Only an Android expert knows these 3 things

See the future with Process Stats

You may remember us talking about the RAM Manager that's due to be introduced with Android 6.0 Marshmallow. RAM Manager is like the battery stats section, but for memory. It provides you with geeky stats on how long a process has been running, how much RAM it's using and how good its overall performance is.

But you don't actually have to wait until you get Android Marshmallow on your phone to have access to this information.

If you're an Android expert, you'll know about a rarely-used section of the Developer Options called Process Stats. Process Stats already gives you access to everything Marshmallow's RAM Manager will – and more – and you can use it right now. 

Process Stats keeps an eye on system memory demands, your most RAM-hungry apps and the services that each app is running. It's basically the god's-eye-view of what your phone and apps are up to. It's great for knowing what's normal and identifying problematic apps or runaway processes.

If you're not already familiar with Process Stats, here's how you access it. First enable Developer Options: go to Settings > About Phone and tap Build Number seven times until you see the Dev Options message pop up. Back up a step and you'll see Developer Options at the bottom of your Settings menu. Tap this, find Process Stats and start familiarizing yourself with the inner workings of your phone.

Know the secret codes and menus for your phone

We've written about secret Android codes and hidden menus for various devices before. These codes and menus allow you to do all sorts of things, from testing your GPS, to accessing a diagnostics menu, simply by tapping a sequence of characters into your phone's dialer.

Some codes work for all phones, others are specific to a particular device or CPU, such as the Moto X Qualcomm settings menu. If you're a true Android expert, then you'll know which ones exist for your device. 

You've also got a whole host of awesome Accessibility Settings, which practically no one ever touches either. True Android fans not only know about these menus, features and codes, but regularly make use of them, whether they're underused parts of the visible system, or secret back doors for technicians and testers. It goes without saying that there are things behind these back doors that you probably shouldn't mess with.

Monitor performance in real time

If you're a real Android expert, then you want to know what's going on at all times with your phone. Like Process Stats above, which primarily covers RAM management, there are apps that will let you monitor the performance of your Android in real time.

Want to know how much data is being uploaded or downloaded all the time? You can. Interested in changes in your CPU temperature when its under load? No problem. Like to know exactly what is taking up the most space on your internal storage? Piece of cake. There are tons of apps and widgets available to keep you abreast of even the tiniest change in your device. If you're not already making use of them, check out our top choices in the link in the above paragraph.

Beyond these three key areas: RAM management, secret codes and menus and real-time monitoring, there is plenty more you can get into as an advanced Android user. You can test your internet connection speeds, calibrate your Android battery, benchmark your phone, tweak your audio settings, use NFC to transfer files, pair devices and automate tasks, use your smartwatch or location to tell your phone what to do and the list goes on and on.

Stuff like this is our bread and butter, so we hope you enjoy what we serve up daily. Let us know your own expert tips in the comments.