Read More: Which Apps Slow Down Your Smartphone the Most?

Temporary files can slow your processor and drain your battery if the app is left on in the background. However, after the app is closed, there are still pieces of clutter building in your hard drive. These files are not temporary, and while essential to the app’s function, they do not delete themselves. These files are called cache files, and they may be the reason your Android is running slow.

Every time your apps need to store long-term information, like backups and other pieces of information they will need on a later date, they store them into a cache file. However, with every new usage of the app, cache files stack on top of outdated cache files, and the pile builds until your hard drive is stuffed with useless cache junk.

Since cache files cannot be accessed through your phone, they can be difficult to find. There are many ways to delete your outdated cache files without having to go through your hard drive file by file. Simply use quick cleanup on your Android to delete the outdated temporary and cache files from the nooks and crannies of your phone’s hard drive.

After getting rid of all of your junk files, you will notice significant changes to your Android’s hard drive. You will have to run quick cleanup every once in a while to keep your phone running smoothly; cache builds up every once in a while. Just be sure to make your Android run faster by deleting your phone’s clutter.

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That distinction matters when you sell, trade in, donate, or recycle a phone. Reset too early and you may lose access to messages, authenticator codes, or data that never reached the new device. Skip account removal and the next owner may receive a phone blocked by Apple Activation Lock or Android device protection. This checklist puts backup, account removal, erasure, and final verification in the right order.

Does a factory reset delete everything?

A factory reset erases the phone’s internal storage and returns its software to the initial setup state. It does not, by itself, delete information held in your online accounts.

Here is the practical difference:

• Erased from the phone: installed apps, signed-in accounts, preferences, messages, and files stored only in internal memory.
• May remain in the cloud: synced photos, contacts, documents, and account backups.
• May require its own transfer or removal: messaging apps, authenticator apps, banking apps, wearables, digital wallets, physical SIM, eSIM, and microSD storage.

“Factory reset” is also different from “restore a backup.” A factory reset clears a device. Restoring a backup brings a saved copy to a configured phone. Verify the transfer before erasing the old device.

Do not manually delete synced photos or contacts as a substitute for a reset. Apple warns that deleting items while signed in to iCloud can remove them from iCloud and your other connected devices. Its official pre-sale instructions recommend transferring or backing up first, then erasing the device through the system controls.

Read also: Does Deleting Photos From Your Phone Delete Them From Google Photos? Myth vs. Fact

What to do before selling or trading in your phone

Complete these steps before choosing Factory reset or Erase All Content and Settings. Menu names can differ by device and software version.

1. Verify the backup or transfer. Open important photos, contacts, documents, and conversations on the new phone or in the service where they were saved. A completed-backup message is useful, but checking the result is better.
2. Move access tied to the old phone. Review messaging, authenticator, banking, and workplace apps. Some services have a separate migration or reactivation process.
3. Unpair accessories and remove wallet items. Follow manufacturer instructions for watches, connected accessories, and cards stored in a digital wallet.
4. Remove accounts and activation locks. On Android, remove every Google Account and any manufacturer account. On iPhone, follow Apple’s process for your Apple Account, Find My, and Activation Lock.
5. Handle cellular service and removable storage. Take out the physical SIM and microSD card. Decide how to transfer or delete the eSIM based on the phone, carrier, and trade-in instructions.
6. Reset from Settings. Use the normal, unlocked system workflow instead of recovery mode whenever possible.
7. Stop at the welcome screen. Do not set the device up again. Make sure it does not ask for the previous owner’s credentials.

The reset belongs at the end of the process. Do not hand over the phone until your backup is confirmed, your account locks are removed, and the device can begin setup without your credentials.

How to prepare an Android phone

Google states that a factory reset erases data from the phone, while information backed up to your Google Account can be restored later. Because Android menus and additional features vary by manufacturer, use the device maker’s official help for the exact path.

Remove all Google Accounts before resetting a phone for someone else. Android device protection, often discussed as Factory Reset Protection or FRP, can require a Google Account previously used on the device during setup. A reset performed through recovery buttons does not necessarily solve an ownership lock and may leave the buyer unable to activate the phone.

If the device has a manufacturer account, such as a Samsung Account, remove that too. Take out the physical SIM and microSD card. For eSIM, review the device and carrier instructions rather than assuming the general factory reset handles the line exactly as intended.

