DocAndersen
Let’s begin this post with a note of caution – mobile devices are always different!
The internet that we use to access Virily and other things is not a one size fits all system. That applies to the reality of your mobile device. Let’s break them into two groups, the first being the cellular or smartphone, the second being the Android or Apple Tablet.
How are cellular phones different if we compare them to the Laptops and Desktops most people use today?
Cellular Phone (Smart Phones)
- Slower processor
- Less memory
- Memory on the phone is as fast as the fastest hard drive (Solid State Drive) on a PC.
Tablets
- Fast processor than your smartphone but slower than your laptop
- Less memory
- Memory on the tablet is the same as the smartphone
Why do you care about this? Well, when you open a web page on your mobile device, you have three things to think about. The first is how significant is the page. We don’t often think about how vital a web page is, but one of the reasons Virily limits image sizes (other than the storage cost) is that smaller images load faster on a mobile device. The second is that mobile phone browsers don’t always close pages (Automatically), and finally, the processor can’t handle as many activities. The computer you use to access web sites is most likely a 64 bit processor. To make that more accessible for people to understand that is a highway. Think of the worst traffic you have ever been in. On say a 4 lane highway. If you could double that to 8 lanes traffic would move. Sixteen roads and transportation would run even better. 32 lanes and you probably will never have a traffic jam. Sixty-four ways and the concept of traffic is gone forever. We won’t build 64 lane highways, but a microprocessor in your computer is a 64 lane highway. Apple, Samsung, and others released 64-bit processors on Smartphones and Tablets about three years ago. They are still in the process of moving things along.
So what can I do?
- When you use the phone’s browser, make sure you close the site, before you close the browser if your phone is prolonged check your connection. How good (bars) is your connection now?
- Once a week (or more often, if you want), literally turn your phone off! That cleans every program in the memory, and you’ll notice the phone is faster!
- If you are outside considering stopping the same if you are in a car, stop, and you might get a more consistent network connection.
- Check for call home applications. Consider taking them off your phone unless they are critical.
I will end with the definition of a call home application. Call home applications are on your mobile device but pull live data from the internet. It may not seem like a lot, but if you have several notifications on your phone, you have several call-home applications. I will end with a list of call-home applications, and from there, you can decide if you need them.
- Home weather stations
- Podcast players
- Newsfeeds (not all news feeds call home)
- Media applications that don’t store local media (streaming)
hopefully, you get the idea. These applications are continually talking to the source of the information they share with you. The more you have, the more likely you are chewing bandwidth.
Links to the rest of the series
https://virily.com/virily_poll/hey-my-internet-is-so-slow/
https://virily.com/virily_poll/speed-up-my-internet-part-ii/
https://virily.com/virily_poll/help-me-speed-up-my-internet/
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Question of
when your phone is slow the best thing is power off, power on, ok?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Doc this series is helping me!
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Yes
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No
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Question of
i don’t surf the internet on my smartphone or tablet, ever…
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Yes
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No
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Question of
My provider says I have the fastest in home wifi-
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Yes
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No
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Almost every day I clear the pages that are open for the day. And restart.
that is very good makes that cache clear!!!
Great tips. I’d do it next time.
glad to hear that – stay safe!
I do not like to use the Internet on my mobile phone. I prefer a traditional computer.
i can understand that. you aren’t a huge technology fan so I would expect you not to use your phone for that!
Yes, but I think is better to use the Internet in a traditional computer
i understand that. It is about what you need. 🙂
i know a lot of people that never surf the internet on their cellular devices!
Q: WHEN YOUR PHONE IS SLOW THE BEST THING IS POWER OFF, POWER ON, OK?
Yes (6 votes) – 100%
Q: DOC THIS SERIES IS HELPING ME!
Yes (4 votes) – 100%
Q: I DON’T SURF THE INTERNET ON MY SMARTPHONE OR TABLET, EVER…
Yes (1 votes) – 20%
No (4 votes) – 80%
Q: MY PROVIDER SAYS I HAVE THE FASTEST IN HOME WIFI-
Yes (3 votes) – 60%
No (2 votes) – 40%
in-home wifi is an interesting problem. The speed you reach your router doesn’t matter if the speed past the router to the internet is slow!
Cool information again Doc. I rarely surf unless I am out at an appointment.
When I am in downtown DC (where it is 5g now) I find I actually surf a lot more than in the 4g world around where I live!
Very useful tips once again! I restart my phone only when it’s so bad that it crashes on its own. I will make sure to do that more often.
that is usually the fastest way to fix mobile device issues. Phones/tablets don’t have the long boot cycle.
glad the series is helping!
Very interesting and informative post. Thank you for that!
you are most welcome, trying to reduce the stress of being stuck at home!
I use a little browser on my smartphone. But thanks for the tips because I have to check out some other things.
i am always happy to help when I can!
Nowadays I am using a smartphone as I don’t have access to a computer. These are helpful tips.
I didn’t know there is a 64 bit memory in a smartphone. That must be a super speed smartphone.
the newer phones have the 64 bit processors, it makes them a little faster!
I did notice that the site doesn’t close automatically just a few months ago. I use my phone a lot while travelling. I feel having the GPS on makes my phone really slow. Otherwise I have no problems with speed.
GPS should drain your battery but shouldn’t slow your phone horribly.
This really help , thank you for sharing valuable information
happy to help to try to help people use the internet since that is what we are all doing now!