Razr Maxx - still lagging

[beartunes]

I've had a Razr Maxx for about 2.5 years, and it's been working pretty ok, all this time.   The update to 4.12 that was pushed in Nov.2013 did cause some issues for a few months, apps just didn't run as smoothy.  Certain things, like rhapsody, would randomly fail when you clicked play to play a track.  The biggest problem was lagging.  Esp with scrolling.  Task managers or the lack of, and just closing apps manually, deleting cache, even clearing ALL pictures off the phone and a cold boot, did not resolve.  I then did a factory reset, which was ok for a little while and then it started to drag, again.

Verizon replaced the phone with another Razr Maxx, and after doing my re-install everything seemed ok.  The phone wasn't getting "hot" like the previous one was, so they were convinced there was a processor problem.  As the phone would lag worst when it got up to operating temperature, or, a stream of TXT-ing or facebook messaging had just happened.  Or the battery was low.

In my experience I have found clearing out long back-and-forth text message threads help a LOT, as well as (strangely) toggling your wallpaper to a different choice.  It only improves/improved performance for a little while though.

Now with this NEW phone, and no reason why it should lag, I did however notice that as all my programs were updating, the problem seemed to return after I installed Twitter (and more specifically when it got to the SMS part), or Facebook.  Though facebook was working ok on the phone and it didn't seem to start the lag problem til I installed Twitter.  I force quit the app so the two werent forced to 'play nicely' together.   Then I put google search on the phone, so i'd have the toolbar on my homescreen and could search by clicking the microphone.  Mistake.  Now it's so laggy.  So I don't know where the problem lies.

Any advice?  My internal 16gb is relatively empty as there's no pictures and about 25 apps.  I think I have narrowed the culprit down to one of these 3 apps though. @oceddie  oceddie might have some helpful advice.

[vzw_customer_support]

beartunes,

You have done great troubleshooting on your device. We encourage you to install one app at a time. Maybe wait a couple of days in between before putting the next one on. If you notice it starting to warm up then you will understand what app is causing this.

RobinD_VZW

Follow us on twitter @VZWSupport

[BigKitty]

I stopped everything unless i am on wifi you can do this in your system settings then data usage mobile data off. This will help the auto updates stop. You can always turn it back on as well.  oceddie twitter and a few others data mine always updating preferences.  You can turn on mobile data anytime you want to do something this will help with the lag a great deal.

[eddiea · Accepted solution]

You've certainly done various tasks to try to keep your phone running smoothly, and RobinD_VZW provided you with a good recommendation.

When a phone suffers major lag, it is often because an app (or apps) is causing it.  I've uninstalled numerous preloaded apps which I didn't want, and also disabled those which I couldn't uninstall.  I currently have 38 apps disabled.  As we continue to update apps when a newer version is available, often times an app may not be thoroughly optimized for a particular OS (or may not "play as nice as" the previous version) which causes some trouble or slight incompatibility.  For example, I determined Chrome was causing the most serious issues on my Razr Maxx (frequent freezing and instability) more than any other app, so I disabled it.  I also determined Google+ was one causing some slight trouble (some minor instability but mainly battery drain), so I disabled it as well.  My phone is running much better since I've disabled these two apps.  It's a hit or miss when trying to pinpoint which app(s) may be causing problems, but well worth it once those have been identified.

Another reason why a phone may suffer major lag is due to lack of RAM.  As we install more and more apps on our phones, the available resources are also reduced.  Once you reach a point where there are so many apps installed, the last thing you should do is install more.

So, lag is primarily caused by either or both of the reasons I've mentioned.

With that said, I've thoroughly enjoyed my Razr Maxx over the past 2+ years but for me it's really time to upgrade - primarily because I prefer more RAM as well as a bigger screen and a better camera.  I pre-ordered a new phone (with 3GB RAM, 5.5 inch display, and a 2.5GHz processor) last Thursday, and I expect to receive it by the end of this week once it is officially available and released to ship by Thursday the 17th.  Enjoy your Razr Maxx...I've certainly enjoyed mine.