How to Make Your Android Phone Run Faster with These Developer Options

How to Make Your Android Phone Run Faster with These Developer Options

If you’ve ever felt that your Android phone is slowing down over time, you’re not alone. As we use our devices daily—installing apps, updating software, and storing data—phones can sometimes become sluggish. Fortunately, there’s a hidden treasure trove of settings in Android called Developer Options, which can help you optimize your phone’s performance. Whether you’re a layman or a tech-savvy user, these options can significantly improve the speed of your Android device.

In this article, we’ll take you through some of the most effective Developer Options to make your phone run faster. Don’t worry, you won’t need a degree in computer science to understand or implement these tips!

What Are Developer Options?

Before we dive into the settings, let’s answer a common question: What are Developer Options?

Simply put, Developer Options are a set of tools originally created for app developers to test their apps and debug them. However, these settings are also useful for regular users to improve the performance of their devices. They are hidden by default to prevent accidental changes that could affect the phone’s functionality. But with a few simple steps, you can unlock them and start tweaking settings that might just make your phone feel brand new.

How to Enable Developer Options

First, let’s unlock the Developer Options menu:

  1. Open Settings on your Android phone.
  2. Scroll down and tap About phone.
  3. Find the Build number (usually at the bottom).
  4. Tap the Build number 7 times in quick succession.
  5. You’ll see a message that says, “You are now a developer!”
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Once this is done, you’ll find the Developer Options menu under Settings > System > Developer options.

Also: How To Clear The Cache On Your Android Phone

Key Developer Options to Speed Up Your Android Device

Now that you have access to Developer Options, let’s go through the settings that can make your Android phone feel faster. These options are especially helpful if you’ve noticed some lag or delays when using apps or navigating between screens.

1. Reduce Window Transition and Animator Duration

Animations are a big part of Android’s visual appeal. However, they can sometimes make your phone feel slower than it is, especially if you have an older device. By reducing or disabling these animations, you can make your phone feel snappier.

  • Go to Developer options.
  • Find Window transition scale and Animator duration scale.
  • Set both of these options to 0.5x (or Off, if you want to completely disable them).
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This will cut down on the time it takes for transitions and animations to complete, giving you a much faster and more responsive experience.

2. Limit Background Processes

Your phone runs background processes to handle multiple tasks at once. However, these can use up precious resources, which might be slowing things down. Limiting background processes helps free up memory and speed up your phone.

  • In Developer options, look for Background process limit.
  • Choose an appropriate limit, like 4 processes or 2 processes.
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This setting reduces the number of apps running in the background and focuses resources on the active tasks, improving your device’s overall speed. Just keep in mind that limiting background processes may cause apps to reload if you switch between them frequently.

Also: 5 Reasons To Switch To Google Phone On Android

3. Background Sync Settings

Background sync helps apps like email, social media, and messaging apps stay updated by constantly fetching new data. However, if not managed properly, it can drain your device’s performance. Here’s how you can control it more effectively:

  • Manually Adjust Sync Frequency: Instead of turning off background sync entirely, you can reduce how often apps check for new data. For example, go to Settings > Accounts and adjust the sync frequency for apps like Gmail or Calendar to update less frequently.
  • Control App-Specific Sync: For apps like Google Photos or Facebook, you can toggle off background data to prevent constant syncing when not necessary. Go to Settings > Apps > [App Name] > Data usage, then disable Background data.
  • Battery Saver and Syncing: Many phones offer battery saver modes, which limit background sync to save power. If performance is your main concern, you can use these modes during heavy usage.
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With these controls in place, you can keep background syncing in check without sacrificing the functionality of your apps.

4. Disable USB Debugging (When Not in Use)

While USB Debugging is crucial for developers and advanced users when they want to connect their device to a computer, it can slow down your phone if left on unnecessarily.

  • In Developer options, look for USB debugging and turn it off when not needed.
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This small tweak will free up resources and ensure your device isn’t overburdened by unnecessary background tasks.

5. Enable Force GPU Rendering

Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) rendering uses the phone’s dedicated GPU to handle graphical tasks instead of relying on the CPU. This can improve the speed and quality of graphical performance, especially in games and apps with heavy graphics.

  • In Developer options, scroll to find Force GPU rendering.
  • Toggle it ON.
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While this is particularly useful for gaming, you might notice a slight battery drain if used for extended periods, so use it wisely.

6. Turn Off or Reduce Auto-Rotate Sensitivity

Auto-rotation is convenient, but the phone’s accelerometer sensor can be sluggish or overly sensitive, causing small delays when you rotate your screen. You can tweak the sensitivity to make it quicker or turn it off entirely if you don’t use it much.

  • Go to Settings > Display > Auto-rotate screen and toggle it off if you prefer to manually rotate the screen.

This small change reduces the overhead your phone uses to detect changes in orientation.

Also: How To Enable The Double-Tap Gesture In Android 12

Additional Tips for Speeding Up Your Android

While Developer Options can help speed up your phone, there are other things you can do to optimize performance:

  1. Clear Cached Data: Apps store cached data to speed up loading times. However, over time, these caches can grow large and slow down your phone. You can clear them by going to Settings > Storage > Cached data.
  2. Uninstall Unnecessary Apps: If you have apps you no longer use, uninstall them to free up space and resources.
  3. Disable Bloatware: Many phones come pre-installed with apps you don’t need. Disable these apps in the Apps section of your settings to save processing power.
  4. Update Your Apps: Outdated apps can sometimes cause slowdowns or glitches. Make sure your apps are up-to-date by visiting the Google Play Store.
  5. Perform a Factory Reset (As a Last Resort): If your phone is still running slow despite trying these options, a factory reset might help. Just be sure to back up your data first!

Conclusion

While phones are powerful devices, it’s easy for them to feel sluggish over time. By enabling Developer Options and tweaking the right settings, you can give your Android phone a significant performance boost. Whether you’re a casual user who just wants a smoother experience or a tech enthusiast looking to push your device to its limits, these options provide a great way to enhance speed and efficiency without needing to buy a new phone.

As with all tweaks, use them wisely and monitor the changes to ensure they suit your personal needs. A faster Android phone is just a few taps away!

Photo by Andrey Matveev