What is the difference between internal storage and internal memory

Answer by: Rajaa Chowdhury

May 9, 2013

Memory and storage are often confused. It is important to know the difference, because they perform different functions.

 As an example, think of your device as an office. The internal storage (ROM) is your file cabinet. You store files in the cabinet, but you would not read or edit them there. You take files that you are using out of the file cabinet, and put them on your desk. The desk is like your internal memory (RAM), where you are using files.

Internal memory (RAM) : Internal memory (RAM) is where your running runs apps and open docs are. It is short term memory. When you restart your device or stop an app, it is no longer in memory (RAM).
What happens when it is low? If you run out of internal memory, then Android may close apps, slow down, or cause errors.

Internal storage (ROM) : Internal storage (ROM) is where your device stores app data and the operating system files it needs to keep. It is long term memory. When you restart your device or stop an app, all saved information is still in the storage.
What happens when it is low? If you run out of internal storage, you may have problems saving and reading files, and may even make some apps not function correctly.

Perform the following steps as regular maintenance for internal storage (ROM):

Clear storage regularly
Clear the storage at least once a week:
Note: Refer to your user manual for instructions.

Check the available internal device storage. It must be over 25 MB for all versions up to Android 3.1 or over 150 MB for Android 4.0+.
Note: If it is less, the Android system cannot work properly. You must clear more storage and delete more apps using the following tips.
Delete unnecessary text messages (SMS) and picture messages (MMS).
Transfer pictures and media to a computer, and remove it from the phone memory.
Clear the browser cache, cookies, or history.
Clear Facebook app cache.
Manage applications. See section below.
Delete the call logs.

Set the device to manage some memory
Prevent the storage from being filled as quickly:

Set the text message limit to delete messages automatically.
Note: The default is 200 text and 20 picture messages. You may use this setting to start with, and decrease it if you continue to have problems.
Change the setting for email synchronization to download only for the past three days.

Manage applications
Keep managing any applications that you install to keep the system running properly:

If you notice the device having some problems and you installed apps in the past few days, then uninstall all the new apps. Most device problems are actually caused by app errors.
View other applications that are using storage or memory:
When in Manage Applications settings, press Menu. Some devices may require you select All first to view all applications.
Touch Sort by size.
For apps that take up a lot of space, clear the application cache and data.
For apps that continue to use a lot of your storage space, uninstall them by touching the app name, then Uninstall.
Move some apps to the SD card or storage partition.
Note: Do not move: live wallpaper, widget apps, apps that use the notification bar, or apps that synchronize online. Some apps may not work correctly from SD card. Move unstable apps back to internal memory or upgrade to a new SD card (class 6 or above).

Perform the following steps as regular maintenance for internal memory (RAM):

Restart the device regularly
You should restart the phone at least once a day:

Press and hold the Power key.
Touch Restart (if available) or Power Off.
If necessary, press the Power key to turn the device back on.

Reduce memory use
Prevent the memory from being filled as quickly:

If the device is slow, remove the widgets from Home screens (especially ones that update with information or have animation).
If you are using live wallpaper and the device is slow, turn off the live wallpaper.
Remove all unused Home screens:
Pinch the Home screen.
On the grid of Home screens, drag unused screens to the trash.

Note: These things can both drain your battery faster and make your device run slower, or cause crashes in all apps.

Manage applications
Keep managing any applications that you install to keep the system running properly:

If you notice the device having some problems and you installed apps in the past few days, then uninstall all the new apps.
Keep your apps updated. Open the Play Store while you have a data connection, and it will check for updates.
Read reviews of your apps in the Play Store. Not all apps work well with all phones. Read the customer reviews to see if other people complain about the app not working.
Manage or remove apps that run in the background. Background apps use up device resources.
Restart the phone.
In Settings, go to Apps or Application manager, and then Running.
Examine the list of apps running in the background. View applications that are running in memory, and either:
Uninstall the third-party apps
Clear the application cache
Task and battery managers:
Android 4.0 and later include a task manager you can use to close running apps. Open the recent apps screen, and manage your apps listed.
Note: Some older devices include a pre-installed task manager, which you can access from the applications menu.
Most Android phones can manage applications from the Settings menu.
Never install third-party task managers, battery managers, or apps that close and end running processes. They interfere with how Android works.
Note: If you have installed a task manager, then uninstall it.

For devices with limited storage (ROM)
Some devices have a limited amount of storage space (example: G1, myTouch 3G, Wildfire S, Gravity SMART, etc.). These devices may show signs of low memory when the storage fills up.

Does deleting messages and call logs help free up memory?
No. Messages and call logs are stored in the internal storage. Clearing them will only affect memory problems when the Messaging app is running.

It will not help the memory if the Messaging app is not running, but it will help if the internal storage is full or corrupted.