While the Kyocera DIGNO Keitai 4 is a relatively underpowered device, there are multiple strategies available to improve performance and reduce crashes on the device.

The following methods of improving performance do not require rooting or modifying the device.

As the DIGNO 4 only has 1GB of RAM, it frequently runs out of memory, requiring it to use swap in order to not close applications. If the device does not have enough space in its internal storage, it cannot achieve this, requiring the OS to kill apps, or causing the apps to crash. To mitigate this, ensure your device has at least half a gigabyte of storage free, though a full gigabyte is recommended. Storage information is shown in the Settings app under More settings > Storage > Internal storage.

Unfortunately, this means the already limited capacity of the DIGNO 4 is further reduced. While photos, videos, recordings, and other files can be written to and stored on an SD card, it is not possible to run applications from one. With a rooted device, it is possible to treat the SD card as Internal storage, allowing apps to be installed on it.

While none of the built-in applications on the DIGNO 4 have animations, third-party apps often animate menus, actions and more. Many of these animations are choppy or laggy on the device; they can even slow the app down, despite only being for visual purposes. Reducing animations takes load off of the GPU, and make the device feel more snappy.

Android has a global setting to reduce animations. While it is not included in the DIGNO 4's settings menu, the setting is accessible through the hidden android settings menu, under Accessibility > Reduce Animations.

Some individual apps may also have settings regarding animations. These can often be found in “Accessibility” or “Appearance” menus.

While this can be a more hands on method, it does not require root. Android allows users to format SD cards as “adoptable” storage. Adoptable storage can be used to install apps, just like internal storage. This can free up space on the phone's internal storage. However, the data on the SD card can only be accessed from the phone, or through the phone when plugged into a computer, as it is encrypted. The SD card cannot be read outside of the device.