A slow internet connection can be a source of frustration in our lives. This may be at a time when you are outside your house or office. At this time you need fast internet on your phone to access the information that is needed at that time sometimes urgently. How to speed up the mobile data connection is a worry for one too many.
Most of the time, we do not achieve peak efficiency on our phones. We can do a few tweaks on the phone or use some Apps to speed up the mobile data connection.
These tweaks may not change your 3G phone into a 5G machine. However, they can help to prevent you from pulling off your hair in frustration.
We are all looking at how to make 3G, 4G faster on Android phones and iPhones. An increase in the internet speed will definitely also increase mobile hotspot speed on Android and iPhone. If your network is so poor, however, you can get a booster.
How can I make my data connection faster? These steps are how to speed up an iPhone or Android phone internet:
Related article: The best MiFi device for international travel
How to speed up the mobile data connection
1. Toggle Airplane mode or change network settings
The simplest way how to speed up the mobile data connection on an Android phone or iPhone is to switch on and off the “airplane mode” on your phone.
The airplane mode is available on the quick settings of both the Android phone and the iPhone. The action helps the phone to reset the network settings thus choosing the faster connection.
You can change the network settings on your phone. You can achieve this by clicking on settings and then selecting mobile Network settings. Change the connection type to use all networks that is GSM/WCDMA/LTE networks. You can also manually select the fastest network depending on where you are and your carrier.
2. Restart the phone
Restarting your phone most times helps to fix slow internet. This works especially where the phone is rarely switched off and thus you have not switched it off of late.
The act of restarting the phone appears a very simple fix but it works. This is because it changes any internet connection changes that might have been stored in your phone, free up the RAM, and also helps to clear the cache.
It is very easy to restart an Android phone or IOS phone. It is indicated in the phone manuals. However, it mainly involves the long pressing of the power button on android phones or pressing the volume button/ side button for Android phones and iPhones respectively.
3. Change location
When you find that your internet connection is slower than before in some areas, it is wise to change the location. Sometimes even moving a meter away from your current location can help in improving the internet speeds.
This method works especially for natural barriers like mountains, valleys, and houses. It may also help you to move from one congested booster to another thus increasing the internet speed.
4. Update and disable/ uninstall apps and widgets
Some apps can be using so much data, especially in the background thus making the phone internet slow. It is therefore paramount to check if there are any apps that are running in the background thus consuming the mobile data bandwidth.
The phone settings can allow you to stop the apps from using a cellular data connection, especially in the background. You can also uninstall the app.
To check the apps that are running on your mobile data you can do the following:
- For iPhone, click on the settings>cellular. You will find the apps that are running on your cellular data which you can disable or uninstall.
- For Android phones, click on the settings>connections>data usage>mobile data usage. From here you can turn off the background data usage.
5. Switch off data saver
The current phones have the option to reduce data usage. When you have limited data and you need it to run for a certain period, you can enable the data saver.
However, when you enable the data saver mode, the internet connection appears so slow. You can disable tie data saver if not needed to speed up your phone’s internet.
These are the steps to switch off the data saver:
- For Android phones: settings>connections>data usage>data saver
- For iPhones: Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Options where it is indicated as low data mode.
You can easily turn it back on if you need to reduce the data usage for your phone.
6. Clear your cache or resetting the network settings
Clearing the cache on your phone browser helps to improve the internet speeds for both an Android phone and iPhone. This is because as explained above, the cache may have stored lots of data from previously visited sites.
We, therefore, recommend a regular clearing of the cache to speed up the data connection. This can be done at least once a week or once you feel your phone is slow.
Resetting the phone’s network settings will help to resolve the slow connections. The action will also reset the Wi-Fi access points and Bluetooth devices. You can reconnect these later. This can be done as follows:
- IPhone: Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. The system mostly asks for a passcode which after inputting it the phone will restart.
- Android phone: Go to Settings > System > Advanced > Reset options > Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth.
7. Disconnecting your VPN
A VPN helps you to remain anonymous and for privacy. However, the VPN system consumes lots of data thus slowing down your internet connection, especially when using remote servers.
If your mobile phone internet connection is slow switch off the VPN connection. If it solves the problem, consider improving the VPN speed when you plan to reconnect it.
8. Check if there are network outages
Many mobile carriers claim that they are very reliable. However, even with reliable connections, outages occur once in a while. The outages can cause loss of connection or reduced internet speeds.
In case you can access the internet on your mobile from a colleague’s hotspot or from Wi-Fi you can check for a network outage. This can be done using Downdetector.
