How to Check Which Apps Are Using the Most RAM on Android

This practical guide walks through how to check which apps are using the most RAM on Android, explains the main requirements, and highlights common issues that may appear along the way.

If an application 'consumes' too much RAM of the device, it will cause the system's multitasking ability to drop heavily, as well as cause jerks and lag, seriously affecting the experience. This article will show you how to check which apps are using the most RAM on Android, so that you can take appropriate action.

Check which apps are using the most RAM on Android

Before you get started, it's important to note that due to the variety of Android customizations, there will be slight variations in the title of the settings items depending on the custom build. However, the basic setup operations will still be similar. In this article, we'll take an example with a phone that runs 'stock Android': the Google Pixel.

Let's get started, first you need to enable Android's 'Developer Options'. There are some handy features hidden here, including the ability to see which apps are using the most RAM.

First, you need to access the system settings menu by swiping down from the top of the screen once or twice and tapping the gear icon. Or you can also click the Settings gear icon right on the main screen.

On the Settings interface that opens, scroll down and click on the ' System ' item .

Now, time select ' Developer Options '.

Tap ' Memory ' to see RAM usage statistics.

You should see ' Average Memory Use ' displayed at the top of the screen. Scroll down a bit further and select ' Memory Used by Apps '.

Here, you will see the RAM usage of the apps on your device. You can adjust the reference timeframe using the drop-down menu at the top of the screen.

Apps are sorted by how much RAM they consume, so at the top of the list are the names that consume the most RAM. 'Android OS', 'Android System' and 'Google Play Services' will always tend to be at the top. You can scroll down further to find third-party apps.