Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing App

iPadOS 13.7

Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Approach
Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Apps
Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Applications

iPadOS 13.7 includes bug fixes for your iPad.

Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

MemoryTamer is an automatic memory-freeing app that runs in your menu bar. It supports notifications with both Growl and Notification Center (on supported versions of OS X), and also lets you free memory whenever you want with the 'Free memory now' menu item. On OS X 10.9, it gets even better! MemoryTamer 1.5.2 macOS. B/tnt-reloaded. 1 year ago 212 by tntreloaded in Applications macOS. File size: 10 MB. MemoryTamer is an automatic memory-freeing app that runs in your menu bar. It supports notifications with both Growl and Notification Center, and also lets you free memory whenever you want with the 'Free memory now' menu.

iPadOS 13.6.1

iPadOS 13.6.1 addresses an issue where unneeded system data files might not be automatically deleted when available storage is low and includes other bug fixes for your iPad.
Some features may not be available for all regions or on all Apple devices. For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.6

iPadOS 13.6 introduces local news in your Today feed in Apple News and includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad.

Apple News

Local news in your Today feed provides extensive coverage of San Francisco, the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Houston, and New York City
More stories available from local news providers with a subscription to Apple News+
Your daily newsletter from Apple News can now be personalized with stories that reflect your interests

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.

Adds a new setting to choose if updates automatically download to your device when on Wi-Fi
Addresses an issue that could cause apps to become unresponsive when syncing data from iCloud Drive
Resolves an issue that could cause the software keyboard to appear unexpectedly when connected to certain third-party hardware keyboards
Fixes an issue that could cause Japanese hardware keyboards to be incorrectly mapped as a U.S. keyboard
Addresses stability issues when accessing Control Center when Assistive Touch was enabled
Provides a mechanism for administrators to specify domains to exclude from traffic carried by always-on VPN connections

iPadOS 13.5.1

iPadOS 13.5.1 provides important security updates and is recommended for all users.

iPadOS 13.5

iPadOS 13.5 speeds up access to the passcode field on devices with Face ID when you are wearing a face mask and introduces an option to control automatic prominence of video tiles on Group FaceTime calls. This update includes bug fixes and other improvements.

Face ID and Passcode

Simplified unlock process for devices with Face ID when you are wearing a face mask
Passcode field automatically presented after swiping up from the bottom of the Lock screen when you are wearing a face mask
Also works when authenticating with the App Store, Apple Books, Apple Pay, iTunes, and other apps that support signing in with Face ID

FaceTime

Option to control automatic prominence on Group FaceTime calls so video tiles do not change size when a participant speaks

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements.

Fixes an issue where users may see a black screen when trying to play streaming video from some websites
Addresses an issue in the share sheet where suggestions and actions may not load

iPadOS 13.4.1

iPadOS 13.4.1 includes bug fixes for your iPad.

Fixes an issue where devices running iPadOS 13.4 could not participate in FaceTime calls with devices running iOS 9.3.6 and earlier or OS X El Capitan 10.11.6 and earlier
Addresses an issue on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation) and iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation) where the flashlight may not turn on after tapping the Flashlight button in Control Center or on the Lock screen
Addresses a bug with the Settings app where choosing Bluetooth from the quick actions menu on the Home screen would fail

iPadOS 13.4

iPadOS 13.4 introduces support for mouse and trackpad with iPad for greater precision and navigating the system with Multi-Touch gestures, and adds iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app and new Memoji stickers. This update also contains bug fixes and improvements.

Mouse and Trackpad Support

All-new cursor design highlights app icons on the Home Screen and Dock and buttons and controls in apps
Magic Keyboard for iPad support on iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation or later) and iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation or later)
Magic Mouse, Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad, Magic Trackpad 2, and third-party Bluetooth and USB mouse support
Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Keyboard for iPad and Magic Trackpad 2 enable you to scroll, swipe between app spaces, go Home, access App Switcher, zoom in or out, tap to click, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages
Multi-Touch gestures on Magic Mouse 2 enable you to scroll, secondary click (right-click), and swipe between pages

Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Approach

Files

iCloud Drive folder sharing from the Files app
Controls to limit access only to people you explicitly invite or grant access to anyone with the folder link
Permissions to choose who can make changes and upload files and who can only view and download files

