Samsung Galaxy Note 2 Running Low On Memory [How to Fix]

Shortage in memory is often one of the most common problems in smartphones today. The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is among those that often suffer from this issue. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not because the device was built with not enough RAM, it’s because applications today require a lot of RAM to run not to mention games that also require a lot of space, and CPU and GPU usage.

Having been able to receive tons of emails related to this problem, I could say low memory problem on Galaxy Note 2 could happen to any owner any time of the day. This post will attempt to provide explanation as well as resolution to the problem. But before anything else, here is the list of possible causes.

Possible Causes

• Too many applications running in the background.
• Owner uses a lot of widgets.
• Third-party application has gone rogue.
• Temporary device issue.

Troubleshooting

Based on the list of possible causes, the following are the things you should do to troubleshoot the problem.

Step 1: Reboot the phone. To eliminate the possibility of a temporary device problem, you must reboot the Galaxy Note 2 and observe if the phone still lags due to insufficient memory. Memory problem would always affect the overall phone performance, or at least, it is among the things you would notice to have issues. It is also recommended you do a soft reset by taking the battery out of your phone for 1 minute to discharge the phone’s components of electric charge. Soft-reset is one of the most effective ways to refresh the phone’s memory and fix temporary issues.

Step 2: Close apps running in the background.  Applications on Android won’t close when you press the Home button, instead they will be minimized. They continue running in the background, eating up memory like they normally do. They only difference is that, when not in use, they store data slower than when they are actively used. Press and hold the Home button to pull up the Recent Apps window, then slide each app left to right to close them one by one.

Step 3: Clear Galaxy Note 2 memory. Apps do use RAM all the time and while majority of them will be flushed when an app is closed, some data just couldn’t be deleted automatically. That is why, over time, the phone becomes very slow to load and run apps.  You need to clear the phone’s memory from time to time to get rid of those data.

1. From the Home screen, press and hold the Home button.
2. Tap on Task Manager.
3. Tap the RAM tab.
4. Tap the Clear Memory button.

Don’t worry, a newer and fresher set of data will be cached upon boot up that is why it is recommended you reboot your phone after this procedure.

Step 4: Boot to Safe Mode. If you suspect that a third-party application is the one causing the trouble on your phone, you can try to boot it to Safe Mode to confirm your suspicion. Safe mode will load only basic system software, so when  you see the device works better on Safe Mode than when it is on Normal Mode, you know an app has gone rogue. Here’s how you boot  your phone to Safe Mode:

1. Turn the phone off completely.
2. Press and hold the Power button to boot your device on.
3. Wait until the animation logo appears before you press and hold the Volume Down button.
4. You would know if the phone is on Safe Mode because it shows on the lower part of the screen.

Step 4: Do a Factory Reset. If everything fails to resolve the problem, it’s time you do something that would bring the phone back to its working state: Factory Reset. However, we advise you to backup everything in it so that you won’t lose your important files and data. Things you should backup are contacts, SMS messages, photos, videos, music tracks, etc.

Tell us your phone problems

The solutions we provided here are based on reports and testimonies from owners who have encountered these problems. I also ask my XDA developer friends regarding some of the problems. Now if you have other problems or questions with your smartphone that you want answered, don’t hesitate to send us email at [email protected].

We don’t guarantee a reply to all emails because we receive hundreds of them daily, but rest assured your email messages will be read by me. But I urge you to provide as much details as possible so I could easily find references and compare your problems with reports from other owners. If your problem is as common as others, there could already be solutions that exist and I would surely point you to them. Screenshots often help so attach one if you can.