Database Users

What the **** is up with the ram?

On the nexus one there is about 500 mb of ram. Whenever I put my phone on and I kill all my tasks, I only have 120 mb. This is not the biggest problem because after about 30 minutes of using the phone, no matter if I kill all the apps, the ram goes to 70mb - 79mb.

Android 2.2 should fix this.
Or you can use a custom ROM such as cyanogen, with which i have over 230MB free RAM after closing apps

There are already a million and now one threads on this subject, search and you shall find all you could ever care to know about the subject.

You should be using the RAM, not freeing it. The only way you lose battery is if the Application/Widget is downloading or using the CPU/GPU. On your PC, do you go to task manager and kill apps every time?

I know it's a hard habit to kick coming from a G1 where it seemed necessary. But on a Nexus, you really don't need to. The only times I have to use it are when an application hangs.

What the **** is up with everyone not wanting the memory in their phones/computers to be used? That is what it's for! If its not being used it is going to waste.
If you guys are using task managers you have failed.

lol chillout!
People are obviously fine with it and welcome not to moan on the internet to people about not being able to use it.
Install a custom ROM if you want to dry your tears about not being able to use the extra RAM.

mets3214 said:
On the nexus one there is about 500 mb of ram. Whenever I put my phone on and I kill all my tasks, I only have 120 mb. This is not the biggest problem because after about 30 minutes of using the phone, no matter if I kill all the apps, the ram goes to 70mb - 79mb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Killing apps is 100% unnecessary on the Nexus One.
It actually wastes MORE power to kill apps and have them restart all the time, than it does to just leave them alone.
For the next week, uninstall all your task killer apps.
Then tell us how it went.

Ram goblins got to your ram, oh noes!

I'll answer his question. currently the nexus one only has half of the 512mb of RAM freed up, so you only have 256 mb right now. the next update is freeing up the other half.

RogerPodacter said:
I'll answer his question. currently the nexus one only has half of the 512mb of RAM freed up, so you only have 256 mb right now. the next update is freeing up the other half.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, you're right we didn't really directly answer his question I guess. But the point is, people shouldn't be looking at the free memory measurements anymore. Anything that isn't being used by applications will be used by the operating system for caching and other such things (this is a good thing). As soon as another applications starts up and needs that space, the kernel will give it up. Free memory doesn't use less power than memory that is in use by a sleeping process.
While you are correct that not all of the current memory of the device is addressable with the current kernel, when this limitation is removed in the next update (assuming it will be) it still wont solve the OP's problem. All it is going to mean is that even more memory will be taken up as cache space and buffers by the kernel and applications will be closed down even later so you'll still see a pretty small amount of "free" memory. If close to half of the RAM is going completely unused, then that's a lost opportunity by the kernel to cache or prefetch something.
Don't use task managers. They aren't needed and provide nothing. All they do is give fodder to the Steve Jobs' of the world that claim you need to manually micro manage memory on android devices as evidence by the number of people that use them.

Nerd rage much?

So just to clarify, apps don't really "run" in the background, they are just more readily available if they have ram dedicated to them? I'd rather not use a task manager but if it saves any of this pathetic battery I would sacrifice some performance...

DMaverick50 said:
So just to clarify, apps don't really "run" in the background, they are just more readily available if they have ram dedicated to them? I'd rather not use a task manager but if it saves any of this pathetic battery I would sacrifice some performance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The only thing task managers do is kill your battery. If you find that your phone is sluggish , doesn't respond well etc, uninstall some bad apps. Some apps aren't coded very well and remain active all the time killing your battery. Having an app checking all the time if another app is killing your battery is also killing your battery.
Bottom line: Don't use a task killer unless you find it absolutely neccesary to keep your phone running at decent speed.

DMaverick50 said:
So just to clarify, apps don't really "run" in the background, they are just more readily available if they have ram dedicated to them? I'd rather not use a task manager but if it saves any of this pathetic battery I would sacrifice some performance...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Look at the link in my signature, it'll explain how the android system manages programs.

