You've been trying to use your phone to send a message or check an app, but everything you do seems to be running especially slow. With all the power and innovation that's been put into Android phones over the past few years, it can be incredibly frustrating when a device stops functioning quickly. In this article, I'll show you everything you can do if your Google Pixel 5 is running slowly.
Restart Your Pixel 5
One surprisingly effective solution for many problems that can occur on a smartphone is to restart it. This can often get rid of minor software glitches that may be the reason your phone's running slower than usual.
To restart your Pixel 5, press and hold the power button until a list of options appears on your screen. Tap Restart, and your cell phone should power off and back on shortly after.
Check For A Software Update
When your cell phone falls behind on software updates, it can start to malfunction. Since Google releases updates for Pixel phones relatively often, it's quite possible this is the reason your device isn't working as fast as you'd like. These updates can take a while, so you'll want to plug your phone into a charger before continuing this step.
To check for available updates, open Settings on your Pixel 5. Tap System, followed by Advanced. Next, select System Update, then Check for Update when prompted. Here, you should be able to see any available software updates for your Pixel 5. If you find any, select Download, then Okay.
Close Any Apps You Aren't Using
If you have too many apps active on your Pixel 5 at once, your data and Wi-Fi speeds might be slowed to accommodate for each of the various pages. Closing out of unnecessary apps might help get rid of the problem you're experiencing.
To close out of apps on your Pixel 5, go to the Home screen and swipe up. You should be brought to a display of recently opened apps. Tap each one that you'd like to close, then swipe up.
After you've closed out of every app that you're not using, wait a few minutes. Once your phone registers that you've closed some apps, its processing might speed up somewhat.
Set Your Pixel 5 To Update Apps Automatically
If you notice that your Pixel 5 slows down whenever you open a specific app, it might help to see if this app needs an update. The easiest way to complete this step is to set your cell phone to update apps automatically.
To complete this step, open the Google Play Store on your Pixel 5. Select Menu, then tap Settings. Under Settings, select Auto-Update Apps. You'll be prompted to choose whether you'd like your apps to update over WiFi only, or over any wireless network. Both of these options will work, but if you're trying to save cellular data, we recommend selecting the WiFi option.
If your Pixel 5's running normally again after all of your apps update, great! If you find that a specific app is still interfering with your user experience, it might be worth it to delete the problematic app completely and replace it with an alternative.
Free Up Storage Space On Your Pixel 5
If your Google Pixel 5 is running out of storage, taking some data off the device might speed things back up for you. To see how much available storage you have on your phone, open Settings and select Storage. To see which apps are taking up the most storage, tap on different categories!
Before trying this fix, we recommend backing up any important data externally so you don't lose it completely. On the Google Pixel 5, it's very easy to sync all of your photos, videos and documents directly to your Google account!
Once you've backed up everything you need, there are a few ways to open some storage space on your phone. One option you have is to set your Pixel 5 to automatically backup and delete data when it's running out of storage. To enable this feature, open Settings, tap Select Storage, then activate Smart Storage.
If you'd prefer to manually control your storage, go back to Select Storage and tap Free Up Space. Select any items you'd like to delete from your Pixel 5, then press Free Up when you're ready.
Clear Caches On Your Google Pixel 5
On a similar note, your Pixel 5 can slow down if there's too much data stored in its cache. Cache files on Androids store information about actions and data from apps you use, and can sometimes get too full and slow devices down. This may be the explanation for why your Pixel 5 isn't working as smoothly as it should.
To clean our your data cache, swipe up from the Home screen. Open Settings, then tap Apps and Notifications. Next, tap See All “##” Apps, then select Storage and Cache. Finally, tap Clear Cache.
Pixel 5: Slow No More!
When your Google Pixel 5 is slow, it can limit many of the essential functions we rely on our cell phones to complete. However, there are plenty of easy steps you can take to try to resolve this issue for good. Sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective!
