What to do with Samsung Galaxy Note 8 that became so laggy, sluggish and slow [Troubleshooting Guide]

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When a high-end phone like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 becomes laggy, sluggish and slow in doing things it used to do so quick before, then it’s a clear indication that it has some issues with its firmware or some of its apps. Issues this like can easily be fixed so don’t worry if your device that used to be so fast now takes forever to open an app because it happens over time.

In this article, I will tackle this problem for the benefit of our readers who reached out to use seeking for assistance. This isn’t the first time we encountered this problem. In fact, if you browse through our website, you may be able to find posts on similar problems. So we already know a thing or two on how to fix it. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by a similar concern, continue reading as this troubleshooting guide may be able to help you.

Before we proceed, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our Note 8 troubleshooting page for we have already addressed a lot of problems with this device. Browse through the page to find issues that are similar with yours and feel free to use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work or if you still need our help, then you may contact us by completing our questionnaire here. Don’t worry, this is a free service.

Troubleshooting Note 8 that’s laggy, sluggish and slow

As long as the firmware hasn’t been modified in any way, then we can fix this kind of problem on our own. It’s a minor performance issue which can be solved by basic troubleshooting. However, if the phone slowed down after rooting it or installing third-party custom ROMs, then you just need to re-flash the stock firmware to bring the phone back to its original configuration. But assuming this problem occurred after months of use, then here’s what you need to do…

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Run your Note 8 in safe mode and compare its performance

When in Safe mode, all third-party apps and services are temporarily disabled so your phone should run quicker than when in normal mode. In this case, there should be a big boost in your phone’s performance when it boots up in safe mode. So, follow these steps to run your device in this environment:

  1. Turn the device off.
  2. Press and hold the Power key past the model name 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. Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
  7. Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.

Once in safe mode and the phone runs like it was before, then it’s clear third-party apps have something to do with the problem Now that they’ve been temporarily disabled, all previously open apps that run in the background have already been closed. So, reboot your phone in normal mode to see if the problem still persists. If it’s still slow in that mode, the next thing you have to do is hunt down the apps that cause the problem and get rid of them one by one. This is how you uninstall an app from your Note 8:

  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 or tap 3 dots icon > Show system apps to display pre-installed apps.
  4. Tap the desired application.
  5. Tap Uninstall.
  6. Tap Uninstall again to confirm.

If you can’t find the culprits, then it would be a lot easier to just backup your important files and data and then reset your phone.

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google credentials to finish the Master reset.
  2. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
  3. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
  4. Tap Backup and restore.
  5. If desired, tap Back up my data to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  6. If desired, tap Restore to move the slider to ON or OFF.
  7. Tap the back button to the Settings menu and tap General Management > Reset > Factory data reset.
  8. Tap Reset.
  9. If you have screen lock turned on, enter your credentials.
  10. Tap Continue.
  11. Tap Delete all.

However, if the phone is still slow and sluggish even in safe mode, then you should do the next step.

Boot your phone in Recovery mode and try wiping the cache partition

After the first procedure and your phone still has issues with its performance, the next thing we should do is delete all system caches so that they will be replaced with new ones. For this, you need to reboot your device in recovery mode and wipe the cache partition:

  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 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).
  4. Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe cache partition’.
  5. Press Power button to select.
  6. Press the Volume down key until ‘yes’ is highlighted and press the Power button.
  7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
  8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

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Reset All Settings

After wiping the cache partition and the problem still persists, it’s time to go after the configuration of your phone or the settings. There are times when some settings get messed up and affect your phone’s performance. Rule it out by resetting all settings in your device:

  1. From a Home screen, swipe up or down from the center of the display to access the apps screen.
  2. Navigate: Settings Settings icon > Backup and reset.
  3. From the Reset section, tap Reset settings.
  4. Review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.
  5. If presented, enter the current PIN, password, or pattern.
  6. To confirm, review the info then tap RESET SETTINGS.

Backup your files and reset your phone

Lastly, if the phone is still laggy, sluggish and slow after resetting all settings, it’s time to resort to the ultimate fix–master reset. This will surely solve this problem but the reason why it comes at the end of this troubleshooting guide is because it takes time to backup all your important files and data not to mention that it would also take time restoring them after the reset. But now that you ran out of options, it’s time to do it. Make sure you make a backup of your important files and data and disable the Factory Reset Protection by removing your google account prior to the reset. Once everything is set and ready, follow these steps:

  1. Back up data on the internal memory. If you have signed into a Google account on the device, you have activated Anti-theft and will need your Google 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 we’ve been able to help you one way or another. If you still need our help, feel free to contact us any time.

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Harold Hisona

Harold has been in the tech industry since 2008 when he started out as a tech support for companies like Time Warner, Comcast and Tracfone. He’s been troubleshooting phones when the smartphone industry started booming. During his tenure as a tech support, he’s already been writing for various tech blogs and doing some freelance SEO. In 2012, he joined a small team of bloggers to write for The Droid Guy, and he has been with the company ever since. Today, he doesn’t only write tutorials and troubleshooting pieces but also shoots and edits videos for The Droid Guy channel while trading stocks on the side. Contact me at Email
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