Available RAM

I have not heard too much about this, but the available RAM on my Atrix is around ~155-160MB which seems really low considering nothing but syncing services are running.
How is your phone keeping up?

i.mac said:
I have not heard too much about this, but the available RAM on my Atrix is around ~155-160MB which seems really low considering nothing but syncing services are running.
How is your phone keeping up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is normal. Everyone needs to read up on how RAM works on an Android phone. Especially Android 2.2+

http://android.nextapp.com/site/systempanel/doc/taskmanagement

live4nyy said:
That is normal. Everyone needs to read up on how RAM works on an Android phone. Especially Android 2.2+
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a relief. I haven't had any issues in speed with the phone. I'm just getting apprehensive because there is so much negativity in these forums about the phone. :/

i.mac said:
That's a relief. I haven't had any issues in speed with the phone. I'm just getting apprehensive because there is so much negativity in these forums about the phone. :/
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah, I hear ya. I forget sometimes that a task killer used to be essential on older versions like 1.5/1.6

I usually have between 250-400 free, but I turn my phone off and on once or twice a day to keep it running fresh. I never see available ram that low.

im usually at around 400-450 when i keep it normal....try to clean up the crap out some bloated scripts on webtop, that'll free up some space, and also delete the bloatware from the apps...if you do that and don't run a secondary launcher, you should be fine...im just running motoblur adeo modded which keeps it lean.

I am running launcher pro. I'll try running Blur. How do I remove the bloatware?

i.mac said:
I am running launcher pro. I'll try running Blur. How do I remove the bloatware?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well delete LP (it runs about 50mb when fully initialized), delete all the stock apps that you really don't need, also install adeo rom which will deox your apps so it wont run at boot, you can also install atk (it wont read the ram accurately since it has conflicts with the dual core for some reason) but it does work. it should then be at around 400+ on ram available.

You can add things to the auto close list in the built in task manager. Those apps will close out when the screen goes into standby. Lots of things stay running and sucking up ram without doing that.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

live4nyy said:
http://android.nextapp.com/site/systempanel/doc/taskmanagement
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is an interesting bit of information. I never realized any of that. I always look at the little memroy stat on my sense clock widget and hate when my memory gets low. I am always closing apps to bring up free ram.
This was one of the reasons I reverted from the adeo rom. Always had less than 200mb free and could barely get it higher. Without adeo I can keep it closer to 300mb.
It always seems that my phone runs fine no matter what the available ram states so it makes sense to me that it doesn't matter. Perhaps now I won't concern myself with it as much and maybe even give launcher pro another go.

Mafisometal said:
well delete LP (it runs about 50mb when fully initialized), delete all the stock apps that you really don't need, also install adeo rom which will deox your apps so it wont run at boot, you can also install atk (it wont read the ram accurately since it has conflicts with the dual core for some reason) but it does work. it should then be at around 400+ on ram available.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
waltah! said:
You can add things to the auto close list in the built in task manager. Those apps will close out when the screen goes into standby. Lots of things stay running and sucking up ram without doing that.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I hate to say it but you guys have no idea what you're talking about. Just read the link I posted earlier and do some research on your own about the matter. All you're doing is putting stress on the system and killing your battery.

I have a ton of stuff on my phone and it usually doesn't go lower than 300mb free. Usually more around 400-450.
Sent from my MB860 using XDA App

live4nyy said:
I hate to say it but you guys have no idea what you're talking about. Just read the link I posted earlier and do some research on your own about the matter. All you're doing is putting stress on the system and killing your battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
this man speaks the truth.
I'm running launcher pro, blur stuff frozen, always have more than 300mb free. want to know the best way to clean up the RAM? go delete all the excess apps you don't actually need or use. I'm willing to bet there are a good number that you haven't used since first downloading thinking they'd be cool.

cegna09 said:
this man speaks the truth. .
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yea, verily. This is why I'm not especially worried about the Bionic's or the G2X's smaller RAM capacities. I have killed a lot of bloatware and typically have more than half my Atrix's memory available. Since "available" basically equals "wasted", I'm not going to have any problem returning the phone to hold out for the G2X.
(I would probably feel differently if I could see myself getting much use out of the Atrix's webtop OS.)

