How to fix Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus that lags when opening applications (easy steps)

When a premium smartphone like the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus lags or freezes for a second or two every time you open an app, then there’s something wrong with it. Whether it’s serious or not, you really won’t know unless you try troubleshooting your phone. If the app you’re having issues with is pre-installed, it could be just a problem with that specific app or an issue with the firmware. However, if it’s third-party, then it would be a lot easier to fix it considering the fact you can uninstall the app if it’s really the one causing the problem.

In this post, I will help you troubleshoot your Galaxy S9 Plus that keeps on lagging when applications are opened. We will try to look into every possibility and rule them out until we can determine what the problem really is and why it’s happening. And since it’s not the first time we encountered this problem, I will also share with you the solutions we’ve been using in addressing similar issues in the past. Continue reading as this article may be able to help you one way or another.

Now, before anything else, if you have other issues with your phone, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page for we have already provided solutions to hundreds of problems reported by our readers. Odds are that we may have already provided a solution to the problem you currently have so try to find issues that are similar with yours on that page and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you need further assistance, fill up our Android issues questionnaire and hit submit to contact us.

Troubleshooting Galaxy S9 Plus that lags when opening an app

This problem isn’t as serious as other problems encountered by some users but it’s very annoying especially that you’re already used to a lightning-fast device that only takes a second or two to open even the most CPU-intensive apps. You can fix this problem without asking for help from a technician and with all that being said, here’s what I suggest you do:

First solution: Identify problematic apps

It is imperative you know which among your apps lag when opened. This is to know if it’s just an isolated case that happen to only one app or to every application in your device. If it only happens to one app, then that makes it even easier to fix, however, if it happens to all your apps, then it could be a problem with the firmware.

RELEVANT POSTS:

Second solution: Reset problematic app

If the problem happens only to one or some of your apps, then there’s always something you can do about it. Focus your troubleshooting to one app first and if the following procedure works, then you must go after other apps you’re having problems with. What you need to do is reset the app that lags by that, I mean clearing its cache and data:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list.
  4. To display preinstalled apps, tap Menu > Show system apps.
  5. Tap Storage > CLEAR CACHE > CLEAR DATA > DELETE.

If this works to one app, then it could also work to other apps. However, if the problem continues after this, then move on to the next procedure.

Third solution: Find out if third-party apps have something to do with it

There are third-party apps that may cause other apps to freeze and lag. Sometimes, they may even cause firmware-related issues. You need to find out if this problem is caused by a third-party app by running your phone in safe mode to temporarily disable all third parties in your phone.

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen appearing on the screen.
  3. When SAMSUNG appears on the screen, release the Power key.
  4. Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
  5. Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
  6. When Safe mode appears in the bottom left corner of the screen, release the Volume down key.

If it so happens that the problem is fixed while the phone is in this mode, then find out which of the apps you installed causes the problem and uninstall it.

  1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  2. Tap Settings > Apps.
  3. Tap the desired application in the default list.
  4. To display preinstalled apps, tap Menu > Show system apps.
  5. Tap UNINSTALL > OK.

On the other hand, if your apps still lags when opened in safe mode, then it might be a firmware problem.

Fourth solution: Wipe cache partition

This must be the first thing you should do when you’re troubleshooting the firmware because it’s possible that some of the system caches got corrupted. By wiping the cache partition, you’re deleting all caches so that they will be replaced with new ones. It’s a very effective procedure and this is how you do it:

  1. Turn off the device.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  3. When the Android logo displays, release all three keys.
  4. An ‘Installing system update’ message will show for 30 – 60 seconds before the Android system recovery menu options appear.
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight wipe cache partition.
  6. Press Power key to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key to highlight yes, them and press the Power key to select.
  8. When the wipe cache partition is complete, Reboot system now is highlighted.
  9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

If the problem remained after doing this, then you have no other choice but to do the next procedure.

Fifth solution: Perform the Master Reset

Any performance, firmware and app issues can be fixed by a reset. However, you may lose some of your important files and data if you don’t make a backup before you do this procedure that’s why we’re always hesitant to suggest it. But at this point, you have no other choice so take time to make a backup of things you don’t want to lose and then follow these steps to reset your phone…

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Samsung account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Samsung credentials to finish the master reset.
  2. Turn off the device.
  3. Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
  4. When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
  5. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
  6. Press Power button to select.
  7. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
  8. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
  9. When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
  10. Press the Power key to restart the device.

I hope that this troubleshooting guide have helped you one way or another. If you have other problems with your phone that you want to share with us, feel free to contact us or leave a comment below.

Connect with us

We are always open to your problems, questions and suggestions, so feel free to contact us by filling up this form. This is a free service we offer and we won’t charge you a penny for it. But please note that we receive hundreds of emails every day and it’s impossible for us to respond to every single one of them. But rest assured we read every message we receive. For those whom we’ve helped, please spread the word by sharing our posts to your friends or by simply liking our Facebook and Google+ page or follow us on Twitter.

Posts that may also  be helpful to you:


Posts You Might Like

Leave a Comment