The Samsung Galaxy S5 came out in 2014. It’s processor might not be unique, but it still has a great camera, a spectacular screen, and a battery life even better than its successor, the S6. You probably did a little research before you bought this phone, and saw decent specs, and they probably didn’t set low expectations for you. That’s why it’s frustrating when your S5 is behaving lazily.
What causes this slowdown in performance?
You may notice a difference after you do an update. It’s common for the S5 to have underlying software issues. In fact, this problem isn’t uncommon for any computer—even the pocket sized ones that sometimes double as a phone. We humans start to slow down as we get older too, but that doesn’t mean we have to accept a lesser performance. Is there anything that can be done to mitigate these problems? Absolutely—we will show you how to speed up the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Method 1: Speed Up Apps’ Performance
Management of the apps is important for the overall speed of your phone. Proper management of the installed apps is a critical aspect of how to speed up Samsung Galaxy S5.
Step 1:
Disable or uninstall problematic or unneeded apps. (Estimated Time: can vary, but most likely no more than 5 min.) If you have used an app recently that was acting a little funny or you really don’t need anymore, you can go into the list of recently used applications and remove it by dragging it right or left. You can also use Application Manager in Settings to handle these apps. Samsung has so many alternate, duplicate Google apps. Just use Google’s instead.
Step 2:
Narrow things down. (Estimated Time: varies, but adding apps back one at a time and monitoring behavior can take time. Expect this to last hours or days, even.) The first step is to identify the real problem. You can go into Safe Mode and use the process of elimination to figure out which app or apps is the culprits. You can also see whether the apps are being framed and it’s the system itself causing your misery. Certain apps can also assist in you in this process. One app to you can try is Trepn Profiler from Google Play.
Step 3:
Limit Background Processes. (Estimated Time: 1-2 min.) Apps and processes working in the background can be a key reason your S5 is slowing down. First, enable developer mode. From the Developer Option Menu, you can decrease the number of processes to as little as zero.
Step 4:
Factory Reset your phone. (Estimated Time: 2-4 min.) This should probably be reserved as a last resort, as it will indeed wipe everything from your phone and you will have to start from square one to make it yours again. A backup is highly recommended. You can do this by visiting “Backup and reset” from the Settings menu. I would check “Back up my data” and “Automatic restore” before tapping on the “Factory data reset” tab.
Step 5
Exterminate pre-loaded apps (bloatware). (Estimated Time: 15-20 min.) If you want to be thorough, root your S5.
Rooting will void your warranty and can lead to hair loss due to you pulling it out if you don’t do things correctly, but the result can also be beautiful. Rooting also allows for more tweaks and customization, as well as expanding your app options. Here is a full disclaimer as well as more benefits. For the steps on how to root, go here.
Method 2: Combat that Keyboard Conundrum
It’s as though someone robbed you of the ability to speak. You’re typing on your S5’s keyboard, but no are words are visible. It feels like the ultimate exercise in futility. Don’t despair. We can help you speed up slow Android phone. Here’s some advice.
Step 1:
For a quick fix, reboot. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds) Hold the Power key for a few seconds until it vibrates and gives you the option to Restart.
Step 2:
To remedy a randomly shrinking keyboard, press and hold the microphone key. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds) A pop-up box should appear. Click on the keyboard icon.
Step 3:
If the keyboard suddenly starts capitalizing every single word for no discernible reason, try these solutions: (Estimated Time: 2-5 minutes) Try out a different keyboard.
If you are willing to shell out a little money, Fleksy isn’t a bad option.If you think paying for a keyboard is ridiculous or you want it to be optional to upgrade, try TouchPal.
Please see “Swype vs Swiftkey vs Fleksy: Android – Best Keyboard App?” for a more thorough analysis of the best keyboard app. If you are selecting one of the suggested words in text prediction by tapping on it, hitting the space bar becomes redundant. Don’t tap the space bar when using one of the suggested words. If you are using Swype and capital letters are appearing in the middle of your words, you might be inadvertently using the Capitalization gesture. Watch your finger’s path to ensure you aren’t swyping past the top of the keyboard.
Step 4:
Clear the cache on your keyboard. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds to 1 minute) From Settings, tap on Application Manager. Select Clear Cache.
Step 5:
You can change keyboard input options or settings. (Estimated time: 1-2 minutes) From Apps’ Settings go to Language and Input. Here you can specify your default keyboard. You can also press Settings next to your Samsung keyboard.
Method 3: Solve Start-Up Issues
What could be more annoying than an unresponsive Power button? If your phone drags its feet during boot or when you attempt to unlock the screen, this is for you.
Step 1:
Get to the root of the problem. (Estimated Time: 1-5 minutes) Is your charger doing its job? Or is your battery faulty?
If you try various chargers and none work, your battery could be the problem.
Before you reach this conclusion, try backing up your data and performing a Factory Reset first.
Be sure there is nothing wrong with the connection. Check the charging port to look for anything that could be interfering.
Step 2:
Reboot. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds) Although it may seem counter-intuitive, try turning the phone off and back on again. If this isn’t possible via the Power button, remove and reinsert the battery.
Step 3:
Turn off the Lock Screen animations. (Estimated Time: 45 seconds-1 minute) The animations referred to are the special effects that can look like rippling water or exploding colors. Even though they may look cool, they can slow things down. Choose Lock Screen from the Settings menu. Tap Unlock Effect and disable by selecting None.