Can anyone confirm if Adeo works on the Bell version? Thanks.
Also, do I use Titanium Backup to backup all the stock apps incase I decide to return?

i.mac said:
Can anyone confirm if Adeo works on the Bell version? Thanks.
Also, do I use Titanium Backup to backup all the stock apps incase I decide to return?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure if it's working for the Bell version.
The Adeo install script creates a backup file of your system files. Titanium will only backup the apk files, not the odex files. So if you wanted to return it you would have to take the created backup file, extract the required folders, then repackage and rename them to work with the adeounistall script. Be sure to replace the folder that is already in there.

live4nyy said:
Not sure if it's working for the Bell version.
The Adeo install script creates a backup file of your system files. Titanium will only backup the apk files, not the odex files. So if you wanted to return it you would have to take the created backup file, extract the required folders, then repackage and rename them to work with the adeounistall script. Be sure to replace the folder that is already in there.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! And I suppose there is a tutorial for this. I have used a lot of abd with my Nexus but I always had a tutorial to refer to.

Why do you need more than 200mb of RAM available? I use a Milestone 1 and I get 30 to 50MB available and it works like a charm. Memory management in Android is automatic, way different from a desktop OS. It frees up memory as soon as you need it.

I run Memory Booster which has task killer and quick boost. When I run it after start up, I hit around low 600 mb free. When I run it when the phone dips to the 300 mb range, it normally frees up 150 to 200 mb.

What would you like to see in a custom ROM?

As you know, the fact that bootloaders are unlocked leaves an open door for third party firmwares (custom ROMs) to be applied to the phone.
Usually custom ROMs expand the functionalities of the phone and correct some of the software shortcomings. Even though the phone is only recently in the market, there may be some feature wishes and some complaints already.
In short, what features shoud a custom ROM add and what shortcomings should it correct?
I will start:
With the not-so-last gen processor the Play has, it is probably necessary to be able to overclock it.
I would like a minimal ROM (aka without bloatware) as it seems that the booting time of stock ROMs is incredibly high and it is caused by bloatware.
I don't have the phone yet (it's on its way ^^) but I have read things about the brightness setting being too dim and not changeable.

Logseman said:
As you know, the fact that bootloaders are unlocked leaves an open door for third party firmwares (custom ROMs) to be applied to the phone.
Usually custom ROMs expand the functionalities of the phone and correct some of the software shortcomings. Even though the phone is only recently in the market, there may be some feature wishes and some complaints already.
In short, what features shoud a custom ROM add and what shortcomings should it correct?
I will start:
With the not-so-last gen processor the Play has, it is probably necessary to be able to overclock it.
I would like a minimal ROM (aka without bloatware) as it seems that the booting time of stock ROMs is incredibly high and it is caused by bloatware.
I don't have the phone yet (it's on its way ^^) but I have read things about the brightness setting being too dim and not changeable.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may be working on an overclock kernel this weekend, it all depends on family stuff plus footy.

MOOOOOOORE MEMORY i dont even need a custom rom, just wish i had more than 40mb free ram at some point lol

AndroHero said:
MOOOOOOORE MEMORY i dont even need a custom rom, just wish i had more than 40mb free ram at some point lol
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Doesn't sound right. I usually have over 200 free when the phones idle and no where near full when using FPSE etc.

Disable auto brightness and can set it manual (and increase more brightness).
Sent from my R800i using XDA App

As mentioned, a bloat free rom. Pure Android port maybe?
There should be another loader than play, something thats able to load psx,snes,mame (single games) and every other games u installed by opening the pad. With the possibility to add/remove stuff after u install it.
Overclock is mentioned. (Only 1500 in quadrant original??) FPS is okay though.
(I hope wolves - sunderland is canceled, so we have something to look forward too.)

finty said:
Doesn't sound right. I usually have over 200 free when the phones idle and no where near full when using FPSE etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think he's refering to Internal Storage rather than RAM.
Since we suffer from very low internal storage, it would be great if a new ROM would provide something similar to the app2sd application (forces apps to install all data to SD). Might be a big ask though?