Memoji

Nine new Memoji stickers, including Smiling Face with Hearts, Hands Pressed Together, and Party Face

Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Apps

Mail

Always-visible controls to delete, move, reply to, or compose a message in conversation view
Responses to encrypted emails are automatically encrypted when you have configured S/MIME

App Store with Apple Arcade

Universal Purchase support enables the use of a singular purchase of a participating app across iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV
Recently played Arcade games appear in the Arcade tab so you can continue playing on iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV
List view for See All Games

Augmented Reality

AR Quick Look supports audio playback in USDZ files

Keyboard

Live Conversion for Zhuyin automatically transforms Zhuyin into the correct characters without pressing the space bar to convert text or select candidates
Live Conversion for Japanese automatically transforms Hiragana into the correct characters without pressing the space bar to convert text or select candidates
Predictive typing support for Arabic
Swiss German keyboard layout supported on iPad Pro 12.9-inch
On-screen keyboard layout for iPad Pro 12.9-inch now matches Smart Keyboard

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. This update:

Fixes an issue in Camera where the viewfinder may appear as a black screen after launch
Addresses an issue where Photos may appear to use excess storage
Resolves an issue in Photos that may prevent sharing an image to Messages if iMessage is disabled
Fixes an issue in Mail where messages may appear out of order
Addresses an issue in Mail where the conversation list may display empty rows
Resolves an issue where Mail may crash when tapping the Share button in Quick Look
Fixes an issue in Settings where cellular data may incorrectly display as off
Addresses an issue in Safari where webpages may not be inverted when both Dark Mode and Smart Invert are active
Resolves an issue where text copied from web content in a third-party app may appear invisible when pasted if Dark Mode is active
Fixes an issue in Safari where a CAPTCHA tile may display incorrectly
Addresses an issue where Reminders may not issue new notifications for an overdue recurring reminder until it is marked as completed
Resolves an issue where Reminders may send notifications for completed reminders
Fixes an issue where iCloud Drive appears to be available in Pages, Numbers, and Keynote even when not signed in
Addresses an issue in Apple Music where music videos may not stream in high quality
Addresses an issue in the Home app where tapping an activity notification from a security camera may open a different recording
Resolves an issue where Shortcuts may not appear when tapping on the Share menu from a screenshot
Improves the Burmese keyboard so punctuation symbols are now accessible from numbers and symbols

iPadOS 13.3.1

iPadOS 13.3.1 includes bug fixes and improvements. This update:

Fixes an issue in Communication Limits that could allow a contact to be added without entering the Screen Time passcode
Addresses an issue with Mail that could cause remote images to load even when the “Load Remote Images” setting is disabled
Fixes an issue that could cause multiple undo dialogs to appear in Mail
Resolves an issue where push notifications could fail to be delivered over Wi-Fi
Introduces support for Indian English Siri voices for HomePod

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.3

iPadOS 13.3 includes improvements, bug fixes and additional parental controls for Screen Time.

Screen Time

New parental controls provide more communication limits over who their children can call, FaceTime, or Message
Contact list for children lets parents manage the contacts that appear on their children’s devices

Apple News

New layout for Apple News+ stories from The Wall Street Journal and other leading newspapers
Easily like or dislike stories with a tap

Stocks

Stories from Apple News are now available in Canada in English and French
Continue reading with links to related stories or more stories from the same publication
“Breaking” and “Developing” labels for Top Stories

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. This update:

Enables the creation of a new video clip when trimming a video in Photos
Adds support for NFC, USB, and Lightning FIDO2-compliant security keys in Safari
Fixes issues in Mail that may prevent downloading new messages
Addresses an issue that prevented deleting messages in Gmail accounts
Resolves issues that could cause incorrect characters to display in messages and duplication of sent messages in Exchange accounts
Fixes an issue where the cursor may not move after long pressing on the space bar
Addresses an issue that may cause screenshots to appear blurry when sent via Messages
Resolves an issue where cropping or using Markup on screenshots may not save to Photos
Fixes an issue where Voice Memos recordings may not be able to be shared with other audio apps
Resolves an issue where the Cellular Data setting may incorrectly show as off
Fixes an issue that prevented turning off Dark Mode when Smart Invert was enabled

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.2.3

iPadOS 13.2.3 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:

