What to do with your Sprint Galaxy S8 that became so laggy, sluggish and slow [Troubleshooting Guide]

Performance issues are often tied to the firmware and in this case, there’s only something we can do. I understand how annoying a sluggish phone is that’s why we find it necessary to immediately troubleshoot it to bring it back to the way it was. We have received quite a lot of complaints from Samsung Galaxy S8 owners under the umbrella of Sprint so this post is for them. But just because I’ve specifically mentioned a provider here doesn’t mean this troubleshooting guide won’t work on other variants of the S8.

In this post, we will tackle the reason why your phone became so slow and sluggish and we’ll try to formulate a solution that may bring the phone to its original performance which is of course, fast and responsive. If you’re one of the owners of this phone and are currently bugged by the same problem, continue reading below as this post may help you.

If however, you are looking for a solution to a different problem, drop by our Galaxy S8 troubleshooting guide for we have already addressed the most common issues with this phone. Find problems that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you or if you need more help, then feel free to contact us through our Android issues questionnaire.

Troubleshooting slow and sluggish Galaxy S8

It’s a very minor problem and I’m sure we can fix it for as long as your phone’s firmware hasn’t been modified in any way because if it is, then it might be a serious firmware problem and not just any performance-related issue. So, if the firmware’s integrity is still intact, here’s what you should do about it:

Step 1: Reboot your phone in Safe Mode to know if it’s still sluggish

Let’s try to isolate the problem right away. Booting into safe mode will temporarily disable all third-party apps, which are often the cause of problems like this. So, if the phone performs normally in that mode, it means one or some of the apps you installed is causing the problem and the next thing you should is find that app and uninstall it. That should take care of the issue here. Follow the procedures below on how to run your phone in safe mode and uninstall applications.

How to boot Sprint Galaxy S8 in Safe mode

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.

How to uninstall applications from your Galaxy S8

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.

This might be the only thing you have to do to bring the phone back to its original performance. However, if the it’s still slow and sluggish in safe mode, then it might be an issue with the firmware already.

Step 2: Delete all system caches so they’ll be replaced

There are times when system caches get corrupted or become obsolete. This might happen after a firmware update or when the phone has recently been shut down and booted up more often or ran out of battery while being used. Don’t worry though because if this is the case, it’s still very easy to fix. All you gotta do is start your phone up in Recovery mode and wipe the cache partition. None of your files and data will be deleted so it’s safe to do:

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 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 the Power key to select.
6. Press the Volume down key to highlight “yes” and press the Power key to select.
7. When the wipe cache partition is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
8. Press the Power key to restart the device.

After the phone has rebooted, observe closely if its performance has improved. If it’s still slow, then you have no other choice but to do the next step.

Step 3: Reset all settings

Incorrect settings may cause conflict in the system which may also lead to this kind of problem. To rule out this possibility out, follow the simple procedure below to reset all settings of your phone and bring them back to their factory defaults. It’s basically like a reset only that none of your files and data will be deleted:

1. From a Home screen, touch and swipe up or down to display all apps.
2. From a Home screen, navigate: Settings > Backup and reset.
3. Tap Reset settings.
4. Tap Reset settings, to confirm.
5. If applicable, enter the PIN, password or pattern.
6. Tap Reset settings.

Observation is key to know if your phone is still slow and sluggish so after this, continue using your phone like you always do. If it’s still slow, then it’s time to do the ultimate fix to this problem.

Step 4: Backup your files and data and reset your Galaxy S8

That’s right, a reset will bring your phone back to its original performance. This method however, always comes at the end of our troubleshooting guide because you will have to go through all the hassle of backing up your important files and data since they will be deleted during the process. So, make sure you make a backup of things you don’t want to lose. After the backup, disable the Factory Reset Protection of your phone so you won’t be locked out.

How to disable Factory Reset Protection on Sprint Galaxy S8

1. From the Home screen, swipe up on an empty spot to open the Apps tray.
2. Tap Settings > Cloud and accounts.
3. Tap Accounts.
4. Tap Google.
5. Tap on your Google ID email address if multiple accounts are setup. If you have multiple accounts setup, you will need to repeat these steps for each account.
6. Tap 3 dot icon.
7. Tap Remove account.
8. Tap REMOVE ACCOUNT.

How to Master reset your Samsung Galaxy S8

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 data / factory reset.
5. Press Power button to select.
6. Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
7. Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
8. When the master reset is complete, “Reboot system now” is highlighted.
9. Press the Power key to restart the device.

That’s pretty much all of it. Your phone should be working properly now.

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