Technologies

How I Turned My Super Slow Android Phone Into a Speed Machine

Make your Android feel brand-new with just a few tweaks.

Is your Android phone starting to feel sluggish? Are your apps taking forever to load? Don’t trade it in just yet. That doesn’t always mean you need to buy a new phone. Devices naturally slow down with use, but a few quick fixes can give your phone a boost and help you avoid spending money on an upgrade.

Most of the improvements come from your settings. Clearing out unused apps, adjusting battery optimization and limiting background processes can free up resources and make your phone run faster almost right away. And while you’re at it, give your device a proper cleaning — studies show that phones are often dirtier than a toilet seat.

Before you drop hundreds on the latest model, try tuning up the one you already have. Whether you’re using a budget Android or a high-end flagship, these tips can reduce lag, clear storage and keep your phone running smoothly with just a few minutes of effort.

For more, check out our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Plus reviews.

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Delete all of your forgotten apps

Take a few minutes to go through your home screen or app drawer and delete any and all apps you no longer use. Not only do those apps take up precious storage, but they potentially have access to the personal information or permissions you approved when the app was first launched.

How you go about deleting an app can vary based on who makes your device, but I covered all the bases in this post. Give it a read if you don’t see an uninstall option after long-pressing on the app’s icon.

Eliminate old files to free up storage

After removing any old apps, free up more storage by going through the files saved on your Android phone. It’s far too easy to forget about all of the files you’ve randomly downloaded — like the takeout menu of the new place down the road or a GIF a friend sent. And those files add up. The quickest and easiest way to manage your phone’s storage is to use the Files app that comes preinstalled.

Actually, some phones use a variation of that same app. On Samsung, for example, it’s called My Files. On the Pixel lineup, it’s just Files. On the OnePlus 10 Pro, it’s File Manager — you get the point.

I recommend opening the app drawer on your phone and reaching for «files.» Odds are that will reveal whatever your phone-maker calls the app.

Start with checking the Downloads folder, where you can either delete the files you no longer want or move them somewhere like Google Drive.

Most file apps will also reveal any large files that are saved on your device. For instance, the OnePlus 10 Pro’s File Manager app has a dedicated section in the app for files that are taking up a lot of space.

Tweak home screen settings for a new look

One of the best parts of Android is how much you can customize the entire look of your phone. From installing app icon packs to completely replacing the launcher your phone uses, there are plenty of options to personalize your phone.

While you can definitely jump into tweaking launchers and installing app icons, start by digging into the home screen settings your phone already provides. I do this once in a while and it’s surprising how subtle tweaks to aspects like app layout can make it feel like an entirely new phone.

Long-press on a blank area of your home screen, then select Home settings (or some variation of that). That will open the options for your home screen, where you can customize various settings.

Settings like the size of the app grid. It may seem like a small change to go from a grid of 4×5 apps to 5×5, but that extra column can make a big difference (the same can be said about shrinking the grid).

This is also where you’ll find settings for things like swiping down on the home screen to view notifications instead of having to swipe from the top of the screen.

Go through the respective settings your phone has and experiment with your home screen setup.

Optimize your device settings

Speaking of settings, now is a good time to go through and change any settings that have been annoying you. I have a roundup of settings you’ll want to change and customize on any Android phone to get the most out of it.

For example, turning on dark mode not only makes the app look better, but it saves battery life. And yes, I even show you how to stop app icons from automatically appearing on your home screen.

Customize your privacy options

Before you take a break, do yourself and your Android phone one last favor — double-check your privacy settings.

Open the Settings app then tap Privacy > Permissions Manager. Go through each category to see which apps currently have access to which treasure trove of your personal data. Find an app you don’t want to have access to your location? Turn it off. The same goes for contacts, calendar or camera.

It doesn’t take long to go through each section, and even if it did, it’s well worth the effort.

