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Help Is your S4 laggy?

pawn

Lurker
Apr 14, 2012
7
3
Hi:

I upgraded to a Galaxy S4 a few months back (from an S3 that got water damaged). I had a Note and a Nexus before that so I've been using these phones a while. I find the S4 a real disappointment. The browser is laggy and freezes all the time and the keyboard (I use the purchased version of Swype) sometimes takes forever to pop up. I had no issues at all on my previous Android phones. My kid has an S3 and I'm actually jealous of how much better it performs.

To make matters worse, I can't seem to be able to stop the phone from automatically updating apps. I've even gone into the app manager and specifically disabled updates for certain apps I don't want updated (most importantly, Google Maps - I hate the new version and just want the stock version the phone came with).

I don't see a lot of discussions about this. I'm considering rooting the phone to install a different image to get rid of bloatware to see if it helps. Is this a good solution?

Thanks for any advice about the above.
 
Hi:

I upgraded to a Galaxy S4 a few months back (from an S3 that got water damaged). I had a Note and a Nexus before that so I've been using these phones a while. I find the S4 a real disappointment. The browser is laggy and freezes all the time and the keyboard (I use the purchased version of Swype) sometimes takes forever to pop up. I had no issues at all on my previous Android phones. My kid has an S3 and I'm actually jealous of how much better it performs.

To make matters worse, I can't seem to be able to stop the phone from automatically updating apps. I've even gone into the app manager and specifically disabled updates for certain apps I don't want updated (most importantly, Google Maps - I hate the new version and just want the stock version the phone came with).

I don't see a lot of discussions about this. I'm considering rooting the phone to install a different image to get rid of bloatware to see if it helps. Is this a good solution?

Thanks for any advice about the above.

No lag here, snappiest response I have seen. Only browser lag is from the servers. Rooting is a good idea. Automatic updates is an option in playstore IIRC Or you can set for individual apps.
 
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No lag here, snappiest response I have seen. Only browser lag is from the servers. Rooting is a good idea. Automatic updates is an option in playstore IIRC Or you can set for individual apps.


Thanks for the response, I never thought about checking the Play Store app, I'll check now.

I just want to ask though: does your browser ever freeze until the page is completely loaded? I used to be able to start pinching/zooming/scrolling while the page loads but now I can't do a thing until it loads. Very frustrating.
 
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Thanks for the response, I never thought about checking the Play Store app, I'll check now.

I just want to ask though: does your browser ever freeze until the page is completely loaded? I used to be able to start pinching/zooming/scrolling while the page loads but now I can't do a thing until it loads. Very frustrating.

Very infrequently on Dolphin Browser. Again it seems to be more server related. When server or page is not too busy page loads almost instantly.
 
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Yes, every touchwiz rom lags on the Galaxy S4, they need to start again with touchwiz on the Galaxy S4 as it's a complete joke.

When you use something like the Nexus 4/7 and then use the Galaxy S4 with touchwiz the lag is so obvious, it's painful to use.

I've installed the rom from the Google Edition S4 which is completely lag free, took a bit of getting used too and I did install some of the Samsung apps manually as some of them are allot better than the stock android apps.
 
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I've got the I9500 Octa GS4, haven't had much lag except when launching the Camera app, overall though? It's been quite fast and smooth.

I did find the Animations slow when I 1st got my GS4, so I enabled Developer Options (by clicking on Build Number in About Phone 7 times) and I turned off all animations.

WRT Browser, I don't use the built-in one due to its awful lack of text reflow, I use Opera Mini and Chrome a lot and have been very happy with both, no freezing or lags. :)
 
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Hi:

The browser is laggy and freezes all the time and the keyboard (I use the purchased version of Swype) sometimes takes forever to pop up..

Try enabling your developer options. Go to Settings -> About Device and scroll down to the "Build Number." Now, tap on your "Build Number" five times, and you should see a toast notification pop up saying "Developer mode has been enabled."

Go into Developer Options ( in More, Device Manager) and turn off Window Animation Scale, Transition Animation Scale, and Animator Duration Scale. That should help you lag issues.
 
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The lag (which I do not experience by the way) is not because of so-called bloatware.

The most common solution is that provided by joesixpack above (although I had to tap 7 times to get developer options not 5). I haven't actually tried it myself since my phone seems fine but this is widely reported as being helpful by S4 owners here and on YouTube where there are a few explanatory videos.
 
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The lag (which I do not experience by the way) is not because of so-called bloatware.

The most common solution is that provided by joesixpack above (although I had to tap 7 times to get developer options not 5). I haven't actually tried it myself since my phone seems fine but this is widely reported as being helpful by S4 owners here and on YouTube where there are a few explanatory videos.

That doesnt fix lag, none of the stock roms on the i9505 are lag free or smooth and other than flashing custom firmwares there is currently no way to fix it.
 