Rixter757 said:
I think he's refering to Internal Storage rather than RAM.
Since we suffer from very low internal storage, it would be great if a new ROM would provide something similar to the app2sd application (forces apps to install all data to SD). Might be a big ask though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure you can move most app data to the SD from settings AFAIK. Bit of a pain though so installing to SD automatically would be nice.

finty said:
Sure you can move most app data to the SD from settings AFAIK. Bit of a pain though so installing to SD automatically would be nice.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yuck, I got that wrong I thought app2sd allowed the footprint part of the installation to be mostly moved to SD. Kinda hoped the 30Mb of Asphalt etc cud be reduced to <1Mb or sumthin. Daft now that I think of it.
I agree then, no point in app2sd cuz I manually move the data when I install stuff anyway.
Admin, can someone wipe my replies to this cuz it's only taking up space on what shud be a valuable thread!!

1, faster boot-up time.
2, ability to pick the games you want to have in the games launcher (or a new launcher).
3, widgets from desire.
4, R/L buttons as camera buttons when active.
5, R/L buttons as volume when camera not active, i find the original volume buttons a pain, even more when you have a case/shell on
6, brighter screen for them sunny days.

Rixter757 said:
I think he's refering to Internal Storage rather than RAM.
Since we suffer from very low internal storage, it would be great if a new ROM would provide something similar to the app2sd application (forces apps to install all data to SD). Might be a big ask though?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nope im talking about ram. If you guys have issues with storage, fire up adb, connect your device. And input.
adb shell
$ pm setinstalllocation2
$ exit
This will force all apps to be allowed to install to the sd card, and games like ashpalt take less than a mb
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

AndroHero said:
Nope im talking about ram. If you guys have issues with storage, fire up adb, connect your device. And input.
adb shell
$ pm setinstalllocation2
$ exit
This will force all apps to be allowed to install to the sd card, and games like ashpalt take less than a mb
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice tip cheers lad. Still not seeing how you are having problems with ram usage though, I haven't encountered any. If anything I am constantly surprised at the amount I have free when gaming etc.

Nope im talking about ram. If you guys have issues with storage, fire up adb, connect your device. And input.
adb shell
$ pm setinstalllocation2
$ exit
This will force all apps to be allowed to install to the sd card, and games like ashpalt take less than a mb
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice tip cheers lad. Still not seeing how you are having problems with ram usage though, I haven't encountered any. If anything I am constantly surprised at the amount I have free when gaming etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe its cuz i have 200+ apps installed lol
Sent from my R800i using Tapatalk

bitme30 said:
As mentioned, a bloat free rom. Pure Android port maybe?
There should be another loader than play, something thats able to load psx,snes,mame (single games) and every other games u installed by opening the pad. With the possibility to add/remove stuff after u install it.
Overclock is mentioned. (Only 1500 in quadrant original??) FPS is okay though.
(I hope wolves - sunderland is canceled, so we have something to look forward too.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
well with my fone rooted and afew things gone such as timescape
i get 1800+ in quadrant
but as far as custom roms i would love the miui rom
i had it on my x10 and thought it was exellent
i like the look and how fast and vibrant it was
so come on tripNraver or someone else port it over plz

App2EXT
As I hate the original android app2sd... as all widgets get broken by this method...

