The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is the most powerful smartphone in the market today and it goes without saying that it’s the fastest as far as the performance is concerned. But no matter how powerful the device is, there will always come a time wherein issues may occur and that seems to be the case with some owners of the phone who reported that their units are already running slow.
The thing about this problem is that it is very annoying especially if you’re used to having a device that’s very responsive and fast. But don’t worry, this issue is pretty easy to fix and you can make your phone run smoothly again by doing some basic troubleshooting procedures. So, if you’re one of the owners of this new phone and are currently having similar issues, continue reading, as this post may be able to help you.
Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our Galaxy Note 10 Help Guides page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. We may have already published articles that could help you fix your problem. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions.
Troubleshooting Galaxy Note 10 that’s running slow
Before we move on to our troubleshooting procedures, if your Note 10 was working properly out of the box and then this problem started out of nowhere, then it’s probably just a minor firmware issue that you can fix. However, if the device was already running slow out of the box, there’s no point in troubleshooting a smartphone that’s already defective out of the warehouse. The best thing you can do about it if that’s the case is to have the device replaced. But assuming that this problem occurred after a few days or weeks of use, then here’s what you need to do:
First solution: Clear apps running in the background
It is possible that the problem is caused by some apps that are running in the background. Remember that tapping the home key does not close the apps you were using. Instead, they’re left running in the background using the RAM and CPU. If you already have a bunch of apps doing that, then that could be the reason why your phone is running slow. To rule this out, here’s what you should do:
- Tap the Recent key beside the Home screen.
- Once the app previews show, tap Close all.
Without third-party applications running in the background, try to see if your Note 10 is still running slow. If it does, then move on to the next solution.
ALSO READ: My new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 won’t connect to WiFi. Here’s the fix.
Second solution: Force restart your device
The next thing you have to do is rule out the possibility that the performance issue is caused by a minor firmware problem or glitch. Therefore, the next thing you have to do is refresh your phone’s memory and reload all its applications and services. You can do so by doing the Forced Restart, a simulated battery removal that’s already been proven to fix firmware issues. Here’s how it’s done:
- Press and hold the Volume Down button and don’t release it yet.
- While holding down the volume button, press and hold the Power key as well.
- Keep both keys held down together for 15 seconds or until the Galaxy Note 10 logo shows on the screen.
Once your phone has already rebooted, try to see if it’s still running slow. If it does, then move on to the next solution.
ALSO READ: Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Reset Guide: Different types of reset you can do
Third solution: Run your phone in safe mode
In doing this, you’re temporarily disabling all third-party applications. This is a very important procedure for this problem because it will tell you immediately if the cause of the problem is a third-party application or not. For instance, if your phone is running normally while in safe mode, then it means there’s a third-party app or two that’s triggering the performance issue. In such case, the problem is pretty easy to fix as you only have to find the app and get rid of it.
Now, here’s how you restart your Galaxy Note 10 in safe mode:
- Press and hold the Power key until options show.
- Tap and hold the Power off option until it changes into Safe Mode.
- Tap the Safe mode icon to restart your device.
- Once the reboot is successful, you should see ‘Safe mode’ at the lower-left corner of the screen.
Assuming that the problem is fixed while in safe mode, here’s what you should do next:
- Restart your phone normal to boot into standard mode.
- Remember the apps you installed about the time when the phone started running slow.
- Once you already have an app in mind, swipe down from the top of the screen to pull the notification panel down.
- Tap the Settings icon on the upper-right corner.
- Scroll to and then tap Apps.
- Find and tap suspected app.
- Tap Storage.
- Touch Clear data and tap OK to confirm.
- Tap the back key once and then touch Uninstall.
- Confirm that you want to remove the app from your phone.
On the other hand, if your phone is still running slow even in safe mode, then move on to the next solution.
Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your phone
For the sake of being thorough in our troubleshooting, it’s best that you reset all settings on your device before moving on to the next procedures. It’s because there are times when performance issues are caused by some incorrect settings. Don’t worry, none of your files or data will be deleted if you did this.
- Swipe down from the top of the screen to pull the notification panel down.
- Tap the Settings icon on the upper-right corner.
- Scroll to and tap General management.
- Touch Reset.
- Tap Reset settings.
- Tap the Reset settings button.
- If prompted, enter your PIN, Password or Pattern.
- Finally, tap Reset.
After doing this and your phone is still running slow, then try the next method.
ALSO READ: My new Samsung Galaxy Note 10 keeps rebooting by itself. Here’s the fix.
Fifth solution: Delete the old cache
Another possibility is that this performance issue may have been caused by a corrupt system cache, as it can be corrupted after a firmware update. If the system continues to use the corrupt cache, performance issues will always occur. So, delete the old cache so that the firmware will replace it with a new one. You can do that by running your device in recovery mode and wiping the cache partition from there. Here’s the step-by-step instructions on how to do it:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up and Power keys.
- When the Galaxy Note 10 logo shows, release all three keys.
- Your Galaxy Note 10 will continue to boot up into the Recovery Mode. Once you see a black screen with blue and yellow texts, proceed to the next step.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
- Press Power key to select.
- Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them and press the Power key to select.
- When the wipe cache partition is complete, Reboot system now is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
Once your Note 10 has finished rebooting, try to see if it’s still running slow.
Sixth solution: Backup your files and reset your phone
A reset will always fix any performance-related issues provided that the firmware has not been modified. However, before you actually reset your device, take time in creating a copy of your important files that are saved in your phone’s internal storage as they will be deleted. After the backup, remove your Google and Samsung accounts so that you won’t be locked out. When ready, follow these steps to reset your phone:
- Turn off the device.
- Press and hold the Volume Up and Power keys.
- When the Galaxy Note 10 logo shows, release all three keys.
- Your Galaxy Note 10 will continue to boot up into the Recovery Mode. Once you see a black screen with blue and yellow texts, proceed to the next step.
- Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
- Press Power button to select.
- Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes’ is highlighted.
- Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
- When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
- Press the Power key to restart the device.
I hope that we’ve been able to help you fix your Galaxy Note 10 that’s running slow. We would appreciate it if you helped us spread the word so please share this post if you found it helpful. Thank you so much for reading!
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