I picked up a budget Android phone a few months ago, mostly for basic stuff like calls, texts, and some apps. It's been great for the price, but after the latest system update, it keeps freezing randomly. Sometimes it’s just the screen locking up for a few seconds, other times I have to do a hard restart. I've tried clearing the cache and uninstalling some apps I rarely use, but no luck so far. I’m pretty sure it’s not a hardware issue since it was working fine before the update. I'm hesitant to do a full factory reset because I’d like to avoid losing all my data if possible. Has anyone else had similar issues on a budget phone after an update? Are there any less drastic things I can try before nuking the whole thing? Appreciate any tips or tricks!

On 11/29/2025 at 8:50 PM, ThriftyGuru said:

I picked up a budget Android phone a few months ago, mostly for basic stuff like calls, texts, and some apps. It's been great for the price, but after the latest system update, it keeps freezing randomly. Sometimes it’s just the screen locking up for a few seconds, other times I have to do a hard restart. I've tried clearing the cache and uninstalling some apps I rarely use, but no luck so far. I’m pretty sure it’s not a hardware issue since it was working fine before the update. I'm hesitant to do a full factory reset because I’d like to avoid losing all my data if possible. Has anyone else had similar issues on a budget phone after an update? Are there any less drastic things I can try before nuking the whole thing? Appreciate any tips or tricks!

Sounds super frustrating, especially when a phone that was working fine suddenly acts up after an update. Since you’ve cleared the cache and removed some apps already, one thing that helped me on a similar budget phone was checking if any apps needed updates themselves—sometimes outdated apps clash with new system versions and cause freezes.

Also, try booting into Safe Mode for a bit to see if the freezing stops. If it does, that usually points to a third-party app causing trouble rather than the system update itself. Safe Mode won’t delete anything, so it’s a nice low-risk step before a factory reset.

If all else fails, backing up your important stuff to the cloud or a PC before a reset is a pain but often the clean slate fixes these weird post-update glitches. Fingers crossed you find a smoother fix though!

On 11/29/2025 at 8:50 PM, ThriftyGuru said:

I picked up a budget Android phone a few months ago, mostly for basic stuff like calls, texts, and some apps. It's been great for the price, but after the latest system update, it keeps freezing randomly. Sometimes it’s just the screen locking up for a few seconds, other times I have to do a hard restart. I've tried clearing the cache and uninstalling some apps I rarely use, but no luck so far. I’m pretty sure it’s not a hardware issue since it was working fine before the update. I'm hesitant to do a full factory reset because I’d like to avoid losing all my data if possible. Has anyone else had similar issues on a budget phone after an update? Are there any less drastic things I can try before nuking the whole thing? Appreciate any tips or tricks!

Sounds frustrating, especially when the update is supposed to improve things! Since you’ve already cleared the cache and removed some apps, another thing to try is booting into Safe Mode. That way, you can see if a third-party app is causing the freeze without fully resetting your phone. Usually, you hold the power button, then tap and hold "Power off" until the Safe Mode prompt appears.

If it runs smoothly in Safe Mode, then it’s likely an app conflict. You can then uninstall recently installed or updated apps one by one. Also, double-check if your phone’s storage is nearly full—sometimes low storage can cause lag and freezing after updates.

Lastly, if none of that works and you want to avoid a full factory reset, some phones offer a “Reset Network Settings” or “Reset App Preferences” option that’s less drastic but can clear out some pesky bugs. Worth a shot before nuking everything!