Fixes an issue where system search and search within Mail, Files, and Notes might not work
Addresses an issue where photos, links, and other attachments might not display in the Messages details view
Fixes an issue that could prevent apps from downloading content in the background
Resolves issues that may prevent Mail from fetching new messages, and fail to include and quote original message content in Exchange accounts

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.2.2

iPadOS 13.2.2 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:

Fixes an issue that could cause apps to quit unexpectedly when running in the background
Fixes an issue that caused replies to S/MIME encrypted email messages between Exchange accounts to be unreadable
Addresses an issue where using Kerberos single sign-on service in Safari may present an authentication prompt
Resolves an issue where charging may be interrupted on Yubikey Lightning-powered accessories

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.2

iPadOS 13.2 introduces updated and additional emoji, Announce Messages for AirPods, support for AirPods Pro, HomeKit Secure Video, HomeKit enabled routers, and new Siri privacy settings. This update also includes bug fixes and improvements.

Emoji

Over 70 new or updated emoji, including animals, food, activities, new accessibility emoji, gender neutral emoji, and skin tones selection for couple emoji

AirPods support

Announce Messages with Siri to read your incoming messages aloud to your AirPods
AirPods Pro support

Home App

HomeKit Secure Video enables you to privately capture, store, and view encrypted video from your security cameras and features people, animal, and vehicle detection
HomeKit enabled routers put you in control of what your HomeKit accessories communicate with over the internet or in your home

Siri

Privacy settings to control whether or not to help improve Siri and Dictation by allowing Apple to store audio of your Siri and Dictation interactions
Option to delete your Siri and Dictation history from Siri Settings

This update also includes bug fixes and other improvements. This update:

Fixes an issue that may prevent passwords from autofilling in 3rd party apps
Resolves an issue that may prevent the keyboard from appearing when using Search
Fixes an issue where Messages would only send a single notification when the option to repeat alerts was enabled
Addresses an issue where Messages may display a phone number instead of a contact name
Resolves an issue that caused Contacts to launch to the previously opened contact instead of the contact list
Fixes an issue that may prevent Markup annotations from being saved
Resolves an issue where saved notes could temporarily disappear
Fixes an issue where iCloud Backup might not successfully complete after tapping Backup Now in Settings
Improves performance when using AssistiveTouch to activate App Switcher

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.1.3

iPadOS 13.1.3 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:

Fixes an issue that may prevent opening a meeting invite in Mail
Fixes an issue where Voice Memos recordings may not download after restoring from iCloud Backup
Addresses an issue where apps might fail to download when restoring from iCloud Backup
Improves connection reliability of Bluetooth hearing aids and headsets
Addresses launch performance for apps that use Game Center

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.1.2

iPadOS 13.1.2 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:

Fixes a bug where the progress bar for iCloud Backup could continue to show after a successful backup
Fixes an issue where shortcuts could not be run from HomePod

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS 13.1.1

iPadOS 13.1.1 includes bug fixes and improvements for your iPad. This update:

Fixes issues that could prevent iPad restoring from backup
Addresses an issue that could cause battery to drain more quickly
Resolves a problem where Safari search suggestions may re-enable after turning them off
Addresses an issue that could cause Reminders to sync slowly
Fixes a security issue for third-party keyboard apps

For information on the security content of Apple software updates, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

iPadOS

Home Screen

Today Widgets on the Home screen for at-a-glance information
A new layout to put even more apps on each page

Multitasking

Slide Over with support for multiple apps to access your favorite apps from anywhere in iPadOS and quickly switch between them
Multiple windows from a single app in Split View to work with two documents, notes, or emails, side-by-side
Enhanced Spaces to open the same app across multiple spaces
App Exposé to quickly see all of the open windows for an app

Apple Pencil

Lower latency with Apple Pencil, making it feel more responsive than ever
Redesigned tool palette, with a fresh new look, new tools, and the ability to drag to any side of the screen
A new gesture to mark up anything with a swipe from the bottom right or left corner of the screen with Apple Pencil
A new full page option to mark up entire web pages, Mail messages, iWork documents, and Maps