One of the good things about outages is that they are most widespread. This means the company will be notified very fast and also they put in a lot of effort to resolve the matter.
Additionally, you can check on social media pages to check if there are people who have reported an outage. Once reported on social media, the company is likely to respond promptly.
9. Remove and re-insert the SIM card
Removing the SIM card and then re-inserting it again may be a solution for slow mobile internet speeds. The action helps to clear up any issues that affect your connections.
Removing a SIM card is easy. However, it may require removal of the phone cover in some phones, use of the SIM card removal tool. The location of the SIM slot depends on the phone.
It is advisable that you switch off the phone before removing the SIM card. In case the removal and reinsertion of the SIM card do not speed up the mobile data connection, consider getting another SIM card.
Also, note that you may need to replace the SIM card to get faster connections. This is because some SIM cards do not have 4G or 5G capability.
10. Download performance-boosting Apps
There are Apps that help to speed up the mobile data connection. These Apps remove the clutter or duplicate files on your phone’s browser.
There are many performance enhancement Apps that can be used on your phone. They include: clean master, systweak Android cleaner, DU Speed Booster.
The three among others help to clean, reorganize the phone and also free the phone RAM. Check each one of them and determine which will help in your case.
11. Install Ad blocker eg AdBlock Browser
Adverts running on your phone can consume lots of data in your phone. They also consume the processor. Combining the two leads to slow connections.
You can install an Adblocker to speed up the mobile data connection on Android and iPhone. Such Ad blockers like AdBlock Browser are available on Google play store and for iPhones.
You can install the Adblocker and find out if the action speeds up the mobile data connection.
12. Use apps that use less internet
There are several apps that run on slower data speeds and give you a great service. These may include browsers and other Apps. A few examples include:
- Samsung Max: Even though designed for congested Wi-Fi connections, Samsung Max is able to give you excellent performance on slow mobile data connections. The browser is lean and brisk while giving you optimal browsing. Their current update claims to improve performance by up to 25 percent.
- Facebook Lite: Facebook is one of the biggest consumers of data on our mobile phones. It also uses the battery very fast. Facebook Lite is able to reduce the consumption of data and battery power. If you are in a place where the network connection is not all that good.
- Opera Mini: When looking for a browser that will give you a great performance and less consumption of data then Opera Mini is the browser for you. It helps to save data on all browsed pages.
13. Contact the tech support of your carrier
Sometimes there may be an outage of your carrier connections. In other times it may be the effects of natural causes like hills, mountains, valleys, and houses. In other cases, it may be due to congestion.
Contacting the tech support helps you to know the real cause of your problem and the tech support will guide you on how to solve them. Most of the time they will recommend the recommendations above.
14. Find a carrier with better coverage
Sometimes, the problem is with the carrier coverage or plans. To solve these problems you can try another carrier and compare if it will speed up the mobile data connection on Android and iPhone.
Changing the carrier is a long-term solution for your connection problems.
15. Get a signal booster
If you are in a place where the signal is poor, you may consider boosting the signal. This is very important if you live in a place where natural things and buildings block your signal. It will also help if you are far away from the carrier booster.
A good booster will cost you between 400 dollars for a single room and 1200 dollars for an entire home. The booster assures you that you will get a better connection no matter where you are.
You can get your booster here.
How to make 4G faster on Android
First, check your phone’s settings to see if you have a Mobile Data Saver option. This will block most data-heavy apps and save the data for when you need it most. If you don’t have this setting activated, head to Settings > Data usage and tap the three lines in the top left-hand corner of the screen.
Here you’ll be able to see which apps are using up your data and control what they do on your mobile device. You can turn off or restrict any apps that are using too much of your battery or data plan by tapping on them individually, then scrolling down to ‘Restrict app’.
To make 4G faster on Android, go back to your main Settings menu and click Data usage again, where it should say ‘Cellular data’. Tap Unlimited and then tap Cellular data again. The connection should speed up noticeably!
How to make cellular data faster on Android
If you have an Android phone, you may want to adjust your settings. Depending on your carrier and the type of plan you have, some apps will use more data than others.
For example, streaming videos or music can use a lot of data – much more than simply browsing the internet or playing games. That’s why it’s important to tweak your settings so that high bandwidth activities won’t be affected by other less bandwidth-heavy tasks.
You can do this by going to “Settings” and scrolling down to Data Usage. From here, you can choose which apps are allowed to use cellular data while on mobile networks.
You might be surprised at how many apps are allowed to do this without your knowledge. Once you’ve made these adjustments, take a look at what your Data Usage is – chances are it’ll be lower now.
