When you tell someone that you are having a problem with your phone or another technological device, the first question you probably encounter is “Have you tried turning it off and on again?” is happening. So much so that this question and advice can even turn into a habitual joke in our lives.
Turning off your phone is not a big deal, but it is a very important process in terms of technology.
What happens when you turn it off and on?
RAM stores short-term data needed by the phone’s processor. You’ll find RAM used in many other devices as well, including tablets, PCs, laptops, and game consoles. The data stored in your RAM is used to perform all kinds of tasks in any app you have used since the last time you turned on your phone.
If you want to access a web page or application, this can be done quickly using RAM as it provides your device with relevant data stored in anticipation of your next move. Today’s smartphones usually have between 6 and 12 GB of RAM. While most people don’t need more than 6-8GB, there are situations where you may need additional space and one of the biggest advantages of some smartphones is this additional RAM they offer.
RAM is not a feature of your phone’s long-term storage capacity, and you don’t need your RAM data for a long time. Therefore, every time your phone restarts, all data in your RAM is cleared. There are other ways to clear your RAM besides rebooting, but restarting your smartphone is usually the easiest and simplest method. Also, restarting your phone has some other great benefits as well.
When your RAM is full of useless data, your phone’s overall performance can slow down significantly. Installing apps and files can get tedious and your phone can feel like it’s in its last months. Even if you manually close your apps after use, leftover data may remain in RAM. Turning off the phone completely clears the RAM as it completely cuts the power to the RAM.
The more space you have in your RAM, the faster your phone can respond to commands. So restarting your phone can be a quick fix whenever you notice a drop in performance quality. However, this is not a guaranteed solution. While running out of RAM is a common cause of slow smartphone performance, it’s not the only reason. Outdated operating systems, corrupted batteries or even malware can also slow down the phone’s performance.
So, if rebooting doesn’t help, there may be an additional problem that you need to identify.
In other words, although it can be used as a joke, turning your phone off and on has real benefits and can help your phone with a lot of different things, from opening apps that won’t open to fixing connectivity issues.
