My 4-year-old Android phone is showing its age. Here’s how I’m keeping it running

The author has been using a four-year-old Nothing Phone 1 as their daily driver, despite its software update support having ended. They've found ways to maintain the phone's speed and extend its lifespan, despite it no longer receiving yearly Android updates. Replacing the battery with a newly serviced one from a licensed center was their first step, as it improved the phone's ability to power through a day.

To counteract the heat generated by the new battery, they switched to a slower 18W charger, reducing charging time but also heat production. Additionally, they replaced a heavy-duty case with a thinner one for better ventilation. They also identified which apps were draining the battery the most and replaced them with lighter alternatives, like Brave instead of Chrome and AntennaPod instead of Spotify.

This process allowed them to free up storage space and reduce battery usage. They also adjusted system settings, like reducing window and transition animations to 0.5x and lowering the screen refresh rate from 120Hz to 60Hz, which made the UI feel snappier and more efficient. They limited the phone's maximum charge to 80-90% to reduce heat buildup and delete large files and downloads to keep the internal storage fast.

To block unwanted ads, they used Android's built-in Private DNS, which worked throughout the system without the need for additional power-draining apps. They also considered installing a custom ROM, like LineageOS, for additional software support and a fresh feel, but acknowledged the loss of optimizations and certain apps or features.

They emphasized the importance of being vigilant about potential security vulnerabilities, given that their latest security update had ended. Until they could upgrade to a phone with longer software support, they were content with their optimized Nothing Phone 1.