Run the reset from Settings, then wait for the setup welcome screen. If the phone requests a Google Account that was used before the reset, the account-removal or device-protection step was not completed as expected.

How to erase an iPhone for a new owner

Apple recommends transferring or backing up your information, unpairing an Apple Watch when applicable, and using Erase All Content and Settings. Its current sell-or-trade guidance says the process removes local content and Apple Pay cards and turns off services on the device. It does not delete content stored in iCloud.

During erasure, the iPhone may ask whether to erase the eSIM. When the phone is changing owners, follow the on-screen option and confirm beforehand how your carrier will activate service on the replacement phone. If you are moving from iPhone to Android, also follow Apple’s official guidance for turning off iMessage.

When the erase process finishes, Find My and Activation Lock should be off. Stop at the “Hello” screen. Do not sign back in or complete setup for the buyer.

How to verify the phone is ready to hand over

Before shipping the device or completing the trade-in, check that:

• it starts at the welcome or setup screen;
• your photos, messages, notifications, and accounts are no longer visible;
• the physical SIM and memory card have been removed;
• setup does not request your Google Account or Apple Account credentials;
• the new phone contains the data and access you chose to preserve.

If the old credentials are still required, do not hand over the phone. Use the manufacturer’s official help center to review account removal and the corresponding activation lock. This protects your information and prevents the buyer from receiving a device they cannot use.

What to do if you already handed over the phone

Use the official Google Account or Apple Account tools to review connected devices and available location or remote-erasure controls. Review important account sessions through the service’s official app or website. Remote actions depend on the old phone still being associated with the account and connecting to the internet, so they are not a guaranteed substitute for preparing the phone in person.

Contact the store, marketplace, carrier, or recipient through the official channel used for the transaction. If your cellular line remained on the device, use the carrier’s official app, website, help center, or account portal to review the physical SIM or eSIM status.

Keep reading

• How to See Which Devices Are Signed In to Your Google Account
• Is Your Phone Ready for an Emergency? Set Up Location, Backup, and Contacts in 10 Minutes
• Does Uninstalling an App Delete Your Account and Data? Myth vs. Fact
• Google Drive Stopped Photos Backup: What Changed

Sources

• Apple — What to do before you sell, give away, or trade in your iPhone or iPad
• Google Android — Reset your Android device to factory settings
• Google Android — Back up or restore data on your Android device
• Google Store — Send your trade-in device
• FTC — How To Remove Your Personal Information Before You Get Rid of Your Phone

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Read More: Signs That Your Android’s Memory is Almost Full

Flipp

This app is an all-in-one when it comes to gathering coupons and deals for some of your favorite stores. Gone are the days of scouring your newspaper or the net for the best deals; this app will put them all in one place for you. The best part of this is that you get to choose your favorite stores — such as Best Buy, Target, and Walmart — so you decide what you see. You are also able to add in your loyalty or rewards numbers for these stores, making it even easier to save.

Shopular

This is the perfect app to bring along on your mall shopping trip, as it will populate the right coupons at the exact right time. Because this app uses your location to determine what coupons and notifications to send you at what time, you will see deals that are relevant to you based on what store you’re in. And contrary to what you may believe, this app actually won’t drain your battery. Don’t get caught scavenging your email at the register for a discount code; have them sent directly to you with this app to save as much money as you can on each purchase.

PriceGrabber

This app is only available for Android, but it’s one that packs some serious punch! This app features a barcode scanner, and when it’s used, it immediately populates a price comparison of the product you’re viewing from other vendors. It also is sure to factor in tax and shipping information. Finally, it provides product reviews so that you can see what others are saying about a desired product so you know exactly what you’re getting before you head to the cash register.

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Read More: Is WhatsApp Using too Much Space on Your Phone?

While a lack of storage space and your slow Internet speed may be unrelated, they’re still issues that you shouldn’t ignore. Continue reading to find out how you can tackle these issues on your smartphone.

How to Find Out Why Your Internet is Slow

Your Internet could be slow for a number reasons. It could be the result of an old router, placing your router in an undesirable location, or an issue with your Internet service provider. Click here to use Wi-Fi Check to check the speed of your Internet and your network security:

A lack of storage space can be frustrating because you’ll no longer be able to download new apps and files. Your phone may also start to lag behind, because it’s having a harder time performing tasks. In order to free up space on your device, you should evaluate all of the files on your device. Back up any videos, photos, and music that you want to keep, and then delete these files from your phone.