Text Editing

Scrollbar scrubbing to directly drag the scrollbar for quickly navigating long documents, web pages, and email conversations
Faster and more precise cursor navigation—just pick it up and move it to where you want
Text selection improvements for easier selection by just tapping and swiping on the text
New gestures for cut, copy, paste—pinch in once with three fingers to copy, twice to cut, and pinch out with three fingers to paste
Undo across iPadOS by just double tapping with three fingers

QuickType

New floating keyboard leaving more room for your content—drag it anywhere you like
QuickPath on the floating keyboard lets you slide to type for easy one-handed typing

Fonts

Custom fonts are available from the App Store for use in your favorite apps
Font management in Settings

Files

External drives supported in Files to access and manage files on a USB drive, SD card, or hard drive
SMB support to connect to a server at work or a home PC
Local storage for creating folders on the local drive and adding your favorite files
Column to drill down into nested folders
Preview pane with high resolution file previews, rich metadata, and Quick Actions
Zip and Unzip support for creating and expanding Zip files
New keyboard shortcuts to manage your files even faster with an external keyboard

Safari

Desktop-class browsing in Safari with websites automatically optimized for the large Multi-Touch display iPad display
Web platforms like Squarespace, WordPress, and Google Docs now supported
Download manager to access downloads quickly and check the status of a file you’re downloading
Over 30 new keyboard shortcuts to navigate the web even faster with an external keyboard
Updated start page with favorites, frequently visited, most recently visited websites, and Siri suggestions
View options in the Smart Search field for quick access to text size controls, Reader view, and per‑site settings
Per‑site settings to choose Reader view, and enable content blockers, camera, microphone, and location access for individual websites
Option to resize when uploading photos

Dark Mode

A beautiful new dark color scheme that delivers a great viewing experience especially in low-light environments
Can be scheduled to turn on automatically at sunset, at a certain time, or turned on from Control Center
Four new system wallpapers that automatically switch appearances with Light and Dark Mode

Photos

An all-new Photos tab with a curated view of your library making it easy to find, relive, and share your photos and videos
Powerful new photo editing tools that make it easier to edit, adjust, and review photos at a glance
Video editing with over 30 new tools, including Rotate, Crop, and Enhance

Sign in with Apple

A private way to sign in to participating apps and websites with the Apple ID you already have
Simple account setup with only your name and email address
Hide My Email to share a unique email address that is automatically forwarded to you
Built-in two-factor authentication to protect your account
No tracking or profiling by Apple as you use your favorite apps

App Store with Arcade

Unlimited access to groundbreaking new games with one subscription, no ads or additional purchases
An all-new Arcade tab in the App Store to browse the latest games, personalized recommendations, and exclusive editorial content
Available to play across iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV
Option to download large apps over your cellular connection
Ability to view available app updates or delete apps from the Account page
Support for Arabic and Hebrew

Maps

An all-new map rolling out in the US featuring broader road coverage, improved address precision, better support for pedestrians, and more detailed land cover
Look Around to explore cities in a high-resolution, interactive 3D experience
Collections for the lists of places you love and can easily share with friends and family
Favorites for quick and easy navigation to the places you visit daily

Reminders

Memorytamer 1 4 2 – Automatic Memory Freeing Applications

All-new design with more powerful and intelligent ways to create and organize reminders
Quick toolbar to add dates, locations, flags, attachments and more to reminders
New smart lists—Today, Scheduled, Flagged and All—to easily keep track of upcoming reminders
Subtasks and grouped lists to organize your reminders

Siri

More natural Siri voice, particularly while speaking longer phrases
Personalized Siri Suggestions in Apple Podcasts, Safari, and Maps
Over 100,000 live radio stations from around the world available with Siri

Shortcuts

Shortcuts app now built-in
Suggested automations in the Gallery personalized to your daily routine
Personal and home automations for automatically running shortcuts based on triggers
Home app support for shortcuts as advanced actions in the Automation tab

Memoji and Messages

New Memoji customization options including new hairstyles, headwear, makeup, and piercings
Memoji sticker packs in Messages, Mail, and third‑party apps and available on iPad mini 5, iPad (5th generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation), and all iPad Pro models
Your name and photo, or even Memoji, now optionally shared with your friends
Search enhancements to easily find messages with intelligent suggestions and categorization of results

