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If you are like most people on the planet these days, you probably cannot be without your smartphone. It is one of the most useful inventions of the modern era. We use them for everything, from checking in with friends and family via social media apps, through to playing games, listening to music, managing our finances, taking photos, we even use them as a mirror to do our makeup in. It seems as though there is very little that smartphones cannot do.
So when it comes to keeping up with the latest tech, it can be a bit overwhelming. Our own devices will always seem to slow down considerably after we have had them for a year or two, and then it is time to look at the latest offerings and upgrade our phones.
But phones are very expensive pieces of tech. Every time a new generation of smartphone gets released, the prices rise. And, we seem to always pay the new prices.
But is upgrading every year or two the best way to go about it? There are of course more cost-effective ways of enjoying all of the benefits that owning a smartphone has to offer. Here are a few handy suggestions for saving money on your phone.
Stop Buying New Handsets And Go SIM-Only
One of the main ways that people get new phones is by taking out new contracts. When you do this, your monthly payments will be largely made up of the cost of the phone handset. If you are looking to get the top-of-the-range models, then this can really push your monthly payments up quite hight. And all of this will be before you think about the cost of calls, and most importantly, the cost of data.
By using your existing phone for as long as possible, you could completely forgo the need to have an expensive contract with your phone provider. Instead, you could opt for a SIM-only deal. A great example of this is the SMARTY Data SIM.
You’ll get a much better rate on your calls and data and you won’t be left paying for an expensive phone forever.
Use Your Current Phone For As Long As Possible
It often seems as though phones are designed to slow down after a year or two of use. Many people believe that phone companies actually set phones up so that they start to gradually slow down, forcing the owners to need to upgrade.
Whether this is true or not is complete conjecture. What is true though is that that phones will start to slow down the more we use them. Consider that the average phone user spends over three hours on their phones each day. If you are using your phone this much, the constant stream of data flowing through it will cause it to slow down.
By giving your phone a bit of a clean-up, you can enjoy improved speed and performance similar to the way it was when it was new. You can do this in several ways including:
- Deleting all of your unused apps By uninstalling any apps that you don’t actually use, you will be able to free up a lot of space on your device. Not only this, but when apps are running in the background on your phone they can often sap your resources such as your battery, data, and use your location services. By getting rid of unnecessary drains on your device’s resources, you can speed it up considerably.
- Moving your files to the cloud If you store all of your photos and files on your phone they are going to take up space and slow your phone down. Not only that, if your phone crashes or is stolen, you will lose anything of importance to you. Instead, back up all of your important files to the cloud. You can find plenty of free cloud storage very easily.
- Deleting unused files Anything that you have saved on your phone that you don’t need should be deleted as it is wasting your valuable space. The more space you have, the better your phone will run.
- Replace your battery If your battery is not holding its charge well anymore, you may be able to replace this. Before you look into a new phone, looking at swapping your battery.
- Installing updates It is always a hassle when your phone says it has updates to install. You might put off installing them, or you might have the space to fit them on your phone. Updates are important though as they can fix vulnerabilities and issues on the phone. By installing them, your phone might run better.
- Deleting your cache Your cache is a store of data amassed through visiting websites and using apps. You can clear your cache to help speed up your phone’s overall performance. You can do this in the storage settings of your phone.
- Running antivirus scans Virus’ and malware can put your personal information in danger from hackers. It can also cause your phone to not run smoothly. You might have malware on your phone that you do not know about. By running an antivirus scan you can ensure that there is nothing that will slow your device down that should not be there.
- Checking your app settings Some apps are set to do certain things without your input. They may be connected to the internet, downloading and uploading data. Have a look at all of your apps and make sure that you are happy with all of the settings on them that surround their use of the resources of your phone.
Buy Second Hand
There are lots of great reasons why you should buy a used phone. With many companies offering used and refurbished models at a reasonable price; when you need a replacement phone, this should be an option that you consider.
Refurbished phones are helpful in dealing with the challenges surrounding mobile phones and the environment. When we constantly replace old technology, so much of it ends up redundant. When this gets sent to landfill, it does not ever break down. We are creating a major long-term problem with the amount of tech we produce.
Refurbished phones often come with a warranty. They will have been fully tested and will have been cleared of the previous owner’s data. A fresh installation of the operating system will mean that it runs like new. And if you are worried about battery life, you can often buy a replacement. If you are buying from a reputable seller, then they should have checked that the phone has not been stolen too.
Avoid The Latest Releases
It is no secret that the latest smartphones are very expensive. However, there is often not that much of a big step up from the previous generation that might have only been released a year before.
By looking at last year’s models, you might well be able to save yourself a considerable amount of money, as these often drop in price when the newest phones get released.
Think About Lesser-Known Phone Brands
The major players in the phone industry may be the likes of Apple and Samsung, but there are plenty of other brands out there that create great phones that have all of the same features as the more famous brands. Very often, these will be much cheaper too.
Often these brands get overlooked because consumers are more interested in the brands that they know and recognize.
There may be advantages of going with the brands that you know. Often these are based around the idea that they will be more reliable phones. However, there are plenty of other phones that are well-made and reliable on the market.
As with any major purchase, you should do your best to research it first. Read reviews from a number of sources to make sure that the phone is suitable for you.
Get The Right Phone Insurance
Insuring your phone is very important. Your phone insurance will be the vital protection that you will need in the event that your phone is damaged, lost, or even stolen. It will allow you to repair or replace your handset if needed. In the event that a thief uses your phone and runs up a big phone bill, then without insurance, you might be left having to pay for this.
Your phone provider will usually add insurance to your phone contract. You do, of course, have the option to refuse this. When the cost of insurance is quite high, this can seem like a great way of saving money.
You should refuse the phone insurance. But you do need to make sure that you have something else in place instead. You have two options here. You could shop around and see if you can find your own insurance, or you could see if your bank account has phone insurance as a feature. Many accounts have benefits such as insurance products attached to them, check with your bank to see if you have this.