From what I've heard, since Verizon has fallen asleep.
1. Bare bone rom. Like to where you have to install gapps and other stuff. Only to have the apps android comes with.
2. R1 as take picture and L1 as focus.
3. Ability to add any shortcut to the "game app," forgot what it was called. Whether it be a app or game.
4. No overclock applied. Let the user add a overclocking app if they want.
5. Power control widget in the status bar.
6. And supper user of coarse
Sent from my ERIS using XDA App

i want a stock android tbh, STOCK; and of-course, an overclocking module

id love an option to disable data traffic automatically when the phones screen is turned off, if this could be built into a custom stock gingerbread rom. the reason that would be awsome is cause it would double your batterylife and save using a widget and having to manually turn it on and off wasting time.
also R1 for taking picture and L1 for focus
having a battery percentage in the status bar would be amazing ( i know theres apps to do this but again if it was built in the rom as stock)
I would love a better keyboard, i came from an iphone and androids keyboard is just not accurate enough.
thanks in advance whoever takes the time to make this possible i understand it takes alot of time and effort to help others but rest assured it also makes many people happy . I wish sony would have released this phone in a more polished state it feels half finished and fragmented with all the apps and games markets

CM7 or MIUI with apps2ext+
Overclocking kernel with CIFS
enough said..

FrAsErTaG said:
CM7 or MIUI with apps2ext+
Overclocking kernel with CIFS
enough said..
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can agree with that

[Q] Ram ?

May i ask why is the ram used always 500-600 / 776 even after closing all programs? Is this normal?

Yes, it is normal, but with touch of some devs we could get more
Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk

Honestly, the fact that a lot of RAM is being used is a good thing. Think about it. If you have loads of free unused RAM, then that's just really high speed memory that isn't being used to make your system and apps run and load faster.

Jade Eyed Wolf said:
Honestly, the fact that a lot of RAM is being used is a good thing. Think about it. If you have loads of free unused RAM, then that's just really high speed memory that isn't being used to make your system and apps run and load faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
make sense but somehow looking at that amount of ram use doesn't seem to justify the speed i feel
Well, maybe just get use to it and hope it gets better after some nice update

The only problem of too much used ram is that the garbage collection on the the Tab7.7 is quite bad and needs to be tweaked once you have 50mb free ram it starts to significantly slow down till the low memory killer decides to kick in.

elsonhwx said:
make sense but somehow looking at that amount of ram use doesn't seem to justify the speed i feel
Well, maybe just get use to it and hope it gets better after some nice update
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I not sure how many times this needs to be repeated, but the lag is due to honeycomb and touchwiz, and likely won't change till ICS arrives.

Jade Eyed Wolf said:
Honestly, the fact that a lot of RAM is being used is a good thing. Think about it. If you have loads of free unused RAM, then that's just really high speed memory that isn't being used to make your system and apps run and load faster.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Except that most of it is filled with bloatware that most of us won't even use.
I hate how Android decides for me what it will load. I have no control of it and that is annoying. I wish it was more like a PC where you can uninstall the crap you don't want and be shut of it for good.

DaveC1964 said:
Except that most of it is filled with bloatware that most of us won't even use.
I hate how Android decides for me what it will load. I have no control of it and that is annoying. I wish it was more like a PC where you can uninstall the crap you don't want and be shut of it for good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
A windows 8 tablet might give you just that and I would assume the modding community for it will be bigger.

DaveC1964 said:
I wish it was more like a PC where you can uninstall the crap you don't want and be shut of it for good.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can... root it (takes around 2 minutes) and use Titanium Backup to freeze or even uninstall system apps.

Richdog said:
You can... root it (takes around 2 minutes) and use Titanium Backup to freeze or even uninstall system apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
which apps can be freeze ?
Thank you

might as well try installing autostarts app so you will have control on the app that will run on certain event, such as during boot up, when wifi is turned on etc. saves ram and loading times (during boot up not the app themselves)

I just uninstalled a bunch of stuff, about 61 APK's this includes apps that I will never use and widgets that I dont use that auto starts.

koofaa said:
which apps can be freeze ?
Thank you
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is a very good question. Whats apps could safely be frozen that wont interfeer with the operation of the tab. Everytime i clear ram using the stock task manager it closes over 20 apps, i would like to know what they are and if i really need them.
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium

Mine is always used maxed at 650mb.. If I clear them, it will go down to 420.. sometime even 380..

