System monitor apps can help you narrow down and identify such apps. You can also save on your cellular data by shutting down or removing these apps.
Best Android System Monitor App
1. Better Battery Stats
A lot of people are complaining about these full-screen ads that suddenly start popping up on their smartphones. These ads are the result of some malware apps that find their way into your Android.
Result? Poor battery with annoying ads. Solution? Well, if you know which app is misbehaving, you can simply uninstall it and you are good to go. But more often than not, we can’t find the offending apps. This is where Better Battery Stats comes in, it provides the most detailed battery stats and helps you find apps that are draining your battery life. The app will work without root access. If that doesn’t help, you can also try, Anti Adware. This app can detect Ad Networks and tell you which app is showing fullscreen ads. Download Better Battery Stats ($2.49)
2. My Data Manager
It has happened to me before. Google Photos was uploading my pics in the background using my mobile data. And Facebook collecting data behind my back. This can create problems if you have a limited data plan. My Data Manager is an app built specifically to monitor your cellular and WiFi data. The app will alert you if your mobile data usage crosses the set limit. This feature is also available by default on most Android phones, but MDM offers more.
You can also track call minutes and text messages. If you have a shared data plan, the app will track usage of data across all devices so you know how much data your kids consumed on YouTube. You can also track data usage on a per-app level. Download My Data Manager (Free)
3. Navbar Apps
While system monitor apps offer a lot of useful info at your fingertips. Navbar Apps is cool. It displays a battery bar in the status bar which will be color-coded. So, as your battery drains, the bar will move left and change colors from green to yellow and eventually red. It looks good. Why named it Nav Bar then? This is because if you have enabled or use nav bar on your Android, you will see a live equalizer there every time you listen to music.
See, in the image above, you can see the equalizer. Note that this feature is in beta and works well in Google Play Music, but sometimes may or may not work with Apple Music. Also, the nav bar will change color depending on the app you are using. This means the equalizer will look different in different apps. Another notable mention in the same category is Energy Bar which will show a ‘pulsating’ battery in the status bar. Check it out. Download Nav Bar (Free)
4. SystemPanel 2
SystemPanel is an app that focuses on visualization as well as functionality and features. Every aspect of your phone like CPU, RAM, processes, apps, memory, battery, network, and more. The way this data is presented is why this app made the list. Check the screenshot below.
It is neat and shows everything in color-coded circles, bars, and even charts which makes it easy to glance at. The app is free but there is a premium version that will remove ads and add more widget options. Frankly, I think widgets usually slow your mobile and performance so use them only if you can’t live without them. The app works without root access but if you have rooted your mobile phone then it will show even more stats. You can also disable services and system packages to improve speed and performance. This requires superuser access. There is an option in the settings. Download SystemPanel 2 (Freemium)
5. Elixir 2
Probably one of the oldest system and performance monitoring apps for Android. I remember using it back in the days of Galaxy S2. Still packs a punch. It will show you all hardware and software related information like storage, CPU, ram, app performance and usage, battery stats, network and connectivity, and more.
Additionally, it also offers a file browser which is pretty decent. You can add certain values in the status bar. Where it really shines is the widget department. There are a lot of widgets and toggles to choose from and you can configure them to your heart’s desire. Good for people who want all the info on their finger-tips and obsess over details. Think devs and nerds here. The app is free to use but you can support the dev and donate by buying the app for $3.99. Download Elixir 2 (Freemium)
6. Tiny Core
System monitoring apps can be a busy screen which can be more confusing than helpful. Even I had trouble understanding some of the stats and navigating around the apps I tested above. Welcome, Tiny Core. This is for people who like to keep things simple and appreciate a minimalist approach. Look for a white line above the status bar. There was no way to change the color though which would have been better.
The app itself is lite at just 1.5 MB and it will add a tiny line above your status bar. It is barely visible which can be a good thing. You can customize it to show battery, RAM or CPU performance. The pro version will CPU frequencies for $1.3. Download Tiny Core (Freemium)
7. CPU-Z
While Tiny Core made things too simple, CPU-Z will offer so much data, information, and statistics, you will be amazed. Want to know the name of the company who built the processor? You got it.
Apart from all the usual statistics that you have seen in the previous apps, CPU-Z will also tell you clock speed, the architecture of individual cores, thermal footprint, and sensors. CPU-Z is free to use but you can remove ads for $1.6. CPU-Z is a crazy powerful app that you can use to actually overclock or underclock your CPU cores. We once tried overclocking on an old Nexus tablet because it was getting slow. While we managed to increase speed and performance considerably, we overdid and bricked it. Use wisely. Download CPU-Z (Freemium)
8. Advanced Task Manager
While Android’s OS is pretty capable of managing background tasks and automatically closing recent apps that are not needed anymore, there are times when you need a task manager. For instance, if you leave Google Maps or Facebook on in the background, chances are they will drain your battery and one way to avoid that is to stop them using Advance task manager.
Advanced Task Manager will do the same for Android. If there is an app that is stuck and now working, or you want to kill it forcefully, you can now do it. Kill apps and tasks that are draining the battery, taking up memory, and using CPU power. The app is free and ad-supported. It also comes with an anti-virus scanner supported by Trustlook. This is a quick way to boost memory and RAM. Download Advanced Task Manager (Free)
9. Sensors Test
Your smartphone comes with a lot of sensors like accelerometer, gravity, barometer, orientation and so on. Depending on your make and model, the number may vary. These sensors may stop functioning properly and you may notice some irregularities like when you turn your phone, auto-rotate doesn’t work.
When you are playing games, the tilt is not functioning. Sensors Test is an app that will help you diagnose the problem. There are different options for all the different types of sensors that today’s smartphones come equipped with. Download Sensors Test (Freemium)
10. WiFi Analyzer
WiFi Analyzer is one of the most popular Network Monitoring Apps for Android. It quickly turns your Android device into WiFi analyzing device. Using this app you can see all the WiFi channels around you so that you can choose the less crowded channel to setup your WiFi network. Moreover, the app also comes with a WiFi signal strength meter to assess how strong is the WiFi signal you are getting.
Download WiFi Analyzer (Free)
Wrapping Up: Android System Monitor App
I liked CPU-Z it shows a lot of info and it is good for those who want to know everything they can about their droid. Regular users or devs. I like Nav Bars because it makes my droid look good, cool in front of my friends. Want to show off or feel good? Download it. I also liked SytemPanel 2 because it offers a lot of info in a beautiful and functional UI with bars and charts. If you are facing sensor issues, Sensors Test will help identify the cause. Better Battery Stats is when you want to find the rogue app, and Advanced Task Manager to kill those apps and tasks.
