Over the past 15 years, TVs have become far more capable and increasingly like computers. They run operating systems, have apps, and let you stream shows and movies without a third-party device, such as a Fire TV Stick or Roku.
That said, if you’ve had your smart TV for a while, and it’s starting to feel slower, with issues like constant buffering, a laggy user interface, or software glitches, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s time to start shopping for a new TV.
Just like your PC or smartphone, smart TVs need a little maintenance and occasional adjustments to keep running at their best. No matter what brand you’re using — Samsung, LG, Sony, TCL, Vizio, Hisense, or anything else — here are four easy ways to improve and upgrade your TV experience, and best of all, they’re completely free.
Clear the cache
An easy first step to improve performance
The first thing I do whenever I’m trying to figure out why a TV is running slowly is clear the cache. Smart TVs, just like your phone or PC, build up cache data over time from all the apps installed on them. The more apps you use — and the longer you go without clearing the cache — the more that data piles up, taking up storage space and potentially slowing everything down.
Caching is meant to speed things up, and it usually does. But when there’s too much cached data for an app to sift through, performance…