System Status

What is the "other" memory?

The "other" memory is the memory which is allocated but which iOS doesn’t categorize into any of the other memory groups. In other words,

Other = Total – Free – Wired – Active – Inactive

This is iOS specific – under OS X all the memory is split between the remaining categories and "other" is always 0. Apple does not document what this memory is used for – there are opinions it is used for textures but I have not seen any confirmation or proof of this claim.

The amount of the "other" memory is usually largest of all the categories, often more than 50% of the total memory.