Android Studio - Rotating device causes more and more memory to be used

Question

I have this simple Android Studio project for testing out little code snippets. Today while I was fiddling around with some code, I noticed that each time I rotate my device, it causes the app to use more and more memory. Screenshot of the chart is as follows:

Each time I rotate the device, allocated memory increases and free memory amount decreases. When free memory hits zero, it cleans a chunk of memory, but not all. As I keep rotating device back and forth, eventually it causes more free memory made available to the app, and allocated memory keeps increasing and increasing.

This is a simple app with only single TextView and no execution code at all. No database activity, no network activity, no cursor, nothing to cause any memory leak whatsoever.

Here is the MainActivity.java content:

import android.support.v7.app.AppCompatActivity;
import android.os.Bundle;

public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity {

    @Override
    protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
        super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
        setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);

    }
}

I tried to dump the java heap, but it looks all jibberish to me.

So is this the expected behavior? What is actually filling up the memory? What is going on?

You have a memory leak. Post the code for the Activity being rotated. — Juan Cruz Soler, Jun 11 '16 at 23:41
I posted the code. There is nothing that is being executed except for the parent class call and setContentView() line. — SercioSoydanov, Jun 12 '16 at 00:33
did you try restar and invalidate cache, clean and build proyect? — David Untama, Jun 12 '16 at 00:39
In the memory monitor you have a button called "Initiate GB", do you get the same result when using it? — Juan Cruz Soler, Jun 12 '16 at 00:39
@JuanCruzSoler when I click "Initiate GC", total memory amount increases (Free + allocated) just once (once per app session), but allocated memory drops down to its initial amount (as if I just started the app). But as I keep rotating the device, same thing keeps happening, until I click "Initiate GC" again. — SercioSoydanov, Jun 12 '16 at 00:56
If memory drops down to its initial amount when you run the Garbage Collector then you don't have memory leaks and nothing to care about — Juan Cruz Soler, Jun 12 '16 at 01:00
So does GC automatically gets activated at some point? Because I kept doing it for like 50 times, is just builds up. — SercioSoydanov, Jun 12 '16 at 01:03
@JuanCruzSoler Ok, tested it for a few minutes (7 minutes to be precise, kept rotating it in my hand quite stubburnly :) ) it seems after a certain point it returns back to initial amounts. If you can add it as an answer I can accept it. Thanks. — SercioSoydanov, Jun 12 '16 at 12:15

score 1 · Accepted Answer · answered Jun 12 '16 at 18:03

If that is your MainActivity then you don't have memory leaks.

But, if you want to be sure there is a button in the memory monitor called Initiate GB. Click it an it will run the Garbage Collector freeing up your unused references.

You will see that memory drops to its initial amount when doing that.

Android Studio - Rotating device causes more and more memory to be used

1 Answers1

Linked