Stabilizing framerate of Android games

androidframerate

I've been playing some fast-paced, focus-demanding games like Super Hexagon and Size DOES Matter on my Sony Xperia Z1 recently, and I've noticed something that has been bothering me.

Sometimes I get frame rate hiccups, stutters, drops, or whatever you want to name it, while playing these games. This happens most often on the train, on which I suspect it happens due to constant changes in connection types, such as Edge, 3G, 4G and possibly even Wi-Fi, which might then trigger stuff in background processes. (I don't know any of this for sure, it's just pure speculation).

Anyways, this is a really annoying problem, since a single badly timed stutter can ruin what could have been a perfect playthrough.

So here's my question:
What can I do to eliminate, or at least minimize these stutters while playing?

Going into Airplane Mode seems to help alleviate the problem a bit, however, if I want to have my score posted in the leaderboards, e.g. in Size DOES Matter, I need to have an internet connection. What to do..? :-/

Best Answer

Tips on how to improve performance in games, and in Android in General:

Simple Ways:

  • Keep your device up-to-date with the latest firmwares and software (apps). Android 4.1 gave a significant boost in speed, so try to obtain that update.
  • Remove unwanted apps from your phone, or disable them so they don't take precious resources during gaming
  • Disable automatic syncing. Android Versions 4.2+ add this option in the quick settings, while Android 2.3+ on Samsung should have this options in the notification tray. It is also in the Sync Tab in settings
  • Disable animations, which can be set in developers tab inside options

Advanced Ways

  • Consider using a different rom that is not stock, such as CyanogenMOD or MIUI. These roms are normally faster than stock roms, since they don't carry any bloatware, while having their own optimisations. NEEDS ROOT
  • Overclock your CPU. Steps for your device can be found on Google. NEEDS ROOT
  • Force GPU Rendering in application. Can be found inside Developers Option
  • Copy Apps to external SD card. Use the app App2SD NEEDS FAST SD CARD AND ROOT
  • At least once use TRIM on your Android Phone. LagFirm app does this for you. NEEDS ROOT. POSSIBLE CAUSES BRICKING. PLEASE READ MANUAL.
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