650MB sounds about right as we only have 766MB of usable mem, andriod tends to keep between 75-95mb of free ram for god knows what.

i just get tired of stupid TouchWiz to kill my browser or Reader each time i go to Home launcher and open something else

Richdog said:
You can... root it (takes around 2 minutes) and use Titanium Backup to freeze or even uninstall system apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tried that on my phone and it ended up freezing the GUI somehow (even though I only froze bloat) so I could no longer use the phone at all. I had to reflash the FW through odin and set up all over again. What a pain. I am a bit aprehensive to freeze anything now.

which system apps that we suppose to freez and it's save??do you have any suggestion??
Sent from my GT-P6800 using xda premium

i am having some issues with the ram - it gets to a point where the device becomes unresponsive using around 750 mb of ram - not sure exactly why and i dont always have alot of apps open - i am forced to hold the power button down and restart - i am rooted running the magnolia tab 1.1 beta - i dont remember if this was happening before i rooted / running this rom - i am not running any widgets at all now and it is still happening - anyone else having this issue ?

I suspect the missing ram may have been stolen by the Mali graphics adapter. I'm not certain but since this is a SOC there isn't any place to put ram so it just nicks done system ram. It seems like a lot to go missing but texture can be pretty large these days.
Sent from my GT-P6800 using Tapatalk

What's your idle ram usage?

See title. Feel like the ram usage on my note 4 is high even when "idle". Please see attached image for details.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
PS any tips on how to free up ram would be appreciated.

research47 said:
See title. Feel like the ram usage on my note 4 is high even when "idle". Please see attached image for details.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
PS any tips on how to free up ram would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Mine is using 1.77GB. Using Dynamic Kat ROM.

research47 said:
See title. Feel like the ram usage on my note 4 is high even when "idle". Please see attached image for details.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
PS any tips on how to free up ram would be appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I read on these devices it's supposed to be high. Sounds counter intuitive, but it allows quick access to ram or something along those lines. A quick Google search should help you out.
Sent from my SM-N910T using XDA Free mobile app

Mine is 2.38.
Btw, this is mine without clearing anything, I ran all my normal apps and kept them in memory. Sure, I can get low memory if I clear my recently used apps, but that is not reality.

unused ram is wasted ram so you don't have to worry about it

Stock rooted. 1.56gb idle

Thanks for all the reply. Thought there was something wrong with my device.

I'm on stock rom and I've debloated my device my self. I deleted apps and services, turned off other things that I couldn't delete. My RAM usually sits between 1.16Gb to 1.42Gb.

worrying about idle ram is like worrying about benchmarks...
both mean nothing in a normally functioning phone..

I just posted this answer on reddit, but I guess I will try and spread the word a little more so that these posts stop coming up.
Android uses the Linux kernel, in the world of Linux/ Unix for those that do not know.... Unused RAM is wasted RAM. You phone will remove stuff from RAM if its getting to low on free space.

Colnart said:
unused ram is wasted ram so you don't have to worry about it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yep. If that bar isn't sitting at 2.4 to 2.7, you're not using it enough. The entirety of the RAM is getting refreshed every cycle regardless of whether or not it's being used.
dabbill said:
I just posted this answer on reddit, but I guess I will try and spread the word a little more so that these posts stop coming up.
Android uses the Linux kernel, in the world of Linux/ Unix for those that do not know.... Unused RAM is wasted RAM. You phone will remove stuff from RAM if its getting to low on free space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is true of any modern OS. Even Windows Vista or newer, which will cache commonly used apps in RAM to allow for faster app starts.

ATnTdude said:
Yep. If that bar isn't sitting at 2.4 to 2.7, you're not using it enough. The entirety of the RAM is getting refreshed every cycle regardless of whether or not it's being used.
This is true of any modern OS. Even Windows Vista or newer, which will cache commonly used apps in RAM to allow for faster app starts.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would agree, that Vista and newer has gotten better, but I would still not consider them any where near as good as Linux / Unix.