When your Nothing Phone (2) is taking forever to load a webpage or buffer a video, it can really kill the vibe. The good news is that slow internet on this phone is almost always a settings issue you can fix yourself.
I'd start with the simplest fix first. Toggle your Airplane mode on and off. Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel and tap the airplane icon. Wait about ten seconds, then tap it again to turn it off. This forces your phone to reconnect to the cellular network from scratch, which can clear up a temporary glitch.
Check Your Glyph Interface Settings
This is a unique one for the Nothing Phone (2). The Glyph Interface is awesome, but its LED patterns and animations do use some system resources. If you have complex, custom Glyph patterns running for notifications, it's worth checking if they're coinciding with your slowdowns.
Head to Settings > Glyph Interface. Take a look at your notification assignments and flip patterns. You don't need to disable it entirely, but simplifying a very busy setup can sometimes help overall system performance, especially if the Snapdragon chip is getting warm from heavy multitasking.
Switch Between WiFi and Mobile Data
If your WiFi is crawling, try turning it off to see if your mobile data is faster. Swipe down and tap the WiFi icon to disable it. Browse for a minute on 4G or 5G. If it's significantly faster, the problem is likely your WiFi network, not the phone.
For the opposite test, put your phone in Airplane mode, then manually turn just WiFi back on. Connect to your network and test again. This isolates the WiFi radio. If speeds are still poor on WiFi, the next step is to forget the network and reconnect. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Internet, tap the gear icon next to your network, and select "Forget." Then reconnect by tapping on it and entering the password.
Manage Your Data Usage and Background Apps
Nothing OS has a great Data Saver feature that can stop apps from hogging bandwidth in the background. Go to Settings > Network & internet > Data Saver and toggle it on. You can also tap "Unrestricted data" to allow specific apps, like your music streamer, to bypass the restriction.
Next, check which apps are using data in the background. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps. Tap on an app you suspect, then go to Mobile data & Wi-Fi. Here, you can toggle off "Background data" for that specific app. This prevents it from updating or syncing unless you're actively using it.
Clear the Cache for Chrome and Google Services
Your browser stores temporary files to load sites faster, but a corrupted cache can have the opposite effect. Open the Chrome app, tap the three dots in the top right, and go to History > Clear browsing data. Select "Cached images and files" and tap "Clear data."
It's also a good idea to clear the cache for Google Play Services, a core system app. Go to Settings > Apps > See all apps. Tap the three-dot menu, select "Show system," then find "Google Play Services." Tap it, then go to Storage & cache > Clear cache. This won't delete any personal data.
Update Your Network Preferences
Make sure your phone is set to use the fastest available network. Go to Settings > Network & internet > SIMs (tap your active SIM). Select Preferred network type and make sure "5G" is chosen if you're in a coverage area. If 5G is spotty where you are, switching to "4G" can sometimes provide a more stable and consistent connection.
Also, verify that your date and time are set correctly, as this can affect secure connections. Go to Settings > System > Date & time and ensure "Use network-provided time" is enabled.
Disable Any VPN Connections
If you're using a VPN for privacy, try disabling it temporarily. VPNs route your traffic through another server, which almost always adds some latency and can drastically reduce speed. Swipe down to your Quick Settings and look for a VPN tile to turn it off, or go into the VPN app itself. Test your internet speed with it off to see if that's the bottleneck.
Perform a Network Settings Reset
If you're still having issues, resetting your network settings is a strong next step. This will erase all saved WiFi networks, Bluetooth pairings, and cellular preferences, but it won't touch your personal files or apps.
Go to Settings > System > Reset options. Tap "Reset Wi-Fi, mobile & Bluetooth." Confirm the reset. After your phone reboots, you'll need to reconnect to your WiFi and re-pair any Bluetooth devices, but it often resolves persistent connection bugs.
Ensure Your Software is Up to Date
Nothing frequently releases updates for Nothing OS that include performance tweaks and connectivity improvements. Go to Settings > System > System update and tap "Check for update." If an update is available, install it. It's best to do this while connected to a stable WiFi network.
Finally, don't underestimate a full restart. Press and hold the power button for about ten seconds until you feel a vibration and the phone reboots. This clears the phone's RAM and stops any errant processes that might be interfering with your network connection.