Memory and storage are often confused. It is important to know the difference, because they perform different functions.

As an example, think of your device as an office. The internal storage (ROM) is your file cabinet. You store files in the cabinet, but you would not read or edit them there. You take files that you are using out of the file cabinet, and put them on your desk. The desk is like your internal memory (RAM), where you are using files.

Perform the following steps as regular maintenance for internal memory (RAM):

Restart the device regularly

You should restart the phone at least once a day:

1. Press and hold the Power key.
2. Touch Restart (if available) or Power Off.
3. If necessary, press the Power key to turn the device back on.

Reduce memory use

Prevent the memory from being filled as quickly:

• If the device is slow, remove the widgets from Home screens (especially ones that update with information or have animation).
• If you are using live wallpaper and the device is slow, turn off the live wallpaper.
• Remove all unused Home screens:
  • Pinch the Home screen.
  • On the grid of Home screens, drag unused screens to the trash.

Note: These things can both drain your battery faster and make your device run slower, or cause crashes in all apps.

Manage applications

Keep managing any applications that you install to keep the system running properly:

• If you notice the device having some problems and you installed apps in the past few days, then uninstall all the new apps.
• Keep your apps updated. Open the Play Store while you have a data connection, and it will check for updates.
• Read reviews of your apps in the Play Store. Not all apps work well with all phones. Read the customer reviews to see if other people complain about the app not working.
• Manage or remove apps that run in the background. Background apps use up device resources.
  1. Restart the phone.
  2. In Settings, go to Apps or Application manager, and then Running.
  3. Examine the list of apps running in the background. View applications that are running in memory, and either:
     • Uninstall the third-party apps
     • Clear the application cache
• Task and battery managers:
  • Android 4.0 and later include a task manager you can use to close running apps. Open the recent apps screen, and manage your apps listed.
    Note: Some older devices include a pre-installed task manager, which you can access from the applications menu.
  • Most Android phones can manage applications from the Settings menu.
  • Never install third-party task managers, battery managers, or apps that close and end running processes. They interfere with how Android works.
    Note: If you have installed a task manager, then uninstall it.

For devices with limited storage (ROM)

Some devices have a limited amount of storage space (example: G1, myTouch 3G, Wildfire S, Gravity SMART, etc.). These devices may show signs of low memory when the storage fills up.

If problems continue after all troubleshooting above is complete, troubleshoot with Manage internal storage (ROM) on Android.

Does deleting messages and call logs help free up memory?