and widgets
Sometimes the enemy comes pre-installed. Unnecessary software (applications installed by the manufacturer) and desktop-integrated news screens or news feeds (such as Google Discover) silently consume system resources.
These news feeds constantly load images and update headlines. On phones with limited resources, allocating a screen for loading multimedia content may cause a noticeable delay when trying to unlock the phone or return to the home screen.
To resolve this issue, while some system apps cannot be deleted, you can disable most of them in the settings. This will completely freeze them and prevent them from consuming system resources. For news feeds, try disabling the sidebar in the home screen settings; you should notice an immediate improvement in touch responsiveness.