Technologies

These 8 iPhone 17 Pro Max Feature Rumors Have Me Questioning My Earlier Phone Choices

Do I stick with my tradition of opting for the regular size iPhone Pro, or is this the year to move up to the Pro Max?

Apple’s phone lineup is usually split between the more-affordable iPhone and the extras-added iPhone Pro models, but this year we could see another split, and I’m not talking about a possible iPhone 17 Air. Whereas the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are basically the same phones but with different size screens and bodies, the iPhone 17 Pro Max expected to be announced at Apple’s «Awe dropping» event next week on Sept. 9 could set itself apart from the regular-size iPhone 17 Pro.

I’ve always stuck with the standard iPhone Pro, but now I’m not so sure. Here’s a rundown of some of the features rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro Max that I’m most curious about.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

Making the case to go larger

The iPhone Pro Max models are tanks compared with the rest of the line — well, they’re not on the toughness level of the Samsung Galaxy XCover 7 Pro, so maybe they’re more like solid midsize SUVs. But they’re notable for their larger screens, bigger bodies and especially for having room for more of everything in an iPhone.

And that includes a larger battery. The Max models already have more battery space than other models, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max could end up being almost half a millimeter thicker, at 8.725mm, according to a May post by 9to5Mac. Has anyone ever asked for a more bulky iPhone? Actually, yes, yes and yes.

Add the new Adaptive Power feature in iOS 26, which uses AI to distribute power more efficiently when demand is high, and we could see a boost in daily use before reaching for a charger. (Then again, Adaptive Power could be a software workaround that could mean longer life using the same physical battery size.)

If you’re already committed to carrying a larger iPhone, a tad more thickness and heft isn’t too much more to shoulder.

The back of the iPhone 17 Pro case is also rumored to shift the Apple logo down from its current perch. That doesn’t seem like a big functional change, but it should help soothe folks who choose to add a clear MagSafe case, since the logo will be centered within the MagSafe area. You can’t say Apple doesn’t sweat the design details.

A leak on X from Majin Bu purports to show an iPhone 17 Pro case, though it’s not clear whether that’s something assembled by hand to match rumored specs or is some iPhone knockoff.

iPhone 17 Pro looks so good pic.twitter.com/P7aFwR5FML

— Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) July 10, 2025

Top up accessories with reverse wireless charging

This rumor could solve a problem I run into far too often: If I forget to charge my Apple Watch at home or my AirPods Pro are running low, there isn’t much I can do unless I’ve packed a portable charger. Even though power banks are affordable and often compact, it’s still one more thing to bring along.

But consider the iPhone that is always with me. When you look at its innards, most of what takes up space is battery. What if I could use the iPhone’s battery as a power source for recharging my accessories, without the hassle of a cable? 9to5Mac surfaced a rumor that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models might incorporate reverse wireless charging. In addition to being able to charge the iPhone’s battery using MagSafe on the back, I could put my watch or AirPods case, which both charge wirelessly already, on the iPhone to share some of the juice from its larger battery.

The Samsung S-series phones already implement this feature, so it’s certainly doable. The Apple Watch still uses a proprietary charger shape, so perhaps it wouldn’t work flush with the iPhone’s back, but I could see case makers offer designs with a subtle indentation that would fit the watch.

Bring on all the camera upgrades

We can’t talk about the case without mentioning the camera bump, which could become a more expansive camera island (or maybe on the larger iPhone 17 Pro Max, it will be more like a camera continent) that stretches across the width of the iPhone back, according to CAD renders by Majin Bu. We even got a glimpse of a possible test iPhone 17 Pro in the wild when someone snapped a picture of what looks to be an Apple employee using a phone with a design that matches many rumors (via Foxy Pupy on X).

That expanse may include an upgraded 48-megapixel telephoto camera, which feels overdue for a top-tier camera system. Granted, it will probably take extra steps to capture photos in the full 48-megapixel resolution, as is the case with the current main Fusion camera in the iPhone 16 Pro models, where images are «pixel-binned» with multiple pixels grouped together to enhance light gathering ability. But given the great results we’ve seen from the 48-megapixel camera in the current models — the iPhone 16E leans heavily on that resolution using its sole rear-facing camera — extending it to the telephoto camera would definitely be a win for photographers.

