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This is why Android Lollipop is laggy, and here's how you fix it

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Despite all of the improvements afforded by Android Lollipop, Material Design, the limitless recent-apps list, the better battery life and the improved performance, up until now there has been a particularly nasty problem with the interface: lag. Despite continuing to finish tasks quicker than previous Android versions, users had been reporting a noticeable slowdown after many hours of use. Now we know why.

android lollipop bugdroid teaser
Noticed some lag or slowdown after using Lollipop for a while? Here's why! / © ANDROIDPIT

There have been a number of reports submitted to the Android AOSP bug tracker, stating that this "lag" problem occurred after around 40 hours of "standby" time, and that the only fix was a system reboot. According to a post on Pocketnow, the lag culprit is known as "memory leak", and is (effectively) caused by apps/services continuing to use system RAM even when it is no longer required.

Eventually, after days of use without a reboot, some apps have occupied so much RAM that other apps/parts of the system don't have enough of it themselves to function. The system keeps killing apps to make memory available, which forces it to recreate and restore the state of the apps it killed if you need them again. This continual killing and recreation of the apps is what makes the system laggy. 

Pocketnow claims that the issue has been addressed, but that we'll have to wait fix for a future version of Android to get it. Whether this will be in Android 5.0.3, or somewhere further down the line, we aren't sure. In the meantime, a system reboot seems like the best solution. 

Read up on all of the latest Android 5.0.2 update news at the link. Have you experienced any similar issues on Lollipop? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: Pocketnow

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Scott Adam Gordon

Scott Adam Gordon
Editor

Originally from the UK, Scott graduated in Popular Music Studies at Newcastle University and attributes much of his success there to his beloved Samsung Galaxy S2. His current aim is to write cool things about Android. And he loves it.

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9 comments
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  • 2
    HanPhing Tan Sep 21, 2015 Link to comment

    The lollipop 5.0.2 upgraded make my phone slow , phone model lenovo a6000, issues like freeze on caller , freeze on incoming call, load call log took 15sec , synce contact problem , gps cant find location. Totally pissed off and fed up . Guys, any solution?


    • 2
      HanPhing Tan Sep 21, 2015 Link to comment

      Another thing ring tone also having problem ... T.T


  • 1
    Will Ross May 11, 2015 Link to comment

    My G2 recently updated to 5.0.2 and there is a noticeable difference in performance now :(
    Simply typing the pincode unlock is laggy, not to mention screen switching, etc. I hope this "memory leak" is resolved soon.


  • Jimmy LightspeeD 5
    Jimmy LightspeeD Jan 31, 2015 Link to comment

    u mean 5.0.2 Lollipop right. 5.1 will be quite away's from now


  • CJ Brown 29
    CJ Brown Jan 19, 2015 Link to comment

    Not in a hurry for OS Lollipop 5.0 on my 1st gen Moto X as long as there are bugs (I can wait for OS 5.2) ...


  • Pedro Almeida 5
    Pedro Almeida Jan 9, 2015 Link to comment

    This bug is so annoying. Rebooting takes too long (specially when the Android only have the "Power Off" function). I will wait an update to fix it, meanwhile I'll continue using the KitKat. :/


  • Dvoraak 14
    Dvoraak Jan 8, 2015 Link to comment

    This just illustrates the biggest problem Android has. I hope my AT&T Note 4 gets the lolli update soon but will it have this fix? If not, how long will I wait for the fixed update to make it through the pipeline.


  • 4
    Paul Barry Jan 8, 2015 Link to comment

    There is no doubt that my Nexus 7 device is laggy and prone to freezes. I am on 5.0.2. The only way to fix it is to reboot. It certainly lags and freezes well before 40 hours, however. I would say after a reboot, I am lucky to get one hour before having to reboot. The freezes and lag intervals, before reboot have escalated with time. This is very frustrating and I can assure you I clean my "junk" and caches often. I have also minimized running apps to the bare minimum, but the problem just keeps getting worse. Thank you for posting this. At least I know that it is not just me.


  • 2
    Rithvik Podduturi Jan 8, 2015 Link to comment

    Im facing the lag problem even in 4.4.4 kitkat on my motog 1st gen

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