Take care of your device

    Welcome to the world of Xperia™! You probably carry your smartphone or tablet around with you all the time and use it for doing lots of different things. All the daily wear and tear makes it extra important to take good care of your device, to keep up its performance and make sure it stays with you for a long time. We’d like to share some simple tips and tricks to keep your device in top shape.

    Protect it

    Keep your Xperia™ safe at all times! The best way to avoid the risk of your device getting scratches and cracks is to use a protective cover together with a screen protection film. It’s really important that you use a screen protection film intended for your specific Xperia™ model. It's designed for a perfect fit and if you attach it carefully, it won't cover the proximity sensor or the front side camera and you won't risk trapping dust or tiny air bubbles underneath.

    Keep it clean

    Dirt or dust may affect your device’s overall performance, so make it a habit to clean your Xperia™ at least once a month.

    Start by turning off your device and disconnecting it from any external devices. Use a clean, dry micro-fibre cloth to wipe off any dirt from the touch screen and back side. The headset jack and the USB cable port might also need some special attention. Blow gently to remove any dust particles and use a small brush to remove any dirt that might have been caught around the SIM and memory card slot covers. Be careful not to brush into the slots themselves.

    Restart every now and then

    Leaving your device constantly running may affect the battery, app performance and the device life span. Restarting your Xperia™ every now and then will close all open apps and flush the memory. You’ll notice the change immediately. Apps will run faster and smoother and there will be more memory available.

    Keep it charged

    Always use an original Sony charger intended for your specific Xperia™ model. Other chargers may increase charging time, not charge at all, or may even damage your device. Also remember that a wall socket charger will charge your device faster than charging via your computer. When connecting a USB cable to charge your device, make sure that you use a cable with the correct type of plug.

    To improve your device’s performance and make your battery last longer, you can track your battery consumption and see which applications use the most power. You might, for example, want to turn off notifications and location-sharing services for apps that are draining your battery. Another way to save power is to activate any of the power saving modes that are available on your device.

    Get the latest official software

    New software releases bring you the latest and improved features and functions, as well as potential bug fixes. To make sure you get the most out of your device, it’s important that you always update to the latest software version. A notification in the status bar will let you know when a new software update is available. You can also check for new updates manually in the What’s New application.

    You need at least 500 MB of free internal memory to be able to update the software on your device. If you don’t have enough free memory, you won’t be notified when new software is available.

    The easiest way to install a software update is to do it wirelessly from your device. If the update isn’t available for wireless download, you need to update using Sony’s computer software for managing Xperia™ devices. You can also use it to perform a software repair, where you reset your device by clearing the content and installing the latest software version.

    A software update or software repair will make your device run faster and smoother. It’s also the quickest and easiest way to solve performance issues and we strongly recommend this solution – just remember to back up your content before you start.

    Manage the memory

    Your device performance is at its best when there’s more than 500 MB of free internal storage available. If you notice that your device is slower than before or if applications suddenly shut down, the storage might be full. One way to fix this is to transfer media files from the internal storage to a Sony original SD card.

    It’s important that you clear the cache memory from time to time, to remove temporary files from your device. Uninstalling apps that you don’t use will also free up storage. Another thing to try out is to clear application data from any application of your choice, but remember that the data you choose to remove will be permanently deleted.

    Test it using safe mode

    Trying out new apps and games can be a lot of fun. But third-party apps can sometimes cause your device to run slowly, freeze, crash or restart repeatedly.

    If you notice that your device performance isn’t what it used to be, you can use the safe mode feature to check if a third-party app is causing the problem. When safe mode is enabled, your device starts with only the original factory-included software and apps running. If the performance improves in safe mode, it’s likely that one or more downloaded apps are causing the problem. Exit safe mode and restart the device to uninstall the app or apps you suspect are causing the problem.

    Check your device using Tests

    You can check the performance of your device using a number of available tests. The tests are a great tool for analysing the performance of different apps as well as hardware features like the camera, display and different sensors. If you’ve identified an issue, you should always consider updating to the latest software or perform a software repair.

    The tests, together with other device specific information, can be accessed in the pre-installed Support application, or from Settings.

    Please note that this article is not product specific. Features and functionalities described may therefore differ depending on your device and/or software version.