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The setting is animation speed. Every time you open an app, switch screens or pull down the notification shade, Android plays a short motion effect first. Shorten those effects or remove them, and your phone feels faster.
The word that matters is “feels.” Your processor, memory and storage stay exactly as they were. What shrinks is the gap between a tap and a finished screen, and that gap is most of what people mean by speed.
This is one of the simplest ways to make an Android phone faster without installing anything. Here is what actually happens when you change it, and how to do it on Pixel, Samsung and Xiaomi phones.
Why Animations Make Your Phone Feel Slower
Animations are the fades, slides and zooms Android plays while a screen changes. They look polished, but each one takes a fraction of a second. Over a day of tapping, those fractions add up.
Android controls their speed with three settings. Together they are known as animation scale, and despite the name they control how fast animations play, not how large they are.
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Window animation scale | Windows, dialogs and menus opening and closing |
| Transition animation scale | Moving between screens and apps |
| Animator duration scale | Motion inside apps, such as buttons fading in |
Guides draw the line between the first two slightly differently, and you change all three together anyway. Most phones ship with each one at 1x. Lower numbers play faster, and 0.5x cuts every animation to half its normal length.
Quick Fix: Use Remove Animations on Pixel and Samsung
The quickest route is one accessibility toggle called Remove animations. It turns off on-screen animations completely.
- Pixel: Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Color and motion, and turn on Remove animations.
- Samsung: Open Settings, tap Accessibility, then Visibility enhancements, and turn on Remove animations.
Google lists the Pixel route in its Accessibility Help.
The trade-off is that this is all or nothing. Screens jump instantly with no gentle in-between, and Samsung users have pointed out that the toggle has no half-speed option. If you would rather shorten animations than remove them, use the Developer options method below. It also works on Xiaomi and other phones where you can’t find the toggle.
Step-by-Step: Set Animation Scale to 0.5x
Developer options is a hidden menu built for app testing. You only need three entries from it, so leave everything else alone. Samsung notes that using Developer options isn’t supported and may affect phone performance.
Step 1: Turn On Developer Options
- Open Settings and tap About phone.
- Tap Build number seven times in a row. Enter your PIN, pattern or password if asked. A message confirms that you are now a developer.
The exact path depends on your brand:
- Samsung: Go to About phone, then Software information, then tap Build number seven times.
- Xiaomi (HyperOS): In About phone, tap the HyperOS or OS version seven times.
- Other brands: Wording varies, so use the search bar in Settings to look for “Build number.”
Step 2: Find the Three Animation Settings
Developer options appears in a different place on each phone:
- Pixel and many other phones: Settings > System > Developer options.
- Samsung: At the very bottom of the main Settings menu.
- Xiaomi: Settings > Additional settings > Developer options.
Once inside, scroll to the Drawing section, where the three animation settings sit.
Step 3: Set Each One to 0.5x
- Tap Window animation scale and choose 0.5x.
- Tap Transition animation scale and choose 0.5x.
- Tap Animator duration scale and choose 0.5x.
The change applies immediately, so you can leave the menu and try it straight away. Each list also offers an Animation off option if you want to go further.
What to Expect After the Change
Menus open sooner, apps appear sooner and screens switch sooner. That is the whole effect.
| Option | What you notice | Suits you if… |
|---|---|---|
| 1x (default) | Standard motion | You like the polished look |
| 0.5x | Animations take half as long | You want a quicker feel that still has motion |
| Off | Screens switch instantly | Speed matters more than looks |
Nothing else changes. It is not a magic fix for an old phone. The hardware does the same work either way, so app load times and gaming performance stay where they were. If an app takes a full second to load, a shorter animation can’t shorten that wait.
Side Effects to Know Before You Commit
- Animations can hide loading time. On slower phones, turning them off can leave you watching an app sit for a few seconds while it loads, which feels worse. If that happens, go back to 0.5x.
- Faster motion can look jarring. Phones are designed to look best at normal animation speed, so try the change for a day before deciding.
- Motion sensitivity works the other way. Google describes Remove animations as a way to help you focus, so less motion may suit you for comfort as well as speed.
- It’s fully reversible. Set the three scales back to 1x, or switch Remove animations off. To hide Developer options entirely, open it and turn off the switch at the top.
If Your Phone Still Feels Slow
Animation changes won’t help a phone that is genuinely struggling. These are the next-easiest checks:
- Install pending updates. System updates can address existing performance issues.
- Remove apps you no longer use. They take up storage and may keep running background activity.
- Keep some storage free. A phone with almost no free space tends to slow down, so clear old downloads and videos.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does turning off animations really make an Android phone faster?
It makes the phone feel faster, not process faster. The processor does the same work, but you spend less time watching motion effects before a screen appears.
Should I choose 0.5x or Off?
Start with 0.5x. It keeps a little motion, so app launches still look natural. Choose Off only if you want instant switching and don’t mind how abrupt it feels.
Is it safe to change animation scale?
Yes. These are standard entries in Developer options and you can revert them at any time. The rest of that menu is meant for testing apps, so leave other options alone.
Why can’t I see Developer options?
It stays hidden until you tap Build number seven times. On Samsung, Build number sits under Software information. On Xiaomi HyperOS, tap the OS or HyperOS version instead.