Augmented Reality

People Occlusion for apps to place virtual objects naturally in front or behind people using iPad Pro (2018), iPad Air (2018), iPad mini 5
Motion Capture for apps to understand the body position and movement of a person so you can animate a character or interact with virtual objects using iPad Pro (2018), iPad Air (2018), iPad mini 5
Multiple face tracking for AR content on up to 3 faces at a time so you can have fun with your friends using iPad Pro (2018)
AR Quick Look to view and interact with multiple AR objects at the same time

Mail

Block sender to move all email messages from a blocked sender directly to the trash
Mute thread to stop notifications from an overly active email thread
Format bar with easy access to rich text formatting tools and attachments of all kinds
Font support for all system fonts, as well as new fonts you download from the App Store

Notes

Gallery view with your notes as visual thumbnails helping you find the note you need
Shared folders to collaborate with others giving them access to entire folders of notes
More powerful search for visual recognition of images inside your notes and text in items you’ve scanned
New checklist options to easily reorder checklist items, indent them, or move checked items to the bottom of the list automatically

Apple Music

Time-synced lyrics make listening more fun with perfectly timed lyrics
Over 100,000 live radio stations from around the world

Screen Time

30-day usage data to compare Screen Time numbers over the previous weeks
Combined limits to include multiple app categories, specific apps, or websites in one limit
“One more minute” option to quickly save your work or log out of a game when a Screen Time limit is met

Privacy and Security

Allow Once location permission with the option to share your locations with apps only once
Background tracking alerts now notify you when an app is using your location in the background
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth enhancements help prevent apps from accessing your location without your consent
Location sharing controls give you the option to easily omit location data when sharing photos

System Experience

Wi‑Fi networks and Bluetooth accessories selection in Control Center
A redesigned, unobtrusive volume control in the top middle
Full-page screenshots for web pages, Mail messages, iWork documents, and Maps
Redesigned share sheet with intelligent suggestions to share content with just a few taps
Audio Sharing for two sets of AirPods, Powerbeats Pro, Beats Solo3, BeatsX and Powerbeats3 to share a single stream of audio
Dolby Atmos playback for a thrilling surround sound experience from content with Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital, or Dolby Digital Plus soundtracks on iPad Pro (2018)

Language support

Support for 38 new keyboard languages
Predictive input in Cantonese, Dutch, Hindi (Devanagari), Hindi (Latin), Najdi Arabic, Swedish, and Vietnamese keyboards
Separate emoji and globe keys make it easier to quickly switch between languages and select emoji
Automatic language detection for dictation
Bilingual dictionary support in Thai and English and Vietnamese and English

China

A dedicated QR code mode in Camera, accessible from the Control Center, for improved QR code performance, a flashlight option, and enhanced privacy
Junction View in Maps for drivers in China to more easily navigate complex roadways
Adjustable handwriting area on the Chinese keyboard
Cantonese predictions on the Cangjie, Sucheng, Stroke, and Handwriting keyboards

India

All‑new Indian English male and female Siri voices
Support for all 22 official Indian languages with the addition of 15 new keyboard languages
Bilingual keyboard for Hindi (Latin) and English keyboard, including typing predictions
Typing predictions on the Hindi (Devanagari) keyboard
New Indian language system fonts for Gujarati, Gurmukhi, Kannada, and Odia for greater clarity and ease when reading in apps
30 new document fonts for Assamese, Bangla, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu
Contacts with hundreds of new relationship labels to help more accurately label your contacts

Voice Control

A new way to control your iOS devices, entirely with your voice
Comprehensive navigation with just your voice to open apps, search the web, tap, swipe, pinch, zoom, press the Home button and more
Accurate dictation using the Siri speech recognition engine
Rich text editing to make corrections using just your voice, or select from word and emoji suggestions
Custom words, such as legal or medical terms, to ensure Voice Control recognizes words you commonly use
Seamless transitions from text dictation to voice commands
Attention Awareness to keep Voice Control off when you turn your head away from True Depth camera on supported iPhone models
On‑device processing so your personal data is kept private

Performance

Up to 2x faster app launch*
Up to 30 percent faster Face ID unlocking on iPad Pro 11-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)**
60 percent smaller app updates on average*
Up to 50 percent smaller apps from the App Store*

