Modern mobile applications are becoming increasingly resource-demanding, forcing users to look for ways how to increase RAM on an Android smartphone without purchasing a new device. When the gadget begins to “choke” in multitasking mode, and games crash to the desktop, there is a desire to physically or programmatically expand the amount of available space. Unfortunately, the RAM in phones is soldered on the board, and it is impossible to add a chip, as in a computer.
However, Google engineers and shell manufacturers have found workarounds. Virtualization technologies allow you to use part of the internal storage ROM as an additional buffer for temporary data. This is not a panacea for all ills, but a way to significantly extend the life of a device with a small volume RAM. In this article, we will analyze in detail software and hardware optimization methods that actually work.
Before embarking on complex manipulations, it is important to understand the difference between physical and virtual memory. Physical RAM has high read and write speeds, while the flash memory of the drive is much slower. Using the drive as RAM is a compromise that helps keep more applications in the background, but does not dramatically speed up their launch.
Official memory expansion function (RAM Plus and analogues)
Starting in 2021, many manufacturers have implemented a native memory expansion function in their shells. For Samsung it is called RAM Plus, for Xiaomi - Memory Extension, and for Realme and OPPO - RAM Expansion. This option is available in the settings “out of the box” on most modern models of the mid-range and budget segment.
To activate this function, the user does not need to have superuser rights or connect a cable to the computer. Just go to the settings menu and find the appropriate section. The system itself will prompt you to select the amount of virtual memory, which will be allocated from the free space on the internal disk.
Usually expansion options are available from 2 to 8 GB depending on the device model. After selecting the desired value, the phone will prompt you to reboot, without which the changes will not take effect. It is important to note that this feature is most effective on devices with a fast memory type UFS 3.1 or higher.
⚠️ Attention: Activating memory expansion takes up some of the internal storage. If you only have 64 GB of space and it's full, this feature can slow down the system due to disk fragmentation.
Should you enable this option for everyone? The answer depends on the use cases. If you keep dozens of browser tabs open and switch between heavy games, then yes, virtual memory will prevent applications from unloading. But if you use your phone only for messengers, the performance increase will be unnoticeable.
Manual optimization through the developer menu
For those who do not have a built-in extension function, or who want to squeeze the most out of their available resources, there is a hidden developer menu. Here you can control the behavior of the system when there is a lack of resources, although this will not physically add memory. The first step is to activate developer mode.
Go to Settings → About phone and find the “Build number” item. Click on it 7 times in a row until a notification appears indicating that you have become a developer. After this, a new section will appear in the main settings menu For developers.
Inside this section we are interested in the parameter responsible for the limit of background processes. By default, the system itself decides how many applications to keep in memory. Forced limiting can free up resources for the active application, but will make multitasking impossible.
- 🚀 Background processes limit: Set to "No more than 2 processes" if the phone is very slow.
- 🧹 Do not save actions: Enable this option to have the system kill the activity immediately after exiting (saves RAM, but resets the state applications).
- 🎨 Animations: reduce the scale of window animations, transitions and animator duration to 0.5x to visually speed up the interface.
Another important parameter is Application cache size. Some users mistakenly believe that increasing it will add memory. In fact, this is only a limit for cached processes. If you set the value too high, the system will try to hold more “garbage” in memory, which will lead to swapping and lags.
Before changing the settings in the developer menu, write down the original values. This will help quickly return everything to the way it was if the phone starts to behave unstable.
Using third-party applications to create a swap file
If the manufacturer has not provided an extension function, and the developer menu does not give the desired result, you can turn to third-party software. Applications like SWAP No Root or ROEHSOFT RAM-Expander create a special file on the disk, which the system perceives as additional RAM.
The principle of operation of such utilities is similar to the page file in Windows. They form a disk image of a given size and mount it into the system. However, the effectiveness of this method directly depends on the speed of your drive. On older phones with memory eMMC 5.1 this method can even worsen the situation.
The installation process usually looks like this: download the application, provide root access (if you have them) or use non-root mode, select the size of the swap file and click “Start”. After this, a notification about the activation of the Swap file may appear in the status bar.
| Application | Requires Root | Max. Swap size | Complexity |
|---|---|---|---|
| SWAP No Root | No | Depends on location | Low |
| ROEHSOFT RAM-Expander | Desirable | Up to 4 GB | Medium |
| Kernel Adiutor | Yes | Depends on the kernel | High |
It is worth understanding that without root access such applications work in a limited mode and are often less efficient. They cannot be fully integrated into the system core to manage the priorities of memory pages.
