How to fix Samsung Galaxy S6 that started running slow after Nougat update [Troubleshooting Guide]

The Samsung Galaxy S6 was the company’s flagship a couple of years ago and it was one of the most powerful smartphones and still is. With it’s impressive specs, you can only experience lags a few times so when we received some messages from our readers complaining about this phone started running slow after the Nougat update, we immediately felt the need to address the problem.

So, in this post, I will tackle the issue that many Android users out there maybe experiencing right now. When a phone starts to become slower, what comes to mind is the firmware. While we’ve seen cases wherein hardware issues caused some phones to freeze, lags and other performance issues, most of the time this kind of problem is due to some unknown system problems. Considering the fact that it started shortly after the phone has undergone a major update, we can almost be certain it has something to do with the firmware.

I will walk you through in troubleshooting your Samsung Galaxy S6 to make it run faster the way it should. We will try to look into possible causes and rule out each possibility one at a time until we can pinpoint what the problem really is. So, if you own this phone and are currently bugged by a similar problem, continue reading below as this post maybe able to help you.

For those who are looking for a solution to a totally different issue, visit our troubleshooting page for we have already addressed hundreds of problems since we started supporting this device. Find issues that are the same or similar with yours and use the solutions and/or troubleshooting guides we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need further assistance, then fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

How to troubleshoot Galaxy S6 that’s running very slow

Problem 1: My phone started to run very slowly after I’ve updated it’s operating system. It’s a Galaxy S6 and since the day I got it, I always enjoyed how it performed until recently after the update was installed. It takes more than a couple of minutes just to open the camera or the texting app. It also lags so bad that switching between screens takes too long to complete. I know it’s not normal but I just don’t know what to do about it. Can you help?

Problem 2: Hi guys! I am hoping you could help me with the problem with my phone because, now, I can no longer use it the way it was before it’s now running so slow. I updated it as there was a notification about a software update, I think. It was after the update that I noticed that instead of running faster and smoother like other updates I’ve downloaded in the past, the phone was really slow. By the way, my phone is a Galaxy S6 that has been with me for almost a couple of years now and ever since I bought it, I only encountered a few problems and nothing serious really. So, it’s very annoying now that it’s running so slow after a major update like Nougat. Can you help me with it? Thanks.

Troubleshooting: Performance related issues are often not as complex as they seem. In fact, a phone that started running slow after a firmware update can be attributed to some corrupt files. But we really can’t be sure what the problem with your phone is until we troubleshoot and that’s what this article is for. So, if your Galaxy S6 started running so slow, here’s what you should do:

Step 1: Reboot your phone in safe mode and observe its performance

Booting in safe mode alone won’t fix the problem, it would just give you an insight as to what caused the problem. But what we’re trying to find out here is if the problem is caused by one or some of the apps you downloaded from the Play Store or installed manually. When in safe mode, all third-party apps are temporarily disabled, so if one of them is causing your phone to run so slow, the problem shouldn’t occur in this mode. This is how you boot your S6 in safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy S6 logo appears, release the Power key, then immediately press and hold the Volume down key.
Hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
When ‘Safe mode’ appears in the bottom left, release the Volume down key.

Step 2: Reset and / or uninstall apps that are causing the problem

Just in case the phone is working fine while in safe mode, then it’s clear enough that one or some of the apps in your phone is causing the problem. Try to check if there are apps that need to be updated and if there is, update all of them. While updating, make sure you’re connected to a table Wi-Fi network and then follow these steps:

From the Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Play Store.
Tap Menu > My Apps.
If desired, tap Menu > Settings > Auto-update apps.
To update a single app, tap the app and tap Update.
To update all apps (that have updates available), tap Update [xx].

After updating your apps and phone is still running slow, reset the apps you suspect are causing the problem. You can do this by clearing their caches and data:

From the Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired app.
To display pre-installed apps, tap MORE > Show system apps.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear cache.
Tap Clear data, then tap OK.

If this doesn’t work, then you have to uninstall the app and go after other apps if the problem remains after this.

From the Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Tap Applications.
Tap Application manager.
Tap the desired app.
Tap Uninstall, then tap OK.

Step 3: Reboot your phone in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition

In case your phone is still running slow while in safe mode, then it’s almost certain the phone is suffering from a firmware issue and the first thing we have to do is delete all system caches so that they will be replaced with new ones. You have to wipe the cache partition by booting your phone in Android system recovery or better known as Recovery mode:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume up, Home, and Power keys together.
When the Samsung Galaxy S 6 logo screen displays, release only the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release the Volume up and Home keys. ‘Installing system update’ appears for 30 – 60 seconds, followed by the Android system recovery menu.
Press the Volume down key until ‘wipe cache partition’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to select.
When the wipe cache partition is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.

After wiping the cache partition and the phone is still performing badly, then you have no other choice but to reset it.

Step 4: Backup your files and data and then reset your phone

This is the ultimate way to rule out the possibility that the phone is suffering from a firmware problem and more often than not, this will fix almost all problems that’s why it’s worth doing it. But don’t forget to make a backup of your important files and data. Then, disable the Factory Reset Protection and proceed with the reset:

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on Galaxy S6

From the Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Tap Accounts.
Tap Google.
Tap the Google ID email address. Repeat for each Google email address.
Tap MORE.
Tap Remove account.
Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT to confirm.

How to reset your Galaxy S6

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up and Home keys, then press and hold the Power key.
When the Samsung Galaxy S 6 logo displays, release only the Power key.
When the Android logo displays, release the Volume Up and Home keys. ‘Installing system update’ appears for 30 – 60 seconds, followed by the Android system recovery menu.
Press the Volume down key until “wipe data / factory reset” is highlighted, then press the Power key.
Press the Volume down key until “Yes — delete all user data” is highlighted, then press the Power key.
When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the phone.

You can also reset your phone from the Settings menu…

From the Home screen, tap Apps.
Tap Settings.
Tap Backup and reset.
If desired, tap the Back up my data slider to ON or OFF.
If desired, tap the Restore slider to ON or OFF.
Tap Factory data reset.
Tap Reset device.
If screen lock is enabled, enter PIN or password.
Tap Continue.
Tap Delete all.

I hope this helps.

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