If you don’t have a microSD card for your phone, you should get one to store any media files that you want to keep on your device. Make sure to look up how much external storage space your device can hold before purchasing a microSD card. Some phones can only hold 32GB of storage space, while more powerful phones can hold up to 256GB.

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Read More: How to Clear WhatsApp Files on an Android

Step 2: Remove Apps You Don’t Use

If you like to follow app trends and test out the latest apps, odds are, you’ll stop using these apps after a while. If you have old social networking apps, ridesharing apps, games, photo-editing apps, and more that you no longer use, then it’s time to delete them from your phone. If you change your mind and want to redownload an old app that you paid for, you won’t have to pay for the app again; all of your apps are saved to your account. Click here to use App Manager to quickly evaluate the apps on your phone and delete any that you no longer want:

Before removing any files, make sure that any photos, podcasts, music files, or videos that you want to keep are backed up to another location. You may want to backup these files to your PC, laptop, or an external hard drive. Now, evaluate the media files on your device: are you actually using all of these files? Photos, videos, and music can take up a lot of space on your device. Choose a select number of these files to keep on your device — if you regularly use them — and delete the rest. You don’t really need to keep HD photos from your recent trip abroad, videos of your friends goofing off, or half of your music library on your phone. If you still want access to these files, though, store them in the cloud.

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Read More: Is it Safe to Download Apps Outside of Google Play?

Useless Android Apps That You Should Delete

• All of the apps you never use. Saying goodbye is often hard, especially to beloved former apps like Angry Birds and Candy Crush, but sometimes you just need to let go. If you haven’t touched an app in 2-3 months, you need to hit that uninstall button. If you feel any nostalgia down the road, you can easily download it again.
• Apps that take up a lot of storage. If you have a few monster-sized apps, it might be time to lighten your phone’s load. Let’s say your messaging application is eating up a lot of megabytes. Why not search the Google Play store for a smaller, more compact app? Decluttering your phone is all about making smart choices. But before you downsize your apps, make sure that your apps haven’t bloated in size due to junk files and cache. Use Quick Cleanup to instantly remove junk files that are taking up too much space:

• Apps that drain your battery’s juice. There are a number of energy-sucking applications in the Google Play store. Either the app uses a lot of power when you’re using it, or during start-up and when it’s supposed to be laying dormant. Indeed, any application that’s sending you a plethora of notifications is (almost) definitely eating up your battery life.
• Preinstalled apps on your cell phone. Chances are, your Android came with a bunch of preinstalled apps that you never use. You should ruthlessly get rid of them! If you can’t uninstall them, disabling is another option if you go into your Android’s “Settings” panel. These apps slow down your phone without adding anything to its performance level.

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Read More: How to Respond to the “Insufficient Storage Available” Error

How Many mp3 Files Can You Keep on Your Phone?

The amount of mp3 files and other files that you can store on your device largely depends on the age and specs of your phone. Older smartphones typically have very little internal storage space (8GB to 16GB), and the ability to hold very little external storage space (as little as 32GB). In comparison, many newer smartphone models now come with 32GB to 64GB of internal storage, and microSD card expansion up to 256GB — that’s a lot of space for music, photos, videos, and books.

What Are The Pros to Storing mp3 files on Your Phone?

Regardless of how much space you have on your device, storing mp3 files on your phone can be very convenient. You’ll still be able to listen to music even if you don’t have an Internet connection, and the task will take up very little of your phone’s battery in comparison to streaming music. While streaming music may be a fine practice when you have a Wi-Fi connection, streaming music without Wi-Fi can use up a lot of your data.

The Cons?

If you have an older smartphone, then you likely won’t be able to store that many mp3 files on your phone. Plus, your mp3 files have to compete with your apps, photos, videos, and other files for storage space. In order to make sure your phone doesn’t run out of room, you may want to keep a select number of your favorite songs on your phone, or else change your playlists now and then. For many users, this might be an undesirable practice — they may prefer to use their data to stream music.

