Android: How does Bitmap recycle() work?

Question

Let's say I have loaded an image in a bitmap object like

Bitmap myBitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeFile(myFile);

Now, what will happen if I load another bitmap like

myBitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeFile(myFile2);

What happens to the first myBitmap? Does it get Garbage Collected or do I have to manually garbage collect it before loading another bitmap, eg. myBitmap.recycle()?

Also, is there a better way to load large images and display them one after another while recycling on the way?

Answer 1

The first bitmap is not garbage collected when you decode the second one. Garbage Collector will do it later whenever it decides. If you want to free memory ASAP you should call recycle() just before decoding the second bitmap.

If you want to load really big image you should resample it. Here's an example: Strange out of memory issue while loading an image to a Bitmap object.