Samsung's Galaxy S5 is one of the fastest smartphones in the market today, but it is not immune to lagging when too many processes are running at the same time. Here are some ways to optimize the S5 for speed when killing unused processes isn't enough.
Use a Custom Launcher
Going for an alternate launcher can do the trick according to AndroidPIT. TouchWiz is an older interface that comes with its own set of issues, and is known to slow down even a device as powerful as the Galaxy S5. Installing a custom launcher solves some of the pertinent issues of the built-in TouchWiz. Google Play has a wide selection of custom launchers that users can install and use. This comes with another perk: S5 owners can customize the look and feel of their phones with the themes that come with the custom launchers.
Disable S Voice
Expert Reviews also recommend disabling S Voice. Increase the speed of going back to the home screen by disabling S Voice. S Voice is automatically enabled on the S5, and to activate it users need to press the home button twice. Do this to enter the S Voice app, go to Settings, and uncheck the Open via the Home key option. This works at speeding up not only the S5, but all Samsung devices with the S Voice function installed.
Turn Off Animations and Transitions
This is a tip that applies to the S5 and all other Android phones. Enable Developer Options by going to Settings, then About Phone, and then clicking on the Android build number several times (it usuallly takes seven). Scroll down to the Drawing section. Turn off the animation in Window animation scale, Transition animation scale, and Animator duration scale.
Switch from Dalvik Runtime to ART
AndroidGuys also suggest choosing ART instead of Dalvik. Android Runtime (ART) was introduced for developer preview in late 2013, and was offered as an option in the Developers menu of Android KitKat 4.4. It clocks at up to three times faster than Dalvik and is sure to make the S5 a much faster beast than it already is. Switching from the older Dalvik Runtime to ART does have two catches, though: not all applications are compatible with it yet, and this won't happen until Android L comes out later this year; and ART apps use up more internal memory.
Delete Pre-Loaded Apps (Requires Root)
S5 owners don't always use pre-loaded apps, and they may be eating space in the internal memory and precious RAM space as well, running in the background and updating without letting the users know these programs are still running. Rooting the phone allows users to delete pre-loaded apps and tweak settinigs (read: overclocking) to make the S5 faster, but do note that rooting may void the warranty of the phone.
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