Other features and improvements

Low Data Mode to reduce your data usage over your cellular network or specific Wi-Fi networks you select
PlayStation 4 and Xbox Wireless Controller support
Find My iPhone and Find My Friends combined into a single app with the ability to locate a missing device even if it can't connect to a Wi-Fi or cellular network
Apple Books reading goals help make reading a daily habit
Apple News+ options to remove downloaded issues, follow a title, or browse the back catalog from the More button in the My Magazines section
Stocks app with business stories from Apple News+
Calendar supports adding attachments to events
Home app redesigned controls for HomeKit accessories with a combined view for ones with multiple services
Pinch-to-zoom for more precision when editing recordings in Voice Memos

*Testing conducted by Apple in May 2019 using iPhone XS supporting normal peak performance and iPad Pro (11‑inch) with iOS 12.3 and prerelease iPadOS and iOS 13, using third‑party apps repackaged in a preproduction App Store server environment; smaller app update download size based on averages from a collection of the most frequently updated apps. Performance varies based on specific configuration, content, battery health, usage, software versions, and other factors.

**Testing conducted by Apple in May 2019 using iPhone X and iPhone XS Max supporting normal peak performance, and iPad Pro (11‑inch) with iOS 12.3 and prerelease iPadOS and iOS 13, using the side or top button to wake the device. Performance varies based on specific configuration, content, battery health, usage, and other factors.

Some features may not be available for all regions, or on all Apple devices, for more information visit: https://www.apple.com/ios/feature-availability and https://www.apple.com/ipados

For information on the security content of this update, please visit this website: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT201222

Across all consumer electronic markets, spec battles are inevitable. Company A releases product X with 24 thing-a-ma-jigs, so in response Company B releases product Y with 32 thing-a-ma-jigs. Company A responds to Company’s B bump in the specs and a spec war starts.

The problem is when spec wars get out of hand. Company A started by using 24 thing-a-ma-jigs, but three years later it’s shipping with 48 thing-a-ma-jigs, a massive and likely unnecessary increase. Android smartphone makers aren’t immune to this. We have seen bumps in processor performance, camera capabilities, internal storage, and much more. Most of these spec bumps are needed and well received by consumers. However, I think in one area the spec war has become ridiculous: RAM.

Back in the early days of Android smartphones, devices had 512MB of memory or maybe even 1GB. These were the humble beginnings of the smartphone revolution. Over time more memory was added. By 2014, most high-end devices had 3GB of RAM and during 2016 and 2017 4GB became the de facto standard. Then the spec wars started. First came devices with 6GB, then 8GB, then 10GB, then 12GB — where will it end?

With RAM seemingly increasing every quarter, we must stop and pause and ask ourselves how much RAM we actually need. I have laptops here in my house that are running Windows 10 quite happily with 4GB of RAM. My MacBook has 8GB of RAM and can run demanding applications like Premiere Pro or Photoshop. Are we seriously suggesting my phone needs more RAM than my laptop?

Read: Lenovo Z5 Pro GT has outrageous 12GB of RAM, Snapdragon 855, sliding back

At this point, you might be already saying to yourself, “I know how much RAM a smartphone needs, it is X Gigabytes.” You might be right, but you probably aren’t. Putting subjectivity and opinion to one side, what we need is an objective look at how much RAM is needed.

First, a look at how Android manages RAM.

RAM management

When you launch a new app on Android the Linux kernel creates a new process. A process is a unit of execution with its own virtual address space (which is mapped to physical memory). The Linux kernel manages the resources needed by the process including time running on the CPU, input and output of data (over the network or via the filesystem), and physical memory (RAM).

When there is an abundance of resources the kernel’s job is easy. If the process needs more CPU time and the CPU is idle, the kernel can easily grant the process more execution time. If there is little I/O, giving the process more I/O isn’t a problem. If the process needs more RAM and RAM is available, the kernel just needs to track what process is using which bits of memory.

However, when resources are scarce things become complicated. With CPU time and I/O, the biggest casualty of overloading is performance. If the CPU is busy, the work at hand will still get done, but it won’t be as quick. RAM is different. When you have no more, waiting longer probably won’t result in any more RAM being freed. This is where the kernel needs to be proactive to get back some RAM.

