The speed of a smartphone is determined by the power of the processor and the amount of RAM available. The phone uses RAM to manage the resources of the operating system and all the apps we use. So the more RAM, the more resources we can handle at the same time at higher speed. Until recently, most computers came with a fixed amount of RAM, but thanks to the introduction of “Virtual RAM”, it is possible to give your current phone an extra boost.
First of all, a brief review to understand what RAM is, an acronym for Random Access Memory. The data of the apps that are being used are temporarily stored in it. This is ultra-fast memory, which deletes all data once an app is closed or the device is restarted.
If we open several apps at the same time, the RAM is in charge of managing all the information they produce. That is why, the greater the amount of RAM, the device works faster since it has a greater capacity to manage data.
What if I need more speed? Can I add more RAM memory to my smartphone? This is where the importance of virtual RAM or SWAP memory comes into play. Unlike what happens with a computer, smartphones do not allow to improve the physical components for better performance.
The solution is called virtual RAM, which consists of ‘borrowing’ a space from internal storage to use it as RAM, only when necessary. This is a concept that operating systems like Windows have used for years, and that have now made their appearance in Android, to help our phones have a second wind when their RAM memory falls short.
Unfortunately, the virtual RAM function is not available on all phone models, and depends a lot on the implementation of each manufacturer, but it is very common to see it already available within the configuration options of most phones of recent years. In cases where your phone manufacturer doesn’t offer it as a native feature, you still it is possible to use third-party apps to achieve this same goalbut it is a slightly more complicated process to implement.
For example, in the case of Motorola, the models compatible with this function are the moto g200 5G, which comes with 8 GB RAM and the capacity to extend it to 10 GB, the moto g71 5G, with 6 GB RAM and capacity to extend it to 7.5 GB; and the moto g51 5G, which has 4 GB and can be expanded to 5 GB of RAM.
To activate the use of virtual RAM memory, you must go to the menu of Setting (gear icon) / System / Performance / RAM extension and activate the function. Doing so will require the device to be rebooted. The specific location of this menu may vary between manufacturers, so you can use the search icon to locate this submenu.
The virtualization of RAM memory is a frequent concept in the world of computers. Until now, in the smartphone universe, doing so required third-party apps and complex tutorials to gain ROOT access on Android, but because manufacturers are bringing it in as a native feature, it’s very easy to use.
However, there are some cons that you should be aware of regarding Virtual RAM. The first of them is that the internal memory space that you dedicate to this function will be reserved for RAM, that is, you will no longer be able to use it to save photos, applications or whatever, so you sacrifice some storage in the process.
The second point to consider is that virtual RAM, it is considerably slower than real RAMso it is not 100% equivalent to actually increasing the RAM of your phone, but it does help, in those cases where you notice that your computer is slow due to lack of resources.
The third and perhaps most important point to consider about virtual RAM is that the phone’s internal storage, unlike RAM, is not designed to save and delete data indefinitely, but rather has a limit of readings and writes, so using your internal morery as virtual RAM, shorten the life of your phone’s internal storageso you should only use it as an emergency resource and not something permanent.
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