How to Fix It When an Android Tablet Is Running Slow or Freezing

This article will walk you through all of the solutions for how to stop lag and freezing on Android tablets while also providing links to more advanced steps for each fix.

Why Is My Tablet So Slow and Freezing?

The slow-down of an Android tablet is usually caused by

• Its available storage being filled up by downloaded files and installed apps
• Having too many Android widgets on the Home screen
• The operating system and apps are out-of-date

Media lag and buffering on Android tablets can sometimes be the result of advanced graphics or resolution settings being selected on an older or low-end Android device.

How Do I Fix the Lag on My Android Tablet?

Here are all of the best ways to fix it when an Android tablet is running slow or freezing. Work through this list of solutions in the order they’re presented as they’re sorted from easiest and quickest to more advanced.

1. Restart your Android tablet. A basic trick but one that really does work for improving device performance.

2. Uninstall unused Android apps. The more free space on your Android tablet, the better its apps and operating system will run.

   Don't forget to search for any hidden Android apps that may be installed on your tablet.

3. Remove Android widgets. Android widgets may be useful but they can also slow down older Android tablets.

4. Move your app icons to a single screen. Using multiple Home screens can be a fun way to organize Android apps and widgets but having too many can cause freezing and lag. 

5. Remove apps that run in the background. The more apps running in the background while closed, the slower your Android tablet will run.

6. Check the minimum requirements for the app. Some Android apps may require a higher-end tablet than the one you’re using. These requirements can usually be found on the app’s page in the Google Play Store and on the app’s official website.

7. Change the Android app’s settings. Some Android apps, like video games, often have graphics or performance settings which you can adjust at any time from their main menu. Disabling animations and high resolution options can often improve an app’s performance enormously.

8. Choose a lower video resolution. If you’re experiencing a
   lot of freezing and buffering while watching video on your Android tablet,
   choose a lower resolution from the player’s settings.

9. Download video from streaming apps. Netflix, Disney+, and many other Android apps let you download media for watching when offline or for when playback keeps stopping and starting.

10. Delete old videos and photos from your Android tablet. Transfer your saved media to an SD card or a cloud service such as Dropbox and then delete them from your tablet to free up space.

11. Delete downloaded media from apps. Open Spotify, Netflix, Audible, and other media apps and remove any downloaded files you no longer need. You may be surprised by how much space these apps are using.

12. Update the Android tablet’s operating system. Android operating system updates are free and can often improve the security and performance of an Android tablet.

13. Update all of your Android apps. Many app updates feature performance improvements that can help the apps and your device run faster.

14. Temporarily disable your VPN. Turn of your VPN service and see if this reduces lag or freezing on your Android tablet. If this works, it’s time to switch VPN providers.

15. Try a different web browser app. Most websites tend to run faster in the Google Chrome web browser app but if web pages are still freezing on you, you may want to try a browser such as Brave which disables many load-intensive aspects of a website by default.

16. Clear your Android tablet’s cache. This process will free up even more memory and can help speed-up your tablet.

17. Factory reset your Android tablet. If you’ve tried all of the above suggestions and you suspect your Android tablet’s freezing and lag is caused by something other than it being an old hardware model, it can be worth trying a factory reset. This wipes all the data from the device, so make sure you have a backup of anything important.