The amount of Random Access Memory (RAM) your handset needs for smooth multitasking is a cloudy subject, especially as Apple and Android phones have different amounts. Smartphones rely on RAM to hold the operating system (like Android and iOS), and to run apps and the data for those apps, as well as some caching and buffering data. The RAM needs to be organized and managed so that the apps can run smoothly. When a new app is launched, a free place in memory needs to be found to load the app and start it running. Equally, when an app exits, the space it occupied needs to be returned to the OS.
All is well, as long as there is enough free RAM to start apps. But what happens when there isn’t enough free memory? How does iOS handle such situations? What about Android?