Cleaning up memory

[PainFX]

How come after clearing up the memory under Device Maintenance, the used memory is still 2.6 GB? Before when I got the device, the lowest it went down to was 1.8 GB.

 

[Aquila]

Probably have 2.6 GB worth of background apps and processes + foreground apps and processes running. In general, unless you are troubleshooting a very specific issue (such as a rogue app) you never want to clear RAM on Android. You want Android to be using as much RAM at it needs to whenever it decides that it needs to.

 

[PainFX]

Probably have 2.6 GB worth of background apps and processes + foreground apps and processes running. In general, unless you are troubleshooting a very specific issue (such as a rogue app) you never want to clear RAM on Android. You want Android to be using as much RAM at it needs to whenever it decides that it needs to.

I already put those app to sleep though..

 

[Ryano89]

I already put those app to sleep though..

The system wakes up what it needs. Trust me, then only time you want to worry about RAM usage is if there is one particular app using an inordinate amount of it. Your phone has 6gb of RAM for a reason, it will perform better and faster if you allow it to use what it needs to use.

 

[PainFX]

The system wakes up what it needs. Trust me, then only time you want to worry about RAM usage is if there is one particular app using an inordinate amount of it. Your phone has 6gb of RAM for a reason, it will perform better and faster if you allow it to use what it needs to use.

The higher the ram usage, the more it drains the battery no?

 

[Carraser23]

I wouldn't clear memory, just let the system work the way it's designed.

 

[Aquila]

Not necessarily, no. Example, it may take more battery juice to kill an app, restart it and then freeze it than to just freeze it.

 

[Awhispersecho]

I have been wondering about memory as well. How in the hell do I only have 2GB free on a 6GB Ram phone. I have no games installed or running, I have podcast apps, Outlook and Microsoft apps and 7 Widgets. that's it. And yet I only have 2GB RAM free. I see that and I wonder how a Galaxy S8 runs at all. Makes no sense and I don't know what I can turn off to increase what I have available but there is no reason 4GB of my memory should be used up when I hardky have anything additional installed.

 

[1122334455667788]

I have been wondering about memory as well. How in the hell do I only have 2GB free on a 6GB Ram phone. I have no games installed or running, I have podcast apps, Outlook and Microsoft apps and 7 Widgets. that's it. And yet I only have 2GB RAM free. I see that and I wonder how a Galaxy S8 runs at all. Makes no sense and I don't know what I can turn off to increase what I have available but there is no reason 4GB of my memory should be used up when I hardky have anything additional installed.

The s8 runs fine. The only difference your likely to notice between a phone with 4GBs vs 6GB is the number of recent apps stored in memory for fast launch. When you switch back to an app you have used recently, it opens extra fast because it is still in memory. When you run out of memory, Android simply "closes" an old app from the recent list.
If a phone has 6GB of RAM, there would be no point in the phone closing recent apps after only 3 or 4GB are filled. It would basically eliminate the point of have more RAM in the first place.

 

[Zello_Police]

From personal experience I'd like to say that that theory does not apply to me what so ever. The more free ram for me the phone Flys. Otherwise it lags like crazy. Not with the note 8 but other sammies

 

[Aquila]

I have been wondering about memory as well. How in the hell do I only have 2GB free on a 6GB Ram phone. I have no games installed or running, I have podcast apps, Outlook and Microsoft apps and 7 Widgets. that's it. And yet I only have 2GB RAM free. I see that and I wonder how a Galaxy S8 runs at all. Makes no sense and I don't know what I can turn off to increase what I have available but there is no reason 4GB of my memory should be used up when I hardky have anything additional installed.

Because you want it to be using as much RAM as it needs to. The less unused RAM, the better, in general. This isn't windows, on Android RAM's ideal state is in use.

 

[Mooncatt]

Basically, free RAM is wasted RAM on Android. The programmers do know what they were doing when designing it to keep the RAM full, and clearing it (either manually or with memory boosting apps) only fights against itself.

http://m.androidcentral.com/ram-what-it-how-its-used-and-why-you-shouldnt-care

 

[Awhispersecho]

So basically, now that I've returned to Android after all three years the only thing I need to free up is my way of thinking. (see what I did there.. Pretty good huh) Anyway, thanks for the explanations and links to info. Much appreciated.

I will add. I usually only have 2 apps open in the recent app menu. I go in and close most of them so I'm not sure if that really means they are closed (stopped) or not. If it does it would then make me question the amount of available RAM again.