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How Often Should You Turn Off Your Phone?

Tech - by Bryan Veldboom - updated on 2/16/2022

Woman wearing orange shirt holding a coffee while on the phone

Every day, we subject our phones to an enormous amount of stress. From texting and calling, to shopping online and streaming music, chances are your phone is active all day long. With all of that going on, when was the last time you actually shut your phone off? Believe it or not, there are actually a number of benefits to turning off your phone, even if it's only for a couple of minutes.

Why is It Good to Shut Down Your Phone?

Shutting down your phone can help it run more smoothly by eliminating memory leaks. A memory leak occurs when an app requires a certain amount of memory in order to work, but fails to free up this memory when it is no longer needed. This slows down your phone's performance and adds an additional drain on your battery. Shutting off your phone will clear any apps that are running in the background and get rid of anything that's draining your battery.

Shutting down your phone can also help solve network connectivity problems. Smartphones will occasionally lose connection with your mobile network. Restarting your phone will force your phone to reconnect, reestablishing its communication with your network.

Can Shutting Down Your Phone Help Keep It from Crashing?

Restarting your phone on a regular basis can help clear away issues that can cause it to crash. Every time you use an app or browse online, code is added to or deleted from your phone's operating system. Sometimes this data doesn't get removed the way it should, which can overload your phone's cache and cause it to crash. Shutting off your phone will help clear away this cached data, helping your phone to operate more smoothly.

How Often Should You Shut Off Your Phone?

Experts recommend shutting down your phone at least once a week. After shutting it down, let it rest for a minute or two before starting it back up again. Not only will this help enhance your phone's performance, it is also incredibly beneficial for your battery. Clearing your phone's cache and shutting down apps that are running in the background will reduce the strain on your battery, allowing it to last longer between charges. This will also help prolong its overall lifespan.

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Looking for additional troubleshooting tips? Our blog has plenty of useful information. Learn "How to Test Your Cell Phone Battery's Life & When It's Time To Replace It." Some additional articles on this topic include "How Do I Stop My iPhone from Restarting?" and "How Can I Make My Samsung Galaxy Battery Last Longer?"

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