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Read More: Top 3 Reasons Your Android Might Be Crashing

Removing Cache Can Speed Up Your Internet

If you rarely delete your phone’s cache or temporary files, then that could be why you’re experiencing a slow Internet connection on your phone. Many social networking apps, for example, can perform so many functions that they will quickly bloat in size. This is because they are storing a lot of data (such as images and website information) so that you experience a shorter wait time the next time you load a website or Facebook page. This data that is stored is known as cache. The same thing happens with your web browser on your phone (though they typically store much less data).

If you want to speed up the performance of your device in addition to your Internet connection, try removing all of the junk files, cache, and trash from your phone. Use the Quick Cleanup feature to remove all of these files in one go. That way, you’ll free up your phone’s memory and have more storage space available on your device. Click here to use Quick Cleanup to remove cache and junk files:

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Read More: Instagram Galleries Now Lets You Share Multiple Photos

Common Files You Probably Delete

1. Text messages. You think you don’t need that text message so you delete it. That’s when you realize it contained an important phone number, address, or meeting time that you neglected to copy down. Slow down — make sure you have the info you need before clearing out your texts.
2. Images. It’s so easy to delete an image, but it’s harder to get it back again. All of those unflattering selfies start to add up? Before you get rid of all of the images you don’t want anymore, make sure to backup all of your photos to your computer or to the cloud. Then, you won’t have to worry about deleting a photo you wanted to keep forever.
3. Videos. If you are a fan of taking videos on your Android smartphone, then you are taking up even more room on your device than you would with images, especially if you find yourself frequently shooting videos. Back up these video files regularly to your computer or to the cloud so that you don’t accidentally delete a precious memory.

When you delete items from your phone, remember that you don’t need to hang onto every little thing. Let go of the images and videos you will never use. Just make sure you have all of the information, videos, and photos that you want to keep before you go crazy deleting old files. Once you’re done, follow it all up with a fast sweep of your phone with Quick Cleanup.

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Read More: Learn About Google Allo’s New Chatbot, Lucky

The Two Types of Spambots

When it comes to Android’s spambots, there are two main types on your apps, which you’ll most commonly run into:

• Push Alerts: Push alerts, also known as “push notifications,” show up when you’re not actively using the specific app. Apps will spam you with alerts in an attempt to make you use their app. Often, you can try to manage push alerts by going into an app’s notifications settings. Be forewarned: you’ll have to perform this action manually with every app.
• Icon Ads: The Google Play store has already officially banned this type of spam. However, it may still appear on older versions of apps, if you download them from a third-party store. What are icon ads, exactly? Well, they show up on your home screen, as if you’ve downloaded a new app. But when you go to click on them, the icon brings you to an ad network.

Getting Rid of these Spambots

Often, installing an ad blocking software is the easiest way to free your Android’s apps from spambots. Ad blockers are available in the Google Play store, and they’re great tools for cleaning out those pesky ads. Otherwise, if you don’t want to go down that route, the best advice would be to delete any “spammy” apps. They’re probably more trouble than they’re worth, anyway.

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Read More: Are SD Cards Becoming a Thing of the Past?

But if you still don’t have enough room on your phone even after you clear out your cache, you may be lacking enough memory. In that case, you might need a microSD card. A microSD card is a removable flash memory card for your mobile device. Most of these cards give you anywhere between 4GB to 200GB of additional storage, but it all depends on how much your phone can hold. Many phones can only hold SD cards up to 32GB, for example. Interested to learn more? The following lists the best microSD cards you can buy.

SanDisk Ultra 200GB

This microSD has a lot of extra room for the Samsung Galaxy S7 user. The card is specially designed to offer super-fast transfer speeds and HD video. It also lets you store a ton of movies and music to play on your phone.

PNY Elite 128GB

This affordable microSD card gives you lots of storage and fast reading and transfer speeds. Clocking in at under $35, this card is one of the best bangs you can get for your buck.

SanDisk Extreme PLUS 64GB

With lightning-fast transfer speeds — at up to 95MB per second — and 4K video recording, this microSD card is of professional quality. It also comes with an SD adapter so you can trade the card among laptops, phones, and notebooks.

Kingston Digital 64GB microSDXC Card

A fast reader and writer, this microSD card also comes equipped with an adapter that lets you use it on other kinds of devices. It’s also very affordable at $35.