Speaking of resolution, a 24-megapixel front-facing camera is expected, up from 12 megapixels, so perhaps my selfies will look better. More likely, it’s to boost the next rumored feature.

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A movable camera lens

I’m breaking out this camera rumor separately because it would mark a huge change in the iPhone camera system. According to a post at MacRumors, the iPhone 17 Pro could have an 8x optical zoom. Not only that, it’s said to be able to move, so perhaps there could be a range of zoom between 5x and 8x that is all optical (versus relying on digital zoom to crop and enlarge the image to fit the same field of view). The 5x zoom in the current iPhone 15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro Max uses a «tetraprism» design to achieve its telephoto range while still keeping the camera bump modest.

Video recording makes a leap

Cameras on both sides will reportedly work together with dual video recording using the built-in Camera app, a boon for conducting interviews or making reaction videos where you want to see both sides of a conversation. Third-party apps have been able to tap into this capability for some time, but haven’t been available as a default option.

Not as important for everyday use, but interesting in terms of advancing the state of the art, the iPhone 17 Pro Max could support 8K video recording, as speculated by MacRumors after reports that 8K was tested for the iPhone 16 Pro. The iPhone is swiftly turning into a production video camera, from features such as 28 Years Later to custom cameras built from iPhone tech in the F1 movie.

An improved cooling system

Recording video in 4K resolution, much less 8K, is a demanding, power-hungry task that leads to heat build up. In already warm environments, it can even overheat the iPhone and temporarily shut it down. So the prospect of a new internal cooling architecture, while being invisible to iPhone owners, has me nerding out just a little.

According to Majin Bu and others, the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature a «vapor chamber» cooling system. As the processor heats up, a small amount of liquid in the chamber evaporates and condenses in cooler areas and is then passed back to the hot areas.

Wi-Fi 7 and fast cellular via a new Apple modem

This is more geeky and less obvious to everyday phone owners, but that’s also kind of the point. The iPhone 16E shipped with Apple’s C1 cellular modem, Apple’s first homebrew cellular hardware it has been trying to build in order to wean its dependence on Qualcomm, which has provided the modem hardware in previous iPhone models.

However, the C1 lacks a faster millimeter wave cellular network and doesn’t support Wi-Fi 7, even though it’s more conservative about power usage (and still performs well), an acceptable trade-off for the budget phone in Apple’s lineup.

But for the iPhone 17 Pro Max, we’re talking about the next professional models, and an iPhone Pro in 2025 can’t ship without the latest, fastest wireless technology. It would be more realistic to see Apple stick with Qualcomm for the Pro line than include the C1 — but I suspect a C2 is coming.

According to MacRumors, the Wi-Fi 7 compatibility could be provided by a separate dedicated chip designed by Apple.

An orange iPhone 17 Pro Max

You don’t have to be an ardent fan of the Netherlands national football team to appreciate the color orange. Leaker Majin Bu posted renders of the new color lineup for iPhone 17 Pro models, and one of them is gloriously ginger. Not only is this interesting because orange is orange, but because it would be a departure from Apple’s recent line of cool, muted colors for the pro lineup. (There are also rumors that the iPhone lineup will include a new sky blue color, about which I have opinions.) I don’t hide my iPhone in a case, so being able to show off a bold color sounds like a fun idea.

These aren’t the only iPhone 17 Pro rumors we’re tracking, but right now they’re the ones that have me looking at my calendar and wishing September could arrive just a little faster.

Technologies

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Wednesday, Sept. 3

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Sept. 3.

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? 7-Across made me laugh, and I didn’t get the answer right away, but my high-school-senior daughter knew immediately. Want the answers? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.