Help Lagging/Slow Samsung GS3

[TheRev420]

Hello all. I have a Samsung GS3 with AT&T that I have had since September 2012. Recently my phone has been slower and lagging. When I type a text it is usually several letters behind. Occasionally it will close my internet browser. I also play Words with friends which closed and is very slow.
I have Android 4.1.1 (have not been prompted to download anything newer), I have 10.79GB available phone memory, a 16GB SD card with 8Gb free. I usually restart my phone during every recharge, although it has completely run out of battery a couple of times. I do not have a lot of apps downloaded and I don't really play games on my phone. I am a medium user, calls, texts, internet browsing, sometimes video watching, and words with friends.
I have begun to notice more performance issues and am not pleased. I had Advanced Task Killer but recently uninstalled it. After every restart I used App Manager to close out the Samsung pre installed apps (S Suggest, Media Hub, ATT Hot spots, ect. because you cannot uninstall these.) After running for a couple days my RAM is 1.3/1.56GB, after a restart it is 700MB/1.56Gb. Is this normal, high?
I would like to know what my options are to permanently improve my phone's performance.
Also I am not a computer genius, but am curious about ROM and rooting.
Thanks in advance.

 

[Frisco]

Welcome to the forums, Rev.

Glad you got rid of the task kiler.

Have you allowed for much auto syncing of social networking like Facebook or Twitter.. or weather and/or news apps/widgets? Manually syncing those and others like Gmail/Email goes a long way in reducing resource drag.

I'd change as much of that as possible, then I'd go into the Application Manager and do some house cleaning by clicking on each 3rd party app and clearing cache and data (you'll be reconfiguring the data cleared apps/widgets), then restart the device.

Next I'd clear the cache partition itself:

Step 1 - Turn off the phone.
Step 2 - Press and hold the Volume Up + Home buttons together, and then press the Power button for about 5 seconds.
Step 3 - You are now in the Recovery Menu

Use the volume down key to navigate to "wipe cache partition." Then hit the power key. Then reboot.

 

[bluebliss]

Welcome. This is my first post, too.

What Frisco said should greatly improve your performance. I have an S3 with ATT as well, and had the same experience as you (overall lag, typing lag, etc.). I wiped the cache and immediately saw a jump in performance. You may also want to try a battery pull: remove the battery while the phone is on. It's somewhat like a soft reset.

Despite all of the little "tricks," though, I wasn't happy with the performance. I decided to root the phone and remove some bloatware/ATT apps. The phone was still slower than usual, which caused me to pull the trigger on installing a custom rom.

I'm currently running the stable version of CyanogenMod (CM 10.1), and I'm extremely pleased with the boost in performance and overall "cleanliness" compared to the cluttered TouchWiz look.

If you're happy with TouchWiz, I'd say stick to wiping the cache and battery pulls every few days. If you're thinking about jumping ship and trying a custom rom, give CM10 a shot. The rooting process is relatively easy and can be reversed.


Best of luck!

 

[TheRev420]

Frisco,
I think the only apps/widget I have that auto sync are the preinstalled weather app and gmail. I will change this to manual. I will then clear the cache on my third party apps.
I have a question about clearing the cache partition. Do I need to worry about my data/information getting cleared? For example contacts, internet bookmarks, notes in notepad app, photos, ect.??

Also is there a thread about rooting and ROMs that explains everything and describes all the options available??

 

[funkylogik]

Clearing cache partition doesnt wipe anything that youd notice :thumbup:

Oh yeah. Check out the AT&T All Things Root sub-forum at the top of this one :beer:

 

[nickdalzell]

Battery pulls? These ain't BlackBerrys! The only time one should pull the battery is when the phone is frozen or otherwise unresponsive (aka sleep of death ) pulling the battery plays up with the battery status, often mucks up the date and time, and performs an improper shutdown which can corrupt data.

The few times I've had to pull the battery was when my phone froze. Every time my date and time got set to 31 December 2006 at 6:00PM. Also, Android would incorrectly report the charge, often claiming my battery was at 0% and immediately shut down, even though in reality it was 80% charged.

 

[bluebliss]

Battery pulls? These ain't BlackBerrys! The only time one should pull the battery is when the phone is frozen or otherwise unresponsive (aka sleep of death ) pulling the battery plays up with the battery status, often mucks up the date and time, and performs an improper shutdown which can corrupt data.

The few times I've had to pull the battery was when my phone froze. Every time my date and time got set to 31 December 2006 at 6:00PM. Also, Android would incorrectly report the charge, often claiming my battery was at 0% and immediately shut down, even though in reality it was 80% charged.