If you find yourself always running out of room on your phone, your first step is to use Quick Cleanup to get rid of any files you don’t need anymore. Next, though, start considering a microSD card if you are constantly needing more memory.

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Read More: Why Your HDR Photos Take Up So Much Space

Video Files: .avi

.avi video files take up a lot of space and memory on your phone. Because they take up so much memory, a lot of video services like Netflix and Amazon only let you stream video. Because they take up so much space, you want to make sure you’re saving the videos you do keep on your phone in a space-saving format, including WMV, QuickTime, RealVideo, or MPEG-1. One of these formats should help you create watchable video that doesn’t eat up all your memory.

Music Files: FLAC

Many people save lots of music to their devices, but FLAC music files in particular take up a lot of space because the file has to be able to be saved on your hard drive but also be playable. To save space on your music files, be sure to only store MP3, MPEG, .m4a, .m4b, and .m4p files on your phone.     

Image Files: .PSD and RAW

Image files saved in .PSD and RAW take up so much space on devices mostly because people collect so many photos. High-quality photo files take up the most space on your device. The more dots per inch (DPI) — an indicator of photo clarity — in a photo, the more space it takes up. To save space on your saved photos, be sure to save them as TIFFs, JPEGs, JPGs, or GIFs.

If you find that you’re constantly running out of space, your first step is to run Quick Cleanup to see if junk and cache files are taking up more space than they’re worth. But if that doesn’t work, try converting your big files to more efficient file types or deleting some of these files entirely.

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Read More: Use DFNDR’s App Lock Feature to Lock Your Apps

Quickly Remove Duplicate Photos

If you take a lot of photos — think selfies, food shots, and travel photos — then you might have a lot of repeated photos that are taking up unnecessary space on your phone. It can take a lot of time to go through all of those photos and delete useless duplicates. Why waste your time? Use DFNDR’s Duplicate Photos feature to quickly identify and remove repeated photos:

Delete Old WhatsApp Files

Social networking apps are a great way to stay in touch with friends and family, but they can also quickly collect a lot of useless files that can negatively affect your device’s performance. It’s exciting whenever WhatsApp releases a new feature, such as GIF sharing. But if you use a lot of GIFs when communicating with your friends, all of those images can quickly add up and slow down your device. Add to this all of the voice messages, videos, and photos that WhatsApp stores — files that you no longer need, but that are saved on the app regardless.

DFNDR’s WhatsApp Cleaner can quickly remove these old, unnecessary files from your device. This will free up storage space and further improve your device’s performance. You’ll be able to see, specifically, how much space you’ll be saving on your phone by removing these files. Click here to get started:

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Read More: Could 3-D Printing Be Threatening Our Planet?

What Things Are Considered E-Waste?

• DVDs and DVD players
• Mobile Phones
• Laptops, Tablets, and Home Computers
• Batteries
• Hard Disks
• Monitors
• Circuit Boards
• Cables and Wires
• Keyboards, Mice, and other Peripherals
• Digital Cameras
• Hard Drives
• GPS Units
• Video Game Systems
• Printers and Scanners
• Microwaves
• iPods and MP3 Players
• Modems and Routers

Other items like HVAC equipment and home appliances are sometimes considered e-waste too, so check with your local recycling facility.

How is E-Waste Recycled?
First, the items arrive at a recycling facility, where they are sorted. They are dismantled and broken down into their core components, which are divided up into categories based on what type of item they are and whether they can be re-purposed. Next, finer pieces and particles go through a shaking process using a conveyor belt to further separate them and reduce their size. After the remaining materials are reduced to even smaller particles, any dust is extracted and safely discarded. A magnet is then used to separate the metallic items out; copper, aluminum, and brass can be sold as raw materials or reused for manufacturing new products. After this, the plastic is separated from glass using water, and any re-usable or sellable materials are set aside while the remaining particles are disposed of.

How You Can Help
First, always recycle your e-waste. Never toss an old phone or computer monitor in the trash. Find your closest recycling plant and find out what kind of items they accept. Talk to your mobile service carrier. Many cell phone companies have e-waste recycling and device buyback programs. You can also help by taking take good care of your electronics so they don’t break down as quickly. Install system updates when they come out and use apps like PSafe Total to keep your device running smoothly and securely.

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