There is nothing quite so annoying as a social media app that won’t respond quickly to your scrolling, to reactions you leave on different posts, and to the comments and updates that you want to share.
A slow Facebook might as well be a broken one, as it removes the convenience and instant connectivity of the social app, and leaves you waiting for it to load effectively.
Of course, in order to fix a slow Facebook app, you first need to identify what is causing it to run so slowly. Which is where this article comes in handy. Without further ado, here are a handful of the most common reasons why your Facebook app may be running slowly, and how to fix the issues.
Your App Is Outdated
Arguably the most common cause behind any Facebook issue, especially if you most often browse via the Facebook app, is an outdated version of that app.
Facebook is constantly rolling out updates, fixes, and adjustments to the running of the app and its plethora of features. While you don’t need to download every single new version that appears, you do need to stay on top of the updates every so often. If you don’t, the app you use will start to become outdated and will be unsupported – more likely to run slowly and suffer loading issues and more.
The best fix for this is to update your app every month or so, so you never fall too far behind on the recommended and optimum version of Facebook that’s available.
You’re Browsing in Data Saver Mode
Did you know that Facebook offers a reduced resolution for videos and visual content, that preserves data and therefore saves you both the cost of high data usage and the drain on your device battery life?
While data saver mode is great for those occasions when you want to minimise the battery usage while browsing Facebook, this comes at a cost – most notably reducing the speed at which your Facebook loads and responds to your actions.
If your Facebook seems to be running slowly, head into your Settings to check for – and switch off – data saving mode. Simply click the ‘Settings and Privacy’ button then choose ‘Settings’ and ‘Media’ from the list that appears. Under the heading ‘Video Quality’ make sure that the ‘Optimised’ option has a check, and that ‘Data Saver’ is clear.
This will turn off data saver mode and ensure that your app is running efficiently.
Your Cache Is Full
The Facebook cache collects and stores data relating to the pages you open and the activity you perform on the app – all in the name of helping your Facebook profile and updates load more efficiently when in use.
However, as the cache stores all information to facilitate faster loading, over time it becomes packed full of information which is outdated and no longer relevant. This is when you need to think about clearing the cache and removing unnecessary data to clear your Facebook experience.
To clear your Facebook cache, follow these steps:
- Select the menu button and head into your Facebook Settings
- In the Settings menu, scroll down until you find the menu item labelled ‘Browser’
- Under the section ‘Browsing Data’, select the grey ‘Clear’ button
This will clear your Facebook cache – and should help your app to run more quickly and smoothly.
Your Connection Is Bad
Finally, there is no getting past a bad connection – whether it be a weak signal or an overloaded Wifi router.
Without a strong internet connection, your Facebook browsing experience will remain slow. So, make sure that you are connected to Wifi or have good 4G or even 5G before trying to upload content or share a new post.
We hope this helps. A slow Facebook can be incredibly frustrating to use – though it is usually fairly straightforward to fix. Follow the above tips to stay on top of your Facebook experience and to ensure that your app runs smoothly.
