Is your Android phone strained due to lack of memory? See how you can increase the RAM in anyone Android phone or tablet.
Your Android device probably has 64 GB or more of storage, but the RAM that really affects what you can do with your device may not be enough.
Most high-tech Android devices come with 2 GB or more of RAM, but some cheaper devices may have only 1 GB of RAM or even 512 MB in some cases.
Did you know that you can add RAM to a phone like you would a computer?
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Why does your phone need more RAM?
While more storage gives you more storage space for media and applications, the extra RAM helps the processor and the device as a whole run faster. Adequate RAM helps to run applications and games more efficiently.
For example, some reproduction problems are incorrectly blamed on a slow internet connection. In fact, they could be accelerated with additional RAM instead of a faster wireless connection.
How Swap RAM increases the phone's RAM
On a desktop or laptop computer, you can dedicate some of your hard disk space to increasing RAM. This is known as a file swap ή virtual memory (pagefile.sys) and exploits the free space on the hard disk or SSD when the RAM is full. Instead of discarding the data, it is stored on your drive.
The same can be done on Android to effectively increase RAM. While the basic principle is the same, running it on Android is different. You will need special software to operate it. You will also need to do root your device.
By default, some files and permissions are blocked on Android. With the root of the device, you gain control of the entire operating system and hardware. This allows you to access restricted files and hardware, as well as install and run specialized software.
Although accessing root is now easier than it used to be, the rooting process itself remains a risky endeavor. But if you want to increase the RAM on your Android phone or tablet, it is a must first root the device.
What you need to increase the RAM of your Android phone or tablet
This trick to increase RAM requires three main elements:
- A quality microSD card (class 4 or higher is best)
- An Android phone or tablet with root
- An application for managing swap memory
Note that the following solution may not work on some phones, even if they are rooted. Some phones (eg Xiaomi Redmi Note 4) limit the size of the swap file to a kernel level. This means that no amount of memory swap will increase the RAM on your Android.
Conversely, if you insist on more memory, then you will need to buy a new phone.
Use a control application to make sure your phone allows you to manually increase RAM. A good such application is MemoryInfo & Swapfile Check.
Download: MemoryInfo & Swapfile Check (Free)
Just run the application and press Start RAMExpander Test Here to start the test. If it is possible to increase the swap file, the application will indicate it with a "Congratulations" message, along with the maximum possible increase.
You will notice that this is a useful utility that also gives you various RAM and storage details.
Choose a good quality SD card to increase RAM
If the swap file on your phone or tablet can be modified, it's time to test your phone's microSD card. As noted above, this should be a fast and durable card.
Don't just buy any old microSD card. Instead, divert your thinking to good things in life. Check the score on the box when you buy a new microSD card, with a minimum class of 4, but a class 10 is the best.
Caution: Using an SD card to increase the RAM on your Android device will result in a reduced lifespan.
It is important to note that some phones do not allow the use of external storage (your microSD card) for a swap file. However, if your phone has enough internal storage, it can be used instead, but its lifespan can also be reduced.
Three applications that increase RAM in phones and tablets
Although it is possible to manually specify the swap file on your Android device, it may be easier to use an application:
- Swapper - ROOT (Free)
- Free Swapper for Root (Free)
- AMemoryBoost (Swap enabler) (Free)
Keep in mind that these are all options containing ads.
All three applications work in the same way:
- Launch the application
- Create a swap file
- Specify the size of the swap file
- Select the location for the swap file (external microSD card or internal storage)
- Wait for the swap file to be created
You may need to restart your phone after completion to initialize the swap file.
Remember to leave the application installed for as long as you want the swap file to run.
Without root? Practice better Android memory management
If your phone cannot be rooted or your phone manufacturer has set limits on manually managing swap files, not everything is lost.
If you manage your Android memory better, it may seem like you have increased it but you did not.
This includes things like using lightweight versions of applications, uninstalling applications that you no longer use, and avoiding applications such as RAM boosters and task killers. All of this does not work as advertised, and if nothing else, it runs in the background, actively using RAM!
Does increasing RAM improve the performance of your mobile?
If you manage to allocate a portion of your phone SD card to RAM, you should get immediate results. You should find that games that were previously incompatible are now running.
Beyond that, the device should be more useful and productive than ever. But that comes with a compromise.
Now you need to monitor your storage space. It is now smaller than before, thanks to the swap file. With less space devoted to files and multimedia, it will fill up faster than expected. Avoid it by keeping your data in sync with your personal mobile cloud storage.