Why is my internet so slow on my Android phone?
It’s a common misconception that Android phones are slow because they’re running on an outdated operating system. In reality, one of the biggest reasons for slowness is an insufficient data connection.
If you’re not getting enough data speed, your phone can’t download information as quickly as it needs to. This causes a delay in loading web pages and other apps you want to use.
Why is my internet so slow on my iPhone?
A common question people have is why their data connection on their phone is so slow. There are a few reasons you might be experiencing this issue.
The first thing to check is your location. If your phone is connected to a cellular network, rather than Wi-Fi, the speed of your internet will decrease. This is because Wi-Fi has a stronger signal and it’s faster than a cellular connection.
Another reason you might experience slow data speeds could be due to the weather. WiFi signals are weaker in areas with poor weather conditions like fog or rain.
Finally, if you’re having an issue with your device’s connectivity, it can really affect the speed of your internet on mobile. This can happen for any number of reasons, including a bad SIM card or low battery life for your device. You should also make sure that you’re not running other programs when using mobile data (like streaming videos).
Why is my mobile data so slow all of a sudden?
It’s possible your signal is weaker. If your phone is constantly searching for a connection, that can slow down your data. You can improve this by checking to make sure you have the strongest signal available for your carrier.
Another reason why you might be experiencing slow internet is because of background apps and programs. Your phone has a limited amount of memory and processing power, so any program that’s running in the background will use some of these resources. This can slow down your connection while also draining battery life significantly faster.
A third potential reason is an app or game that you’re trying to download or stream content from; this could be taking up a lot of bandwidth which slows down the rest of your internet usage, as well as potentially slowing down other people’s connections too if they’re nearby you.
To help avoid these problems, try shutting off any unused programs when you’re not using them (allowing those programs to update in the background).
You may also want to delete any games or apps that you don’t use often so they aren’t sucking up precious data and internet speed. If you’re downloading files or watching videos online with Android devices, try using Google Chrome instead of Safari as Chrome does not have many background processes like Safari does.
In iOS, go into Settings > Cellular > Background App Refresh and choose Off to prevent apps from updating in the background when it’s not necessary.
If all else fails and none of these tips are working for you, consider switching
Q. How do I make my data connection faster?
A. Here are a few easy ways to speed up your mobile data connection:
1. Close background apps that use mobile data when you’re not using them.
2. Put your phone in airplane mode when you don’t need cellular service.
3. Put your phone in WiFi mode and connect to a strong, reliable network.
4. Disable mobile data when you don’t need it to help save battery life and data usage (optional).
5. Use less power-intensive apps like email or social media while on a slower connection (optional).
Q. What should I do if my phone’s WiFi isn’t working?
A. If your phone’s WiFi isn’t working, try these steps:
1) Check the WiFi signal strength of your nearby networks by going to Settings > Wi-Fi > View Available Networks > Select the one with the best signal and try connecting again;
2) Turn off Bluetooth or other Wi-Fi connections on nearby devices;
3) Disconnect from any networks that might be causing interference, like neighbors’ wireless routers;
4) Change the router’s wireless channel;
5) Reboot the router;
6) Update the router’s firmware;
7) Hard reset the router (turn off power, wait 10 seconds, then turn back on).
Conclusion
Whether you using an android phone or iPhone, poor internet connections are frustrating. It is important to consider the 15 ways above that can help to speed up the mobile data connection.
Some of those methods are very simple to implement and will cost you nothing. If however your problem persists you can consider the more radical steps like changing the carrier or buying a booster.
Increasing the speed of mobile data connection can also help in speeding up the mobile hotspot. This will help to share fast internet to other devices.
Finally, for a better internet experience and to connect more devices you can try a MiFi device. The MiFi devices are especially useful for international travel. For your home, get a powerful router that can help get faster internet connections from an Internet Service Provider (ISP).
FAQs
What should I do if my internet connection is really slow?
If you’re experiencing issues with your data connection and don’t know what’s wrong, try turning off your device’s location services as it could be using a lot of data for no reason. You can also turn off any video streaming apps like Netflix or Youtube that are running in the background. And last but not least, make sure you have a strong signal by checking if there are any networks nearby that you may connect to instead of relying solely on your mobile carrier’s service provider.
My WiFi connection is too slow, how can I speed it up?
WiFi has a limited range and even if your router is working at full capacity, there may be too many other devices on the same network that are slowing your connection down. To fix this issue, try to stay away from any other WiFi networks and make sure your phone is always connected to the best available network. Check to see what type of network you’re currently connected to (2G or 3G) and switch to a better network if possible.
