Android's dirty little secret

Cod3rror · Dec 29, 2014

Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Neverbepeace · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that?

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Any specific phone you encountered this situation with?

Cod3rror · Dec 29, 2014

Neverbepeace said:
Any specific phone you encountered this situation with?

Started with Motorola Moto G, then I got curious if it was just my model it was happening to, so I went to a shop and extensively tested the flagship phones, they all exhibit this behaviour.

jamezr · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Hmmmmm i listen to music on my Note 4 for hours and have not had that happen to me. Sometimes even while using Chrome and still nothing like you described..What phone did you have this experience with?

maflynn · Dec 29, 2014

I can't say that I ran into the situation back when I owned an android device.

I will say imo, that the best OS for memory management is the WP platform. I found that to be the best, but then my usage habits may not be typical.

jamezr · Dec 29, 2014

maflynn said:
I can't say that I ran into the situation back when I owned an android device.

I will say imo, that the best OS for memory management is the WP platform. I found that to be the best, but then my usage habits may not be typical.

Have to agree. I think IOS and WP both manage memory better than Android does. But in all my years of using Android never have I had a blank home screen because of the memory management on a phone.

Oletros · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

This is not even wrong

MisakixMikasa · Dec 29, 2014

In iPhone with 1GB of memoery, you will see app reload just as much as Android. I have have problem of music being cut out, but I do see home screen redrawing. Yes, that is quite annoying. But I have no complain for my sub 100 dollar Moto G. I however, never experienced home screen redrawing with Nexus 5 and Nexus 7.

LIVEFRMNYC · Dec 29, 2014

I think it depends on the device. I always had top tiered Android devices, and the only problem that I had was battery life issues from devices like 4 years ago. The S3 used to be choppy at certain times, but never closed any apps.

I definitely don't have any memory issues with my Note 4. And I multitask plenty.

spinedoc77 · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Odd, I've never seen this issue. Android does have its issues though, but I don't think they are better or worse than iOS.

What's the point of this thread anyway? Why the need to troll?

Oohara · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

If stuff like this was a regular occurrence, Android phones simply would not sell. This sounds like an isolated event, and as such probably shouldn't be used as the basis for a general conclusion.

Any device has its hiccups now and then. My iPhone 6 Plus spontaneously rebooted a few times when I'd been going back and forth between the YouTube app and a webpage with several YT links on it. I didn't see this as sufficient reason to start a thread proclaiming that I'd never buy an iPhone with less than 2 gb of ram in it, however.

mrex · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

What device?

Never experienced what you just described... If you still have problem with your device, check from settings how your device handles background tasks...

nfl46 · Dec 29, 2014

maflynn said:
I can't say that I ran into the situation back when I owned an android device.

I will say imo, that the best OS for memory management is the WP platform. I found that to be the best, but then my usage habits may not be typical.

Definitely a fact. This and iOS. 1GB is just fine on those two platforms.

MRU · Dec 29, 2014

Android's dirty little secret

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Whilst I have experienced home screen reloading on touchwiz devices to a lesser and greater extent. (Note 3 and alpha less so than stock S5 & S4)

I have never experienced it on HTC's Sense 5 or 6 with 2gb ram devices (M7 or M8) and likewise neither on the Moto X 2013/14 either. My Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition also did not do this.

The LG G-Pad did do this to me, and so too a Sony Xperia Z2.

So yeah it does happen,but not in my experience on every device.

As for music player stopping up, I do recall that ever happening to me.

diamond.g · Dec 29, 2014

I have seen 4.4.4/5.0 (Nexus 5/6) reload the home screen before. Google has made the system more strict with RAM usage than in past versions. Supposedly this is (partly) how 4.4/5.0 can run on devices with only 512MB RAM.

bmxracer · Dec 29, 2014

Cod3rror said:
Is its RAM management, which is absolutely atrocious!

After you use Android for a while, it's not surprise that a 1GB iPhone can provide you with the same user experience and the same amount of application and tab reloads as an Android phone with 3GB RAM.

You can be listening to music and if you use Chrome, Android will kill the music app! How bad is that? After you use Chrome for a while and go back to homescreen, you'll be greeted with a blank canvas... because Chrome forced the homescreen out of RAM and it has to reload.

I won't even consider an Android flagship with RAM less than 4GB.

Cod3rror said:
Started with Motorola Moto G, then I got curious if it was just my model it was happening to, so I went to a shop and extensively tested the flagship phones, they all exhibit this behaviour.

I frequently use my moto g as you describe streaming spotify and using chrome and have never encountered a single issue.

Vetvito · Dec 29, 2014

maflynn said:
I can't say that I ran into the situation back when I owned an android device.

I will say imo, that the best OS for memory management is the WP platform. I found that to be the best, but then my usage habits may not be typical.

Windows Phone is the absolute worst.

Ever installed the beta lock screen app? Unlock the phone and the tiles would have to redraw.

Play a game, and jump back to the start screen and the tiles would have to redraw.

In internet Explorer, go back to the start screen and press the Internet Explorer tile and watch it "resuming....".

Don't just take my personal word for it. Go to Windows Central and just read of the others with the exact same problems as me.

I've experienced this on all windows phone devices I've owned. All of them.

AlecZ · Dec 29, 2014

I never quite understood how apps on Android worked. They're written in Java, but do they run in a JVM, or are they compiled? Because I know you can compile Java code to machine code in GCC. If they're running in a JVM, I wouldn't be surprised that they're hogging RAM or lagging.

mi7chy · Dec 29, 2014

Sounds like FUD. On a 2GB DRAM Android device I can pause a movie in XBMC which is pretty heavy and switch between other apps, browser with multiple tabs then back to it without losing place in movie. In comparison, iPhone 6+ reloads with just two tabs.

TimelessOne · Dec 29, 2014

AlecZ said:
I never quite understood how apps on Android worked. They're written in Java, but do they run in a JVM, or are they compiled? Because I know you can compile Java code to machine code in GCC. If they're running in a JVM, I wouldn't be surprised that they're hogging RAM or lagging.

They do not run on JVM. Android 4.4 and down runs on the Davik VM. 4.4 has the option to run on the ART system and from 5.0 it requires to run on ART.

TacticalDesire · Dec 29, 2014

I've had up to 10 tabs open on chrome, use my phone like I normally would, come back a day or two later and nothing would have to reload.

sunking101 · Dec 29, 2014

TacticalDesire said:
I've had up to 10 tabs open on chrome, use my phone like I normally would, come back a day or two later and nothing would have to reload.

That's awesome. Which phone?

JHUFrank · Dec 29, 2014

I didn't have many issues with my GN2. However my HTCs and the GN3 had some pretty big memory issues. Flushing apps in memory was one of the first things one of my android geek friends taught me.

skratch77 · Dec 29, 2014

My gs5 is on the latest build with an updated kernel from last week and will keep 8 active apps running!

I have no reload issues at all

vgamedude · Dec 29, 2014

sunking101 said:
That's awesome. Which phone?

My note 3 did that.

Android's dirty little secret

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