The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL are packed with a fairly decent amount of features for just $399 and $479 respectively. From the side squeeze to activate Assistant to Night Sight, the phone is doing a certain amount of overtime.

Though we cannot know for sure how it will sustain itself in the long run, it looks like it’s doing good for now. After it doesn’t rock a solid Snapdragon 855 chipset like the Galaxy S10e, or the Snapdragon 845 processor in Pixel 3, but it shall hold good with the Snapdragon 670 chip too.

So yes, it’s only natural that we want to optimize this phone. The mid-range budget Android lovers are hopeful of this phone’s sustainable performance. But just in case, here are a few ways to optimize your Pixel 3a and enable it to run even faster.

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How to speed up Google Pixel 3a

Method 1: Restart your phone (soft reset)

This one is fairly easy. Simply hold your phone’s power button for 30 seconds till it restarts again. If it’s a simple matter of rebooting the phone, then it will be faster after this step.

In case the device is not responding, you can perform a force restart to reboot the device out of any condition.

Method 2: Check for the latest Android Updates

Sometimes, updating your Pixel 3a/3a XL can make it faster.

Follow these steps to check for an update on your Pixel 3a to ensure that it has the latest update.

  • Go to your phone’s  Settings.
  • Scroll down and tap on System.
  • Tap on Advanced.
  • Tap on System update.
  • If there is an update, the system will automatically begin installing it.

However, if the above fails, you may need to manually install the latest update available for your Pixel 3a. Check out our page on how to update Pixel 3a to learn more on installing updates manually.

This should help your Google Pixel 3a perform better.

Method 3: Manage storage space

No, the Pixel 3a does not have expandable storage. So you will run into this problem at some point unless you use a streaming service for everything. Follow these steps to clear up space.

  • Go to your phone’s Settings and tap on Storage. 
  • If there is less than 10% storage, you’ll need to free up space.
  • Turn on Smart Storage if you want your Pixel to clear backed up photos and videos automatically.
  • You can also do this manually by tapping on Free Up Space. Select the box on the right which will be next to the item of your choice.
  • Finally, tap on Free Up and your phone will have space again.

Related → Best apps to manage data easily on Android

Method 4: Troubleshoot the apps on your phone

Sometimes it’s just a matter of managing your apps. Ensure the following process to optimize your apps.

  • App update
    • Access your device’s Play Store and select my apps and games. 
    • If there’s an app that needs an update tap on Update. 
    • There could be multiple apps too, in which case select the Update All option.
  • App force close
    • Got to your phones Settings menu and select Apps and notifications. 
    • App info will appear next to the app. If it’s an app that you can do without, tap on Force Stop.
  • Uninstall apps
    • See if you installed any apps recently after which you are getting the performance issues, too many Ads, or anything like that.
    • If yes, you need to remove the recently installed apps.
    • To find recently installed apps, do this:
      1. Open the Play Store app.
      2. Tap the 3-bar menu button on the top left to bring the options menu.
      3. Tap on My apps and games.
      4. Tap on Installed tab. You will find all your recent apps installed and updated here. Remove the apps you think might be misbehaving and causing issues on your phone.
      5. You can also check the Library tab here.

Method 5: Perform a Factory Reset (hard reset)

Honestly, this should be the very last resort. But if the above methods didn’t work and you are this close to taking this phone back to the store, there will be no other choice.

Here’s a comprehensive step-by-step guide on how to perform a Factory Reset on a Google Pixel 3a.

The page linked above features two guides to perform a factory reset as well as tips on how to prepare well for the factory reset.

We hope these methods will help you to optimize your Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL and enable it to perform faster.

The above tips should help you male Pixel 3a faster. Though, let us know if you need any help from in this regard.

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