Not sure why you've been having those issues. I've never been a proponent of battery pulls, but it does the job when my GPS/apps/WiFi are acting up (and a restart, cache wipe, etc. have not solved them). I've never had a problem with incorrect battery status or date and time mixups.

And funky is correct: wiping cache won't touch any of your "important stuff." Wipe away!

 

[nuttynat84]

Next I'd clear the cache partition itself:

Step 1 - Turn off the phone.
Step 2 - Press and hold the Volume Up + Home buttons together, and then press the Power button for about 5 seconds.
Step 3 - You are now in the Recovery Menu

Use the volume down key to navigate to "wipe cache partition." Then hit the power key. Then reboot.

I have just done this on mine...wow! What a difference! And I wouldn't really say it was that slow to begin with, just a little slower than it used to be

 

[funkylogik]

I have just done this on mine...wow! What a difference! And I wouldn't really say it was that slow to begin with, just a little slower than it used to be

I use the App Cache Cleaner app/widget for when things get laggy. If you try it, dont set it up to clear cache automaticly, just put the widget on a home screen and when things get laggy like that, just tap it to clear the cache.
I think(?) It does the same thing as clearing cache partition.
As i said though, dont tell the app to auto-clear the cache. Cache is there for a good reason :thumbup:

 

[nuttynat84]

I use the App Cache Cleaner app/widget for when things get laggy. If you try it, dont set it up to clear cache automaticly, just put the widget on a home screen and when things get laggy like that, just tap it to clear the cache.
I think(?) It does the same thing as clearing cache partition.
As i said though, dont tell the app to auto-clear the cache. Cache is there for a good reason :thumbup:

Is this the one in the Play Store by Infolife LLC?

Also, I am doing the "Clear Cache Partition" on my husbands tonight, and he is always complaining that it is slow, and nearly ended up wiping it completely the other day!! :thumbup:

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah thats the one i use. Just the widget.
Lol yeah my mum has a Galaxy Ace 2 and it gets really laggy and she thinks im some kinda genius when i clear the cache partition to get it running smooth again for a week or two

 

[nuttynat84]

Yeah thats the one i use. Just the widget.

Downloading it now

Lol yeah my mum has a Galaxy Ace 2 and it gets really laggy and she thinks im some kinda genius when i clear the cache partition to get it running smooth again for a week or two

HAHA! My friend thinks the same...all I did was set up her emails

 

[TheRev420]

Despite all of the little "tricks," though, I wasn't happy with the performance. I decided to root the phone and remove some bloatware/ATT apps. The phone was still slower than usual, which caused me to pull the trigger on installing a custom rom.

I'm currently running the stable version of CyanogenMod (CM 10.1), and I'm extremely pleased with the boost in performance and overall "cleanliness" compared to the cluttered TouchWiz look.

If you're happy with TouchWiz, I'd say stick to wiping the cache and battery pulls every few days. If you're thinking about jumping ship and trying a custom rom, give CM10 a shot. The rooting process is relatively easy and can be reversed.

Bluebliss,
I have been considering installing a custom rom. I am unsure about TouchWiz and if I should stick with it or choose a rom without it. What are the big differences about staying with TouchWiz and doing without? I guess I'm asking Pros/Cons of TouchWiz and what it affects.

 

[bluebliss]

Bluebliss,
I have been considering installing a custom rom. I am unsure about TouchWiz and if I should stick with it or choose a rom without it. What are the big differences about staying with TouchWiz and doing without? I guess I'm asking Pros/Cons of TouchWiz and what it affects.

TouchWiz, while dated and somewhat ancient-looking in my eyes, is a pretty user-friendly and efficient skin. I personally love messing around with my phones and exploring new options, so I was bound to root/flash the phone sooner or later.

Three of the biggest features that you'll lose (and that I miss) are the swipe-to-screenshot hand motion, the eye-sensing feature that wouldn't shut the phone off if you're looking at it, and the "phone-to-ear" feature while texting someone. I'd use these quite often, but that doesn't mean that I've completely lost the abilities (I just use the hardware buttons for screenshots, and I click the Phone icon within a text thread to call someone now). Essentially, though, you'll lose any feature that Samsung themselves implemented into Android.

