Modern smartphones can easily handle anything you throw at them, but it’s always good to keep a tight grasp of what your phone is actually doing and how well it’s doing it. System information can be viewed by looking through your Application Manager, but this process makes it difficult to keep an eye on usage in real time.

Problem apps that misuse RAM or cause low storage warnings are things that we should watch out for, so I’m going to show you how to easily monitor memory and internal storage on your Samsung Galaxy Note 3 or any other Android phone and tablet—before getting any warnings.

Monitoring Your Current RAM & Storage

Running as a small background service, NotiSysinfo, from developer Zsolt Zakál of pixelfactory, displays color-coded memory and storage usage information directly on the drop-down notification panel. Free and with no ads, I might add.

Tweaking the Settings for NotiSysinfo

After installation, you’ll be able to configure various settings such as enabling the service, starting it on boot, selecting the update interval and storage path, and more.

Customizing the Color Bars

Towards the bottom of the settings you’ll have the option to pick the color of the bars that show up in the notification panel—either a solid color or gradient.

Making Sense of NotiSysinfo’s Data

When it comes to RAM, there is no arbitrary value for what you should have as “free,” since those values fluctuate with the type and number of apps you have running in the background.

Generally speaking, you don’t want to be below 100 MB, but Android’s built-in app manager is a powerful enough tool that it will know what processes to stop in order to keep your device acting normal.

As for storage, it’s good to keep on eye on how much space apps and media are taking up on your device. Once your free storage gets dangerously low, it’s time to either delete some stuff or purchase more memory.

With NotiSysinfo, you’ll be able to monitor this system information and ensure that you stay on top of any issues that may arise.