Linux and Android handle this in two ways. First, there is the idea of swapping using zRAM. Android can allocate a chunk of physical memory for swapping. Swapping is an idea Linux uses on PCs and servers. When there isn’t enough memory, the oldest and least used pages of memory are written out to the disk and the memory they occupied becomes available for other processes. If that swapped-out memory is needed later, the saved data is read back from the disk and put back into memory (swapped-in), where it can be used.

Android compresses the memory and writes it back into memory, but into the section reserved for zRAM. If we assume a 50 percent compression ratio, 128KB of RAM can reduce to 64KB, freeing up 64KB. This is the equivalent to swapping-out pages to disk. The compressed memory isn’t directly readable, so if it is needed it must be uncompressed and written back. This is the same as swapping-in.

When a process requests more RAM and RAM is unavailable, the kernel will try to free up some RAM using swapping. If sufficient RAM can’t be found, the kernel needs to get more aggressive and start culling processes. This is a strange situation for the kernel. It must kill an existing process, to make room for another process. The key here is the current memory request is likely coming from the foreground app, which is currently in use. The kernel applies various tests and checks and determines which processes can be killed off to free memory. If you started Candy Crush three days ago and switched away, but never returned, then the kernel can assume you aren’t going to switch back to it now and so kills it off. This frees memory and allows the currently running app to continue.

Does Android use more memory than iOS? – Gary explains

If you look at the specs of any given generation of iPhone and compare it to the specs of a flagship Android phone from the same year, then you will notice that the iPhone tends …

This is all handled by the kernel’s Low Memory Killer driver. Interestingly, future versions of Android will handle this slightly differently. While the result will be the same, it won’t be the kernel’s assassin that does the dirty deed. Starting with Linux Kernel 4.12, the Low Memory Killer driver has been removed and instead, the userspace Android Low Memory Killer Daemon (lmkd) performs the cullings.

This means when you start a new app, older memory resident apps, are removed to make way. If you switch back to these apps, using the recent apps screen, then the apps will be reloaded, similar to an initial launch.

Although this system may sound brutal, it is the way Android was designed. All apps are given ample warning that they will be killed off and move through different states allowing them to save their current status information. When they are reloaded, the apps just read the last status information and carry on from where they left off.

How much memory do apps use?

Starting with Linux Kernel 4.12, the Low Memory Killer driver has been removed and instead, the userspace Android Low Memory Killer Daemon (lmkd) performs the cullings.

If the low memory killer activates too frequently, the overall user experience can be affected. In a worst-case scenario every time you switch away from an app to start another one, the previous app will get killed to make way for the new app. This is a severe low memory condition. However, there is an acceptable sweet spot where the occasional resident app is removed to make way for new apps. As long as the removed app is “old,” the user probably won’t even notice it was removed from memory. After that sweet spot the frequency of app removals becomes academic, since there won’t be much perceptible change in the overall user experience.

However, what is the sweet spot? To find that out I wrote a utility which uses the Android Debug Bridge (adb) to monitor which processes are being killed, along with the amount of available memory. It also looks at how much RAM the running apps use.

After lots of experimentation, I have come up with a list of three different categories of apps. “Standard” apps use between 130MB and 400MB of RAM. There are apps like YouTube and WhatsApp, as well as games like Crossy Road and Candy Crush. Then there are the “media-intensive” apps, which load lots of images and therefore use more memory to show them. Here you will find titles like Google Photos and Instagram. These apps use between 400MB and 700MB of RAM.

Finally, there are the “huge” apps, predominantly high-end games which can eat through RAM like a hungry Pac-Man. Games like Need for Speed: No Limits or PUBG Mobile can use between 800MB and 1152MB. Chrome is also in this category (with 3 tabs open).

The amount of RAM being used on your device depends entirely on which apps you have running. If you like Instagram and Candy Crush, but not much else, then you will be using just over 1GB of RAM. If you switch between PUBG and Asphalt 9 all day long, you’ll need 2GB, and so on.

How much RAM do I have?

Each Android smartphone comes with a fixed amount of RAM. It is part of the phone’s motherboard and it isn’t upgradable. The Pixel 3 has 4GB, the Note 9 (128GB) has 6GB and the OnePlus 6T has 8GB. The OnePlus 6T McLaren edition has 10GB and the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT has 12GB. While it’s important to know how much RAM your phone has, it is also important to know how available it is for running apps. Android and Linux will both use some RAM, and as do some pre-installed user level services. Here is a table of some devices I had at hand, showing the installed RAM and the available memory. Available memory is how much memory is available for starting new apps, without swapping.

