Question about memory, force close issues, etc.

[Helawat]

I've encountered force close issues, low memory notifications, phone lag, and screen lock over the past year of owning my Incredible.

I know that a factory reset will resolve these issues, but what causes them exactly? I don't have an app killer and if I did, would it be a contributing factor? Is it the number of apps on my phone, despite the available memory on my device? Can you have too many apps, even if they're not running in the background?

Forgive my ignorance, but knowing the answers to these questions will only help me use my phone in a more efficient manner.

Sent from my ADR6300 using DroidForums App

 

[mamawm]

this happens when the phone's internal memory is low on space. so many things are stored in the phones memory i can't begin to list them all. first off all your texts are stored there, so it's always good to periodically delete all your texts. next up would be to delete your call history. then go into settings, manage apps and for each app clear cache and data. (i'm always a little leary about doing this on phone system apps, but i never hesitate on apps that i've downloaded from the market). after all this, you will find that you have a lot more memory available. the reason a factory reset is recommended is because it wipes everything off the phone, putting it back to brand new status.

 

[takeshi]

I know that a factory reset will resolve these issues, but what causes them exactly?

There's no single cause for everything you're experiencing. Bad apps can cause force closes but issues with your device can as well. Lag can be caused by any number of issues but typically RAM and CPU usage are the best places to start looking. Misbehaving or poorly coded apps can also cause lag.

Can you have too many apps, even if they're not running in the background?

Only if you're out of internal storage or don't enough free internal storage for your apps to work.

this happens when the phone's internal memory is low on space. so many things are stored in the phones memory i can't begin to list them all.

There's no need to list them all. All the stuff you're talking about falls under cache and data. People seem to forget that cache and data also use up internal storage -- not just the apps.