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That doesnt fix lag, none of the stock roms on the i9505 are lag free or smooth and other than flashing custom firmwares there is currently no way to fix it.

While you may be correct in your assertion, it does not mean there is a lag issue across the board in all iterations of the S4. There are 18 different models that are considered "the S4". (Full list here: http://androidforums.com/samsung-galaxy-s4/760098-18-galaxy-s4-models-know-yours.html)

Many models in the S4 lineup, including my SCH-R970, do not have any issues with lag, and are even snappier and more responsive when you use the Developer fix suggestions already mentioned by a previous poster.

OP, it might be helpful if you posted your particular model to let others know what you have. Sometimes the "fix" to the issues is unique to that model.

In additional to the developer changes suggested earlier, another suggestion I have from the "keep it simple before you decide to root" department: Have you done a factory reset yet? If the problems didn't occur until after you upgraded the OS via an OTA update, or something like that, a lot of times a factory wipe corrects the "freeze" issues you're talking about.
 
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I've installed the rom from the Google Edition S4 which is completely lag free, took a bit of getting used too and I did install some of the Samsung apps manually as some of them are allot better than the stock android apps.

Could someone with a Google Edition S4 install those Samsung apps (like the calendar for example... I cannot think of any others off the top of my head), or do you have to have root and flash them?
 
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On occasion. I have model #SGH-1337 with latest OS version 4.2.2. I am using ADW as my main launcher and Executive Assistant as my lock screen. I have over 275 apps. 8 widgets that update throughout the day. 3 email accts that updates every 4 hrs and Facebook. My average free RAM is 600 to 700 MB at any given time.

I noticed lagg sometimes, after unlocking phone and trying to view all 7 home screens at once. (Which is a swipe up action) Sometime in certain 3rd party apps like Handcent and Moneywise there is lag using the keyboard when typing. I believe the lag is due to the apps and not my phone, since I experience the same lagg on my previous phone, Atrix 4G, using the same apps.

I did experience the home button lag, but turned off S-voice from being activated by a double tap of the home button. (That fixed the lag, which was really a pause waiting to see if a second tap was coming.)

I use Dolphin Beta and it loads very fast. I can pinch to zoom even while the page is still loading.

My phone is really fast and when it does lag, its brief and doesn't happen that often.

With all the stuff I've got on there and processes running in the background, I'm surprised at how fast it is and how its able to keep up with everything I throw at it.
 
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If that were true, there wouldn't be stock S4s that are lag free.

Not only are there lag free S4s, there are also plenty of people on the net who have reported that the abovementioned fix does indeed fix their lag.

There aren't any, I even tried many custom roms based on official touchwiz roms and kernels and they lag just the same, slightly reduced but it's still there.

The only rom i've tried which is lag free and smooth is the Google Edition rom, unless you've tried it or a similar device with stock android you won't know any better.

Could someone with a Google Edition S4 install those Samsung apps (like the calendar for example... I cannot think of any others off the top of my head), or do you have to have root and flash them?

Many of the Samsung apps won't work without touchwiz, so some apps you will lose, I can't remember if the calendar is one of them, i'll check later.

You have to root to flash the rom anyway, that said the roms based the Google Edition roms are pre-rooted.
 
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I actually get crazy freezes when using chrome for whatever reason. The same type he's speaking of. Cant do anything until the page fully loads and even then, the entire page will freeze and i have to reload it. Even then trying to scroll it gets choppy and jumps all over the place. I have better luck with the stock browser or just plain google. Must just be the way it is... Idk
 
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I beg to differ. I have one.

You cannot possibly justify that comment, no matter how many phones or ROMs you have tried.

Well smoothness is subjective, some people used to claim the original Galaxy S was smooth.

Go and pickup a Nexus 4 or Nexus 7 2013 and use them for a bit, the touchwiz based roms on the Galaxy S4 will never feel smooth again.

I don't think I'll be buying anymore Samsung phones, not until they address this.
 
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Well smoothness is subjective, some people used to claim the original Galaxy S was smooth.

Go and pickup a Nexus 4 or Nexus 7 2013 and use them for a bit, the touchwiz based roms will never feel smooth again.

I don't think I'll be buying anymore Samsung phones, not until they address this.

Same goes for when you root and flash an AOSP ROM. I can't go back to touchwiz at all on my S3.

Its not an issue of the phone being powerful enough, its touchwiz
 
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Same goes for when you root and flash an AOSP ROM. I can't go back to touchwiz at all on my S3.

Maybe, all I know is that after picking up the new Nexus 7 touchwiz just feels horrible to me now, the animations and transitions are not as smooth and there is the occasional stutter which is really annoying.

Rxpert83 said:
Its not an issue of the phone being powerful enough, its touchwiz

Agreed, the phone flys with AOSP rom installed, feels just like my Nexus 7 now. :D
 
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