Device	Total RAM	Available Mem	Total SWAP	Swap Used (after reboot)
Huawei Mate 8	2881	1392	511	0
Pixel 3 XL	3548	1740	1023	8
Samsung Galaxy Note 8	5339	2799	2559	34
Samsung Galaxy Note 9	5580	3597	2048	266
OnePlus 6T	7640	5065	0	0

The Mate 8, Pixel 3 XL, and Note 8 make about 50 percent of the installed RAM available for user apps. That number starts to climb slightly with the Note 9 and the OP6T, with the latter offering 66 percent of the installed RAM to the user.

It is also interesting to note the wide range of zRAM levels OEMs choose. The Mate 8 uses 0.5GB of swap, while the Note 8 is configured to use 2.5GB! Interestingly, OnePlus is so confident in the 8GB found in the OP6T that it doesn’t use any swap space.

A device like the Pixel 3 XL can hold at least five “standard” apps in memory without swapping. This means you can switch between YouTube, WhatsApp, Spotify, Candy Crush, and Google Play without concern. If you start more apps then the Pixel 3 XL will start to use the compressed swap space more aggressively in an attempt to free up memory. This means in reality, you can run around eight “standard” apps and keep them all in memory and the swap space. Switching to an app that’s swapped out will swap it in. Swapping isn’t really noticeable. Often background process get put into the swap space first. If you start more than about eight “standard” apps, one of the previous apps will be removed from memory.

If an app is pushed from memory, that isn’t necessarily bad — the app will reload on switch. However, there is an argument to be made that devices as expensive as the Pixel 3 should include more memory.

The Note 8 and Note 9 have 6GB of RAM, with about 2.5GB available to the user on the Note 8 and 3.5GB on the Note 9. Both devices have at least 2GB of swap space, too. This means you can switch between a heavy game (or Chrome), a media-intensive app (like Instagram) and 5 or more standard apps and everything will remain in memory. If you start more apps, the phone will start using the swap space. This boosts the number of memory resident apps even higher.

6GB is the beginning of the sweet spot. Common apps remain in memory for long periods of time and the multi-tasking experience is seamless, most of the time.

These 6GB phones can switch between a dozen or more apps, including some heavy duty ones, without seeing a single reload. This is the beginning of the sweet spot. Common apps remain in memory for long periods of time and the multi-tasking experience is seamless, most of the time.

The sweet spot continues into the 8GB realm. Here you can keep at least a dozen apps in memory without reloading, including bigger apps like PUBG and Google Photo. Switching between apps is seamless. Over time, older apps will be removed from memory to make way for new apps. You probably won’t have touched the apps that get removed for days when that happens. Having said that, this is the top end of the sweet spot. The OnePlus 6T doesn’t include a swap space, so it will probably be hard for the average user to discern the difference between a 6GB device with swapping and an 8GB device without.

Note: I have simplified the discussion about when the swap space is used. While it is convenient to think about the swap space being used only when the available memory has been exhausted, the reality is that the use of the swap space is much more dynamic and complex.

More than 8GB?

Once you go over 8GB, you enter “Nonsense” land, where Mr. Silly lives. Even with 3GB of memory, like in my trusty Mate 8, we aren’t talking about what apps the device can run, we are looking at how many apps it can simultaneously keep in memory! 4GB is workable, 6GB is sweet, 8GB is edging close to Nonsense land, but still falls within the sweet spot. 10GB, 12GB, 16GB are just plain stupid. These are examples of nothing more than specification overload, which increases the price and brings little or no benefit to the user.

Once you go over 8GB, you enter 'Nonsense' land, where Mr. Silly lives.

Wrap-up

Will we see devices with more than 8GB in 2019? Sure, in fact, we already have. That doesn’t mean they’re necessary. Personally, I would like to see consumers boycott any mobile device with more than 8GB. I know that might be wishful thinking. Sometimes the best phone, for other reasons like performance or camera, also comes with a stupid amount of RAM. However, the only influence consumers have over smartphone makers is in our decisions about which phones to buy.

I wish OEMs would act rationally, leave the RAM alone, and concentrate on more meaningful aspects of smartphone design.