Risks of using third-party swappers
Constantly writing large amounts of data to the same sector of flash memory can accelerate its wear. Although modern controllers have protection against this, theoretically there is a risk of reducing the service life of the drive.
Cleaning and optimizing existing memory
Sometimes the question “how to increase RAM” is solved not by adding gigabytes, but by competently cleaning what is available. A clogged cache, background services, and heavy widgets can eat up to 30% of your available memory. Start by analyzing what exactly is consuming resources.
Go to Settings → Applications and sort the list by the amount of memory used. You will be surprised to find social networks or instant messengers there that have not been updated for months, but take up hundreds of megabytes in RAM. Use the button Stop or Clear cache for such apps.
Delete unused applications - banal but effective advice. Many apps register themselves in startup and hang in the background, even if you don’t use them. Regular audit of installed software helps keep the system in good shape.
⚠️ Attention: Do not use aggressive “cleaners” and “boosters” that promise to increase RAM in one click. They are often themselves parasitic processes that constantly hang in the background and show advertisements.
Also pay attention to live wallpapers and widgets on the home screen. Beautiful weather animation or news feed requires constant data updating and graphics rendering, which loads not only the processor, but also RAM. Replacing them with a static image can free up to 200-300 MB.
Advanced methods: root access and custom kernels
For enthusiasts who are willing to risk the guarantee for the sake of performance, there is a way to obtain superuser rights (Root). This opens up access to system files and allows you to change parameters of the Linux kernel that runs Android. Using utilities like Kernel Adiutor you can fine-tune swap parameters (vm.swappiness).
Parameter vm.swappiness determines how willing the system will be to swap data from RAM to the swap file. The default value is usually 60. Reducing this value will force the system to keep applications in physical memory longer before using virtual memory. This is true if you have a fast SSD, but little RAM.
echo 10 > /proc/sys/vm/swappinessAn even more radical method is installing a custom kernel (Custom Kernel). Community developers often optimize task schedulers and memory drivers better than vendors' stock firmware. Kernels like Sultan or Franco (for older devices) can radically change the behavior of the system.
However, this method requires deep knowledge. Incorrect configuration can lead to an endless reboot (bootloop) or complete failure of the device. Before any actions, be sure to make a full backup via TWRP Recovery.
☑️ Preparing to obtain root access
Hardware limitations and myths about increasing RAM
There are many myths circulating on the Internet that RAM can be increased by resoldering chips or connecting a flash drive via OTG. It is important to dot the i's right away: in smartphones the memory is soldered directly to the processor or next to it in the case PoP (Package on Package).
Replacing a memory chip at home is impossible without professional soldering equipment and a programmer. Even if you physically solder a larger chip, the processor will not see it, since the memory controller is “hardwired” at the chip level and knows only a specific configuration.
Connecting a flash drive via OTG will also not add RAM. The system will see it as an external drive. Theoretically, you can create a swap file on a flash drive, but the speed of the USB 2.0/3.0 interface and the flash drive itself is too low for the role of RAM. This will only cause wild brakes.
⚠️ Attention: Interfaces and menu names may differ depending on the version of Android and the manufacturer’s shell (MIUI, OneUI, ColorOS). Always check the official documentation for your model.
Thus, real increase is only possible using software methods that use free space on the internal disk. Physical intervention in the design of a smartphone for the purpose of upgrading RAM is impractical and economically unprofitable.
Software memory expansion works at the expense of the speed of the internal drive. On phones with slow eMMC memory, this method may have the opposite effect.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Will the swap file increase the speed of launching games?
No, the swap file (Swap) does not increase the speed. It just allows you to keep more applications open at the same time. Game loading speed depends on the read speed of the drive and processor. In some cases, using Swap can even slow down switching between heavy games a little.
Is it safe to use applications to expand RAM without Root?
Yes, it is safe for data, but such applications work less efficiently. They do not have direct access to the system core and create emulation, which is only partially helpful. They will not harm the phone if downloaded from the official store.
Why did the phone start working slower after turning on RAM Plus?
This is probably due to the low speed of your internal storage. If the disk cannot cope with simultaneous recording of user data and working in virtual memory mode, the system begins to slow down. In this case, it is better to disable the function.
Is it possible to increase the RAM on a phone from 2 GB of memory to 8 GB?
Physically, no. You can programmatically add virtual 4-6 GB, but real performance will not increase 4 times. The system will actively use the slow disk, which will lead to constant micro-slowdowns. For comfortable work, it is better to consider buying a new device.
Is data erased when you enable the memory expansion function?
No, your photos, contacts and applications are saved. The system simply reserves the specified number of gigabytes on the disk for its needs. This space will become unavailable for writing your files, but existing data will not be affected.