Did you know you can increase the rate at which your Android phone refreshes its screen image? This creates a much better visual feel for games. Animations will appear to be smoother and there will be a noticeable difference in gaming performance. Notice how it makes casino bingo games like those at Monopoly Casino even more fun to play. Plenty of Android devices allow you do this, including phones from Samsung and OnePlus. It is likely to be found in the ‘Settings’ section of your phone. Click on the ‘display’ section and head for the ‘advanced’ menu. Click on ‘refresh rate’. Obviously if you find this page simply click on the highest possible refresh rate to add significantly to the look of games on your phone. Use a faster internet connection The maximum speed of your internet link will crucially affect the performance of any games, whatever type of phone it is. Gaming apps need to send and receive information constantly. The gaming experience depends on this smooth flow of internet data. Delays or slow transmission speeds will make any online game seem clunky and jerky. There are many ways to improve the internet connection speed. It could be as simple as moving your router or turning off other thirsty apps. Alternatively you may need more drastic action, like finding a good wifi connection rather than a weak 4G signal. Turn off multisampling You may not have heard of this system – but some Android phones have multisample anti-aliasing, called Force 4x MSAA. This option is found on many Android phones. It is designed to increase the visual quality of games – and works. Sadly, it can also make the games slower. The visuals of the games look great – but the performance of the game becomes more clunky. This particularly applies if a smartphone has limited processing power. More elaborate and demanding games with complex graphics and visuals will drain the battery faster and cause crashes, freezes and loading problems. It’s rather complex to try turning Force 4X MSAA off to see if the games perform better. Follow these stages: Go to ‘settings’, then ‘about phone’. In this menu click on ‘build number’ seven times. You should now be told you are a developer and you will have access to advanced features. So go back to ‘settings’ and tap on ‘system’. This should now give you a choice of ‘developer options’. If you have Force 4X it will be here. Find the option where you can click to turn it off. Alternatively log on as a developer as before – and then search for Force 4X to see if it is installed on your Android phone. Clear all the unwanted junk from your phone Nothing slows up your phone like unwanted junk. If your Android gets low on storage space you’ll notice your games getting slower and slower. Firstly remove files that you are never going to use any more, like old downloaded tickets, social media photos or films you’ve already seen. Also check apps you rarely use. They can accumulate junk even while sitting unopened on your desktop. Look through photo galleries too. Many Android phones have a feature built-in to help find redundant files and apps. It’s easy to find. Click on ‘settings’, then go to ‘storage’. Tap on the button marked ‘free-up space’. It will help you clear away the stuff you don’t want any more. Turn on Dolby Enhanced audio can really improve your mobile gaming experience. Audio can even help you succeed in more complex multiplayer games where listening for cue can steer you towards winning. Dolby Atmos is a surround-sound system that can improve the whole experience. If your Android phone can support this – and sadly not all do – turn it on for a much improved gaming sensation. The Atmos feature is already on many phones, like the Samsung Galaxy. You may not realise you have it on your phone or it may be turned off. It’s easy to check. Go the ‘settings’ menu. Tap on ‘sounds and vibration’. In the ‘sound quality’ menu look if ‘Dobly Atmos’ is available. If it is try turning it on and spot the quality difference whether playing through the phone speakers or headphones. Choose a game booster Did you know there are free apps that can improve your Android phone for gaming? They offer a range of features to boost gaming performance that you may not have thought about. For example they can cut off all notifications during playing or make internal tweaks to the operating system to optimize game performance. Look for free apps like Game Booster or Dr Booster but make sure they are compatible with your phone. Consider external accessories Extra hardware may make your game playing more enjoyable. Consider extras like a controller, high quality headphones or a simple clip mount for your phone. Anyone can use them. They simply plug into your phone. Conclusion Most online gamers spend far more time choosing their games than they do optimizing their Android phone for playing them. But there are plenty of things to do that improve the playing experience of all games. Optimize your phone and you’ll find you’ll get faster, smoother and more engrossing game time. You may even rediscover some of your old favourites – and find they’ve never been as much fun.