Step 4:
Seek outside help. (Estimated Time: Hours-Days) Contact your service provider or reach out to Samsung for warranty repair. Some power issues are practically impossible for you to resolve, especially those that involve problems with the hardware.
Method 4: Work Out WiFi Problems
What did we do before the Internet? Do you remember? Neither do I. Maybe because I have repressed those memories.
Step 1:
As always, reboot. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds) Do this with your Galaxy S5, of course, but don’t forget about your router as well. Unplug the router for 30 seconds and then plug it back in.
Step 2:
Determine if the issue really is the router. (Estimated Time: 2-5 minutes) If certain apps aren’t functioning properly only when connected to Wi-Fi, try updating the router firmware or even using a different router. Sometimes older is even better in certain cases.
Step 3:
Ensure that you haven’t accidentally set power saving restrictions by visiting “Power Saving Mode” under Settings. (Estimated Time: 1-5 minutes) Power Saving Mode is not always a bad thing. Certain settings can cause problems at times, though, and we are trying to rule them out.
Step 4:
Turn off the “Smart WiFi”. (Estimated Time: 30 seconds-1 minute) Again, Smart Wi-Fi shouldn’t be flagged as some sort of constant troublemaker. It can come in handy. But, if your problem is that your phone can’t make up its mind about connecting or disconnecting the Wi-Fi, this might help. From Settings, click on Wi-Fi. Smart Wi-Fi is located above the networks.
Step 5:
Clear the phone’s cache. (Estimated Time: 1-2 minutes) Start by turning your phone off. Simultaneously hold the Volume Up button, the Home button, and the Power button until you see the Samsung logo on the screen. Let go of just the Power button. You should now be in Recovery Mode. Select Wipe Cache Partition by using the Volume Down button. Reboot your phone.
Method 5: Revive a Frozen Phone
Your phone has gone on strike. Or, has one of its apps incited the strike? Oftentimes, apps are the instigators when your phone is freezing. How to speed up my Galaxy S5? Read below.
Step 1:
Reset your phone. (Estimated Time: 1 minute) Remove the battery. Lift the back casing of your Samsung. Take out the battery for a few seconds, then reinsert it.
Step 2:
Disable or uninstall apps that are troublesome or that you don’t use. (Estimated Time: Varies, but probably 2-5 minutes) Get rid of bloatware. From Settings, go to Application Manager. In the Application Manager, you can find such an app and choose whether you want to disable or totally uninstall that app.
Step 3:
Delete the phone’s cache partition. (Estimated Time: 1-2 minutes) This was mentioned in Step 4 but is also beneficial to resolve freezing. Start by turning your phone off. Simultaneously hold the Volume Up button, the Home button, and the Power button until you see the Samsung logo on the screen. Let go of just the Power button. You should now be in Recovery Mode. Select Wipe Cache Partition by using the Volume Down button. Your phone will require a reboot.
Step 4:
Perform a Factory Reset. (Estimated Time: 2-4 minutes) Backup your data first. Then repeat all of the steps in Step 3, only instead of selecting Wipe Cache Partition, choose Wipe Data/Factory Reset instead. Your phone will be starting with a clean slate. If a particular app is suspect, try installing it alone first to see if you still experience the freezing problem.
Method 6: Bring Overall Performance Up to Speed
For whatever reason, you are here because your Samsung Galaxy S5 is slow. Here is some general advice.
Step 1:
Ensure your apps and phone are all updated. (Estimated Time: 1-2 minutes) If your notifications aren’t keeping you apprised, go to Settings and then About Phone. Charge your phone before the update. To receive updates more easily, checkout “How to Receive Android Updates Easily”.
Step 2:
Uninstall misbehaving or useless apps. (Estimated Time: About 2-5 minutes) This piece of advice has made an appearance in solving practically every problem in this article. So it stands to reason it is an excellent overall tactic to improve general performance. Check out the Greenify app.
Step 3:
Remove your SD card (safely, of course!). (Estimated Time: 2-3 minutes) From Settings, select System. Tap on Storage and then Unmount SD card. Choose OK. Physically remove the SD card.
Step 4:
Wipe the cache partition, and if that fails, perform a factory reset. (Estimated Time: 2-5 minutes) Backup your data first. Access the Recovery menu by the Volume Up, Home, and Power key combination and release Power when the Samsung logo appears. You will find both options there. Don’t forget to reboot after each of them
Step 5:
Say farewell to TouchWiz and get a custom launcher. (Estimated Time: 2-5 minutes) You probably won’t be missing much. It mostly weighs down functionality. Try Nova Launcher or Google Now Launcher instead.
Conclusion
The Samsung Galaxy S5 is a practical phone. It’s also packed with a lot of features, at least some of which you probably find unnecessary. Get rid of anything that bogs your phone down and that you don’t even use. The ultimate way to do this might be to root your phone. Rooting can also host another set of issues, so beware. In honor of Halloween, sometimes you have to pick your poison. Are there slow performance issues not mentioned here that are still driving you crazy? Have you discovered your own tips or tricks and have advice you can share with your fellow S5 users? Please tell us about it below. Featured Image Credit
