He good performance of a mobile phone depends on three factors Fundamentals: the processor that it has integrated, how is the optimization of system resources and RAM memory. And while in the first two we can barely intervene, we can try to manage the RAM on our own.
In fact, you may not have known, but memories tend to degrade over time. Hence, it is vitally important to know what its performance is like and how you can slow down this degradation process.
Developer options hide the secret of RAM
As we mentioned earlier, in any Android mobile there is a settings panel where you can consult the RAM consumption in detail. However, it is a slightly hidden panelsince it requires developer options to be activated.
So, the first thing is to activate these options by going to the settings and the ‘Device Information’ panel. Here you must click seven times in succession on ‘Build number’ for them to activate.
Already entering ‘Options for developers’, which is usually located in the ‘System’ section, you will see that ‘Memory’ appears as the first option. All you have to do is press to access a complete menu of information about RAM.
there you can consult the consumption of RAM by periods of time and applications. Information is also displayed about whether memory performance is normal or not, the average usage in percentage, as well as the amount of free memory being left.
While degradation is inevitable, it can be slowed down
It happens with the battery, it happens with the RAM and with practically any component of the mobile. Degradation with use is completely normal. In light of this, the best way for a mobile phone not to be harmed by it is to turn it off and thus completely reduce its use.
However, seeing that even being put in a drawer something would end up degrading, even minimally, and that it is not the most sensible option either, there are ways to ‘fight’ against the passage of time in the same way that happens when we want to extend the useful life of the battery. For RAM, we can apply these tips:
- Turn it off every once in a while, which is not the same as having it always turned off, but something helps. And it is that this action offers multiple benefits such as restarting processes and thus improving performance. And in line with what we have been discussing, it is a good way to make the components “rest” without being active all the time. And more RAM, which is emptied when the terminal is turned off.
- Reduce the use of the most ‘hungry’ apps thanks to the information panel that we mentioned earlier. Although in some cases it will be impossible for you to stop using the apps that consume the most, in a certain way you can limit their use.
- Focus RAM efforts based on what we saw previously. In other words, if you have to use one of those apps that consume a lot of RAM, try to have only that one running and not other apps in order to concentrate consumption on it and not have others that, even in small parts, produce more consumption. . Technically there will never be a single process consuming RAM, but it can be greatly reduced.
- Close apps you don’t use. Although it sounds contradictory because keeping apps open improves their performance and even saves battery life, in the end it overloads your RAM.
- Control which apps are activated when you turn on the mobile, something that if you neglect it can end up consuming RAM unnecessarily. Controlling which apps are active from startup and disabling them is something that can be done natively in some customization layers from settings by looking for options like “autostart” and the like. For models without this native option there are apps like Autostarts or Startup Manager.
Thus, although you will never achieve zero degradation in RAM, you will at least be able to extend its useful life. If, if necessary, you notice that consumption is still excessive and that the performance has worsened, it may be time to go through technical support or buy a new mobile. As long as the one you have is not under warranty, since in that case it could be a factory defect that, of course, the manufacturer should cover for you.
And the latter is especially noteworthy, given that the time it takes for the RAM to degrade is not exactly short. Although there is no written rule here and it also depends on the qualities of the component and the use made of it, as a general rule it should perform well for at least five years.
After that time, we can begin to see degradation symptoms in performance, slowness being the main and most noticeable. Although, again as we said at the beginning, the type of processor and its corresponding degradation also influence here, as well as the management of resources that the operating system itself exercises.
In Xataka Android | If your Android mobile is slow, check if you have any memory-sucking app: this is how you can do it