The main advantage of running a custom ROM is that you have freedom to try ANY ROM out there. There are tons of popular, safe ROMs to choose from for your initial trial flash... CM10, AOKP, Liquid Smooth, Paranoid, etc. The great thing about them is that you have:

1. Absolutely no bloatware and carrier apps pre-installed
2. Ability to run the most current version of Android
3. Buttery-smooth, clean interface
4. More customization features right out of the box
5. Better battery life (in some cases)
6. Real-time system updates through the ROM itself (a la CM)


I'd encourage you to go ahead and install a custom ROM of your choice and give it a shot. CM10 would be a nice starting point, as it's a fresh, clean Android environment with a ton of customization features (LED notification color/frequency changes, home screen and icon grid sizes, etc.). I'm sure you'll fall in love with it. They actually released another stable version of their ROM (CM10.1) a couple of weeks ago.

The best part about all of this? If you don't like a particular ROM, you can easily install another one, or even return back to the stock TouchWiz build.



BB

 

[funkylogik]

^^ this
The TW things ive found myself missing is Multi Window and that thing where u can swipe down from the top of the screen in a full screen app to show the status bar

 

[bluebliss]

^^ this
The TW things ive found myself missing is Multi Window and that thing where u can swipe down from the top of the screen in a full screen app to show the status bar

I never had the pleasure of the Premium Suite (AT&T still hadn't given us the update!). That's one feature I can see myself using quite a lot.

Although, CM10 (and, I'm assuming this is a feature of stock Android) allows you to send a quick-reply text through the notification menu and a pop-up screen. You don't have to switch into the Messages app to send a reply anymore, which is convenient.

 

[funkylogik]

I use Go Sms anyway for my txting but yeah, i love how AOKP looks and feels but what i miss most is multi window. Its really crap on an unrooted phone but rooted you can use nearly any app. I liked having a live streaming tv app at top 3rd of the screen and android forums at the bottom. Aparently google threatened Cyanogen when they wanted to include a feature like that so i doubt if we'll se it other than on TW

 

[TheRev420]

I'd encourage you to go ahead and install a custom ROM of your choice and give it a shot. CM10 would be a nice starting point, as it's a fresh, clean Android environment with a ton of customization features (LED notification color/frequency changes, home screen and icon grid sizes, etc.). I'm sure you'll fall in love with it. They actually released another stable version of their ROM (CM10.1) a couple of weeks ago.

Bluebliss,
After trolling the internet for insight, I have decided to install Cyanogenmod as my first custom rom. I just have a few questions (if you would be so humble as to indulge my ignorance). Where do I need to go for the official, stable download of CM for my GS3 running 4.1.1?
And what do I need to do before installing CM on my phone? My phone is still stock from AT&T.
Thanks.

 

[funkylogik]

Theres different models of s3 so check the All Things Root sub-forum for your carrier for a good rooting and flashing guide :thumbup:

 

[bluebliss]

Bluebliss,
After trolling the internet for insight, I have decided to install Cyanogenmod as my first custom rom. I just have a few questions (if you would be so humble as to indulge my ignorance). Where do I need to go for the official, stable download of CM for my GS3 running 4.1.1?
And what do I need to do before installing CM on my phone? My phone is still stock from AT&T.
Thanks.

Hey Rev,

You'll first need to root your phone in order to install a custom ROM. There are a bunch of different tutorials and ways to do this. I suggest you google "galaxy s3 at&t root" and find a website or video you're comfortable with. I don't recall the specific method I used, but it took a couple of tries (I had problems with Samsung's Kies software interfering with my rooting process).

Step 1 - Here's one method of rooting your phone:
How to Root Galaxy S3 (AT&T) SGH-I747 on Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean Firmware - Honai of Android

And here's another thread from XDA that's extremely helpful. I may have used a link from this page to root my phone:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1701770


Step 2a - Once successfully rooted, download and install ClockworkMod's ROM Manager from the app store. You can (and should) also back up any photos, texts, apps, etc., that you want to keep. Installing a custom ROM will erase everything on your phone. Since you're rooted, though, you can create a full backup of your phone (Nandroid, or through CWM, etc.).

Step 2b - Now, onto the custom ROM. The flashing process is pretty simple. You'll have to download two files:

1. The custom ROM zip file you'd like. In your case, that's CM. Here's their website for the downloads: CyanogenMod Downloads. Find the "stable" file, which is the newly released CM10.1, and download that. HERE is a direct link.
2. The gapps zip file, which will allow Google Apps to work on CM10.1. (Here's the website: Download the Latest Version of GApps for Android (Updated) | MyTrickSource, and HERE is the direct link to the file you will need.

(The rest of the steps are from the MyTrickSource link above. They're worded perfectly, so I see no reason to come up with my own steps).

