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Ask Slashdot: Getting Apps To Use Phones' Full Power?

Posted by timothy on from the never-satisfied dept.

First time accepted submitter MurukeshM writes "I have a 16 GB Nexus 4. I rarely manage to push the RAM usage above 1 GB (not counting cached processes). Yet I find it increasingly annoying when apps do stuff to save on RAM usage, such as having a browser reload a tab if I havent used it for a long time, instead of keeping it in memory or have an ebook reader load from storage instead of keeping the entire eBook in RAM. I know there are plenty of phones with far less memory, but when most of the RAM is unutilized, with more and more phones and tablets having 1GB+ RAM, isn't it time that apps check on available RAM and use optimizations accordingly? And it isn't only about RAM. Android by default only downloads one thing at a time, whether it be an app from Play Store or a file from a site. When connected to WiFi or 3G/LTE, there's no reason why multiple simultaneous downloads shouldn't be used. How do Slashdot readers with high-end phones get the most out of their device? Are there custom ROMs which act more sensibly?"

3 of 184 comments (clear)

  1. That phone has 2GB of RAM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    The 16GB Nexus 4 doesn't have 16GB of RAM. It has 2GB. Your post reads like you think it has 16GB of RAM.

  2. Re:Ferrari by Chrisq · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Slashdot:

    I bought this Ferrari and I live in a suburban part of the US. I can't drive it over 70mph on the highways and I'm constantly in stop and go traffic in the city. It's so frustrating!

    Can anyone of you tell me how to get the most out of my car?

    Sure, Dress in a flashy suit then drive slowly (20mph or less) past a hangout of hot babes. Then go in and ask "anyone fancy a ride?".

  3. Force stopping 'Running Apps' from 'Switch Apps' by SternisheFan · · Score: 5, Informative
    A little OffTopic about Android's 'switch apps' feature (on ICS and higher) from a recent Slashdot discussion.

    I've learned that swiping the app offscreen to the left doesn't 'force stop' it, it just removes the icon from the 'running apps' list.

    Doing a 'long press' on the apps icon brings up a sub-menu of 2 options, "remove from list" and "app info". Tapping on the 'app info' shortcut brings you to the 'app info screen', from there the app can be 'force stopped'.

    I'm posting this here in the hopes that it'll clear up any confusion caused by that previous discussion. :-)