Would it be possible to make a lousy old phone last longer by backing it up to a computer? What I mean is if I could do that it might be possible to wait a little longer to get a new one. There is a chance I could back up this 8 gb nuisance with a computer, but I'm not sure how. It would probably be a Windows computer. i'm thinking that maybe I could put some of the stuff from the phone onto the computer and then the phone might work better with less stuff. I'm not sure how to do that, though. How would I know which things are safe to remove? Could I reinstall them from the computer if necessary? Would I need a flash drive? There is a 32 gb SD card, but as far as I know it has only pictures and videos on it. Can I copy them to a computer? How will all of this work if the phone is Android and the computer is Windows?
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Maybe old phone with backup
- Thread starter Rgarner
- Start date
svim
Extreme Android User
Your plans to do this are based on a misconception. Clearing up more free storage space on your phone will not make it any faster or more smoothly. It will run the same whether there's 6GB of data or 1GB. Storage memory is essentially inert, what gets written onto the storage memory essentially just sits there, doing nothing.
The issue you do need to focus on is the operating system and which apps you have that either run continuously or activate periodically to update themselves (as in an email app that will check for new email messages). There's not a lot you can do directly to the OS, although there are things you can optimize using Settings. As far as apps a lot of them can be configured using their own Settings menus. It's the things running in RAM you need to attend to, not the data stored in the internal memory or the microSD card.
The issue you do need to focus on is the operating system and which apps you have that either run continuously or activate periodically to update themselves (as in an email app that will check for new email messages). There's not a lot you can do directly to the OS, although there are things you can optimize using Settings. As far as apps a lot of them can be configured using their own Settings menus. It's the things running in RAM you need to attend to, not the data stored in the internal memory or the microSD card.
svim
Extreme Android User
Your profile indicates you have a ZTE Z815 from Cricket. Keep in mind that model is quite limited -- only 1GB of RAM, 8GB of storage, 854x400 resolution display -- so there's always going to be performance and usage issues that you have to just accept. That's a low-spec phone so it's going to function like a low-spec phone. don't aggravate yourself by expecting it to do more than it can.
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/ZTE-Fanfare-2_id10406
https://www.phonearena.com/phones/ZTE-Fanfare-2_id10406
tube517
Android Expert
If that is the phone, the link above shows it has 6.0 Marshmallow. The best thing you can do is try adoptable storage w/your sd card so that you can increase the 8GB internal memory. That is about the only thing you can do if you plan on keeping this phone. If adoptable storage works on this phone, consider a fast and bigger card.
With only 1 GB RAM, though, your phone will still be slower even if the adoptable storage works.
With only 1 GB RAM, though, your phone will still be slower even if the adoptable storage works.
Thanks for all your replies, and I'm just going to have to get a better phone. This thing is more of an annoyance than anything else. Is there a decent phone with at least 16 gb and an OK camera for $50-100? I would hope for huge SD capacity, but that brings us back to adaptive.
tube517
Android Expert
Cricket? ZTE Blade X Max maybe?
svim
Extreme Android User
This unlocked Moto E4 has good specs for a low-end phone ($130):
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZVZKTR/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AgEAAAAAAAAAAL_J
It works with AT&T cell networks and if you're going to stay with Cricket as your carrier it 'should' be compatible as Cricket is a MVNO tied to AT&T, but confirm this with Cricket of course.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06ZZVZKTR/?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=xm2&ascsubtag=AgEAAAAAAAAAAL_J
It works with AT&T cell networks and if you're going to stay with Cricket as your carrier it 'should' be compatible as Cricket is a MVNO tied to AT&T, but confirm this with Cricket of course.
Kathleenmlk
Member
That sounds interesting. Does it have adoptive storage or not? I'm not sure how much I like the idea of a card readable by only one device. How would it be possible to save photos data etc. to another phone or computer with that? Also, would it be possible to bypass the fingerprint thing? I remember when Apple came out with that the main Apple search was for how to get rid of it.
Adoptive storage is an option: even on a device which offers it you don't have to use it.
As for how you would save photos to a computer, the answer is the same way you would if you stored them in internal storage: via the Internet (e.g. some cloud service) or copy over USB.
Fingerprint scanners again can be used or not, as you choose. They should be more secure than a pattern or PIN. I've actually no experience with them (my phone is so old it doesn't have one - replacement coming next week...), but I believe there should be an alternate password, and of course if that is compromised then someone can use it to get in. But that is true for any unlock mechanism.
As for how you would save photos to a computer, the answer is the same way you would if you stored them in internal storage: via the Internet (e.g. some cloud service) or copy over USB.
Fingerprint scanners again can be used or not, as you choose. They should be more secure than a pattern or PIN. I've actually no experience with them (my phone is so old it doesn't have one - replacement coming next week...), but I believe there should be an alternate password, and of course if that is compromised then someone can use it to get in. But that is true for any unlock mechanism.