Step 3 - Connect and mount your Galaxy S3 USB memory on your computer using the USB cable.

Step 4 - Now copy/paste the downloaded Android 4.2.2 ROM zip and Google Apps zip files to your SD card. Make sure the files are in the SD card root (not in any folder).

Step 5 - Then turn OFF your phone and disconnect from the USB cable.

Step 6 - Now to get in the Recovery Mode. Switch ON the phone while pressing and holding Volume Up + Home + Power buttons together.

Step 7 - Once you are in ClockworkMod Recovery, select perform a full data wipe by selecting “wipe data/factory reset” as shown below. Use the Power button to select everything while in the Recovery Mode.

Step 8 - Then, perform a cache wipe by selecting “wipe cache partition”

Step 9 - Now this is optional, but it is recommended to perform a wipe of your dalvik cache as well. You will not get into boot loops or any other errors. From CWM recovery, go to ‘advanced’ and then select “wipe dalvik cache”.

Step 10 - Then go back to the main recovery screen and select “install zip from SD card”.

Step 11 - Now select “choose zip from sdcard”. Using your volume keys, navigate to the Android 4.2.2 ROM zip file that you copied to your SD card and select it using the Power button. Confirm the installation on the next screen and the installation procedure should start now.

Google Apps: Repeat the above step for the Gapps zip file as well and install it on your phone.

Step 12 - After the installation completes, go to “+++++Go Back+++++” and reboot the phone by selecting “reboot system now” from the recovery menu.

Done. Wait for the phone to reboot and enjoy the new ROM. Keep us in the loop and let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.



BB

 

[l1ld3v1lrydr]

Hello all... I'm fairly new here. And still haven't found any decent answers to my problems. But the OP's complaints are the same as what I'm experiencing. Except way worse. Texting is slow, phone loads things slow, and it's very laggy.

I've tried just about everything mentioned here and then some minus rooting the phone. Not if that will actually help fully cure my problem. I'm sure it will help, but from what I've read and what I'm experiencing... Mine seems way worse.


Also my battery life is also very poor. I goto sleep around 1030-11 pm and I have the phone on the charger while I sleep. I get up at 4 am. Take the phone off the charger around 430 when I leave for work. I have about a 20 min drive and my phone looses 2% in that time, while not even being on the phone. And til 330 when I leave work, the phone is down to 10% or less. Now I use texting and facebook as well as occasionally checking my email. I don't have anything sync'ed, and I clear everything all the time. Nothing makes a difference. I've done battery pulls, resets, resetting in the safe mode or what every it is to clear cache... Still nothing.


Anything else I can try? Maybe walk me through what is using up all my battery, get down to the bottom of that? I'm just so sick of my phone having to live on a charger, and my phone being crazy ******ed slow.

 

[Mikestony]

....snipped quote...

Anything else I can try? Maybe walk me through what is using up all my battery, get down to the bottom of that? I'm just so sick of my phone having to live on a charger, and my phone being crazy ******ed slow.

What does your battery screen say is in use? (menu/settings/battery)

Spoiler

Or when you click on the next screen:

Spoiler

You can also download an app from the PlayStore called GSam battery monitor. ---free..

Although I am not familiar with Gsam, it can help track what uses your battery, even when your screen is off and when you are not using it.

Personally, I use BetterBatteryStats...not free, but I'm familiar with it and has a comprehensive knowledge base so you can get more info on how to use it How-To

Hope that helps a little bit.

 

[l1ld3v1lrydr]

What does your battery screen say is in use? (menu/settings/battery)

Spoiler

Or when you click on the next screen:

Spoiler

You can also download an app from the PlayStore called GSam battery monitor. ---free..

Although I am not familiar with Gsam, it can help track what uses your battery, even when your screen is off and when you are not using it.

Personally, I use BetterBatteryStats...not free, but I'm familiar with it and has a comprehensive knowledge base so you can get more info on how to use it How-To

Hope that helps a little bit.

Thanks for quick reply. I took a screen shot of my battery usages. I have bad service here at my house so I'm trying to upload them to my photobucket to post here.

And I use the JuiceDefender app. I was reading that that was a decent battery saving app... Though I don't really know how it works I only messed around with it a little bit when I first downloaded it. I could download the other app you recommended and post the results as well.

 

[l1ld3v1lrydr]

Here's what I got.

 

[Mikestony]

I used to use juice defender on my old device but found no need to use it on my s3...
Let us know what app you decide to use and we can try to narrow this battery issue down. ..