Feeling a slowdown? 6 tips to speed up your email and downloads

We all rely on our smartphones to send and receive personal or work emails. Yet often, we face the annoying problem of slow email download speeds. It can really slow us down and cause unnecessary delays, which can be very frustrating. That’s why Melissa, one of our CyberGuy.com newsletter subscribers, reached out to us, asking how to speed up her email. Here’s what she asked: 

“What can I do to speed my e-mail up? It takes so long to download on WiFi as well as cellular. It is not one email account, it seems to be over all of my accounts. I have plenty of free space in my iPhone. -Melissa, New Market, Alabama” 

Thanks, Melissa, for your great question. There could be a number of reasons your email isn’t running up to speed, some having to do with your device, your connection, your software, and even your settings Here are our top 6 ways to speed up email on your phone. 

6 ways to speed up email on your phone 

1. Update your phone and email app 

Using an outdated email app may result in slower performance and compatibility issues. Ensure you’ve installed the latest version of your email app and the latest software for your particular device, as updates often include bug fixes and performance improvements. 

How to update your iPhone to the latest software

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• Tap Settings
• Scroll down and tap General
• Click Software Update to see the newest version of iOS

Tap Install Now. If you see Download and Install instead, tap it to download the update, enter your passcode, then tap Install Now. 

• How to update your Android to the latest software 
• Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer 
• Open the Settings app and scroll down to Software Update and tap it

Tap on Download and Install for any available updates. 

If your device finds a new software update, tap Download now. When complete, a screen will appear advising you that the new version of software is ready to be installed. Tap Install update. 

How to update your mail app (i.e. Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo, Gmail etc.) for iPhone 

• To update your mail app, go to the App Store, click on the circle in the upper right-hand corner to the right of where it says Today
• On the page that follows, scroll down and either click Update All or you can find the specific mail app and click the Update button to install the latest version of that app
• We typically choose to Update all

HOW TO SPEED UP YOUR WIFI AND INTERNET CONNECTION 

How to update your mail app (i.e. Microsoft Outlook, Yahoo, Gmail etc.) for Android 

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer  

To update your mail app, go to the Google Play Store, click on the circle in the upper right-hand corner.  This circle will have the first initial of your Gmail email account. 

• Click Manage apps & device
• In the second row it will say Updates available
• You can click Update all or See details (we typically choose to Update all)

If you click the See details screen you can choose to update an individual app. 

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2. Connect to strong Wi-Fi 

While in Melissa’s case, WiFi didn’t seem to speed up her email connection, this sometimes may solve the problem. It’s possible slow download speeds may be due to a weak or unstable internet connection. If you’re using mobile data, check your signal strength or consider connecting to a more reliable WiFi network. Be sure to check out the top apps to troubleshoot your Wi-Fi signal by clicking here 

3. Check your email sync settings 

Adjust your email sync settings to fetch emails less frequently or only when manually refreshed. By reducing the frequency of email synchronization, you’ll not only save battery, but your phone will run more quickly. You can change these settings depending on your preference and needs. There are different ways to adjust your email sync settings on your iPhone and Android, depending on the type of email account you have and the app you use to access it. Here are some possible options: 

How to change your sync settings If you use the Mail app that comes with your iPhone 

• Go to Settings
• Scroll down to Mail and tap it
• Scroll down and tap Accounts
• At the bottom of the page, tap on Fetch New Data

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Make sure the Push is toggled on.  New data will be pushed to your iPhone from the server when possible. 

For certain mail accounts, you may choose to Fetch email.  Fetch is to be used when Push is off or for applications which do not support Push.  You can choose how often you want your iPhone to fetch new emails from the server. You can select Every 15 Minutes, Every 30 Minutes, Hourly, or Manually. For better battery life, fetch less frequently. 

How to change email sync settings on Android 

Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer. Sync options are minimal compared to the iPhone sync options you see above.  

Go to Settings 

Tap Accounts and backup 

Then click Manage accounts 

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Select the email account 

Click Sync account and make sure all options are toggled on. 

4. Don’t send large attachments 

It’ll take longer for you to load emails with lots of content, especially large attachments. Encourage your friends and family to limit sending large email attachments as they can take longer to download, especially if you have a slow internet connection or limited bandwidth.  

The size of the attachments and the speed of your internet connection can affect the download time. 

5. Clear out some of your phone’s storage 

Insufficient storage space is a big reason emails don’t fully load. If your phone’s storage is nearly full, it can impact the performance of various apps, including your email app.  

Ensure you have enough free space on your device for smooth email operation. Clearing out old emails if your inbox is full is a great way to clear up some space – especially if you delete emails containing photos and other big attachments.  

For my best tips on what to do when you phone storage is full and how to fix it, head to Cyberguy.com/StorageFix 

HOW TO CLEAR CACHE ON YOUR IPHONE TO SPEED UP YOUR DEVICE  

6. Restart your phone 

It’s a simple trick, yet it’s often a fix for so many glitches we experience with technology. Sometimes our phones and devices just need a little reboot and turning them off and on can solve some major and minor problems.  

Bonus Tips: How to upgrade your router, improve your cell phone signal, and boost your cell service  

Time for a new router?  

If you’re experiencing a really slow connection, it may be time for a new router. Click here to discover if your router is in the right spot and if it’s time for an upgrade. 

Improve your cell phone signal 

Get my 5 best tips to improve your cell phone signal.   

Plus, if you live somewhere where the cell service isn’t great, you’ll want to head to Cyberguy.com/SignalBooster to check out the top 5 cell phone boosters that I recommend. 

Kurt’s key takeaways 

There are several steps you can take to speed up your email on your phone, including connecting to strong WiFi, adjusting your email sync settings, avoiding large attachments, clearing out your phone’s storage, updating your phone and email app, and restarting your device to resolve any glitches. 

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Have you tried any of these 6 tips to speed up your email on your phone? What’s the biggest frustration you struggle with on your iPhone or Android that you need help with? Let us know by writing us at CyberGuy.com/Contact 

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