First up, there's two issues here: low system memory (RAM) and low internal memory (storage). We'll show you how to clear up both of them to keep your Android device running smoother and faster.
Low system memory (RAM)
Many older Android devices have 1 GB of RAM or even 512 MB. If you're running some fairly intensive apps – or even just too many – your RAM can start to struggle under the pressure. The first rule of RAM Club is you don't use task killers. These are a lovely placebo if you're into that kind of thing, but task killers simply stop processes long enough for a cool bar graph or pie chart to show an impressive decrease in RAM usage. But those processes tend to start up again only a few moments later, putting you right back where you started.
The best thing to do is keep an eye on how much RAM your apps use and get rid of the problematic ones, assuming you can live without them. There are so many good apps in the Play Store it is always possible to try a bunch and find one with the functionality and resource management you are after. Android has a built in RAM monitor in Developer Options under Process Stats, where you can see the run time and RAM usage (average and peak) of your hungriest apps. If you don't have Developer Options enabled already, just go to Settings > About Phone and tap Build Number until Developer Options appears. You can also use various startup task managers like Advanced Task Manager to limit which apps and processes can run on startup.
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Low internal memory
It doesn't take a genius to realize this means you're running out of storage space on your Android. Too many large games, lots of music, pictures or video will suck up your internal storage before you know it. Depending on the version of Android you have and your manufacturer, it's important to understand how Android partitions internal storage too, so you don't think you have more space than you actually do. While you may be buying a smartphone with 32 GB of storage, you'll find you only have access to around three-quarters of it and sometimes much less (Samsung has been known to use up almost half).
The easiest thing to do when you get a low internal storage warning is to delete some stuff. Clearing your temporary folders and cached data can be a good start, but shifting your music and photos to the cloud is another (or using a music streaming service rather than local storage – but this can have data plan effects you may not like either). The other obvious thing to do is slip in a microSD card (if your phone has a slot for it) and then move everything you can over to the external SD card. You can do this in Settings > Apps > then look for ''move to SD card'' in each app. Music, pictures and other files can also be moved, but system files and apps can not.
You can also grab an app like Link2SD that will help you move everything to the SD card, but apps like these require you have root access. Having root privileges gives you much more freedom, to move apps at will, delete bloatware pre-loaded on your device and more, but we won't go into detail on that here. You can search the site and forum for more information on rooting your device. You can also set default save locations for your downloads and other data activity. Check the settings of the apps you know are responsible (like Downloads Manager or other apps that pull lots of data from the net) and set a default location for saved stuff on your SD card. You'll have to Google how to do this for your specific device, as some are simple and others require a little more work.
On a side note, there's a common belief that getting root and deleting bloatware will magically give you more storage space. This is and isn't true. Because your memory is partitioned into system memory - where everything pre-loaded (like bloatware) is stored - and data, deleting bloatware on the system side technically frees up space, but not space that you can actually use. Any apps you install or downloads you make after bloatware has been deleted will still appear on the data partition. You need to put in a bit more effort if you really want more space, by either resizing the partition or exclusively installing apps to the system partition. Of course, deleting bloatware will make you a saving on system resources like RAM because any processes associated with those apps will be gone.
Finally, know which apps you use are ridiculously huge. If you go to Settings > Storage > Apps you'll see a listing of all your apps in order of size. This is a super easy way to be selective about what apps to delete for a quick fix. Say you have a 1.4 GB game you hardly ever play. Deleting that makes much more sense that deleting twelve other smaller apps you actually do use. Also, deciding which apps you really need and getting rid of the rest not only frees up internal storage but also lightens the load on RAM and CPU. A regular factory reset, after backing up important data and apps of course, is also a good idea for keeping your system running smoothly.
If you want some further info, check out the Android Developers Blog entry on how Android manages memory.
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