Knowing your Android RAM

Your Android’s RAM is an important aspect of your device that tells you how fast or how capable your device is in satisfying your multitasking needs.The RAM is a ready-to-access storage that stores temporary data so your device can easily open application and access other data when in need. In this article, we’ll talk all about your Android’s RAM, how it works, and how can you optimize it.

RAM—short for Random Access Memory—is your computer or handset’s memory where data are temporarily stored. RAM are designed to cache data such as you recently opened applications and other data so that you easily access them once you need them. With RAM, your device doesn’t need to always access data directly from the hard drive or SD card which is slower compared to data being written or accessed in the RAM. So when you see that your RAM is almost used up, that means that it has stored the necessary data for you to easily access them. An empty RAM is a wasted RAM.

How does it work?

Your Windows-powered desktop computer and Android devices have their own way on how they manage its RAM.

Image credit to Gareth

Your Windows desktop computer are designed for multitasking and they store all  opened programs data in the RAM so you can easily access them whenever you need them.

When the RAM is full and you launch another program—for instance a game—a swapping to disk occurs where some of the data stored in the RAM are written back to the desktop’s hard drive to make some space for the launched program. Writing and reading from your computer’s hard drive is slower than reading and writing data in the RAM so you’ll notice that your computer will sometimes lag.

So for Windows desktop computers, it’s best to close unused programs to make some space in your RAM. You can also add additional RAM to your computer to boost its multitasking capabilities.

Image credit to Eddle

In the case of Android devices, Android stores all the necessary data from your Android system data, apps, and other essential data in the RAM so you can easily access them when you need them. So when you check that your Android’s RAM is 50%-80% full, it means that the RAM is doing its job in storing essential data to provide a smooth performance with your device.

If in case the RAM is full and you launch a highly-demanding app, it will terminate or remove the least priority data in the RAM to accommodate the launched app. Android devices doesn’t swap the data back to the SD card. In Android, it's either store or remove. Android automatically makes space in the RAM when an application needs it.

Image credit to Sergey

The downside of Android devices is that its RAM is integrated together with the processor and GPU inside the SOC (short for System on a Chip) so you can’t easily add or upgrade your RAM.

Optimizing RAM

Image credit to Sergey

Some Android users may think that an empty RAM makes the device run faster and use task-killer apps to kill running apps that are consuming memory. However, using these apps doesn’t help your Android device to run smoothly. Let me explain why.

Task-killer apps regularly check your RAM and automatically terminates apps that are using memory. Because apps are forced not to store its essential data on your device’s RAM, Android will be forced to access the data directly from your device's internal storage which is slower and consumes more battery compared to app being launched from the RAM.

Android will also automatically launch apps to check for updates and notifications and task-killer will kick in to terminate those apps. This continuous cycle lets task-killer apps to drain your Android’s resources and power.

Android manages its RAM automatically and you don't need a task-killer to make space in the RAM.

Stopping the RAM Leech 

An Android RAM that is almost full, however, is not always a good sign because it’s also an indicator that there are an unwanted or a malicious app running in the background. Instead of using task-killer apps that terminate both good and unwanted apps, you can manually check which apps are running and stop or uninstall those unwanted apps.

Your Android device has a built-in app manager that lets you see which app are currently running in the background. It’s location depends on your Android OS but it’s generally located under App manager in the Settings menu. In the case of my HTC One, it’s located under Settings > Apps and swiping to the Running tab.

In this list, you will find how much memory left and which app is currently running in the background. If you find an unwanted app, you may stop that app or report it. You may also choose to uninstall it from your Android device to prevent it from consuming memory in the future.

You may also opt to use the Android app Watchdog Task Manager. This app gives you a list of running apps and stop misbehaving apps from devouring your RAM.

A drastic solution would be to install custom ROMs. Some custom ROMs are designed to be lightweight and consume fewer device resources than the OEM—short for Original Equipment Manufacturer—ROM that comes with your device. Be reminded though that flashing custom ROMs can void your warranty and may even brick your device. So it’s wise that you do some research before doing the deed.

Also, be sure that you know the limits of your Android device. Don’t expect to run demanding apps on a low-end Android device. Be sure to check a device’s Android RAM and other performance specs before making the purchase.

Android RAM is an essential part of your Android device that helps improve performance. Don't fret that your Android RAM is full of data. It's just doing its job to ensure that you have a smooth and fast experience with your Android device.

(Banner image credit to Daniel)