Why is it important to track and prevent memory leaks in applications?

Tracking and preventing memory leaks in applications is important because leaks lead to a gradual increase in memory consumption, which can cause:

• Slowing down the application due to frequent garbage collection.
• Increased resource usage of the device, which is critical for mobile devices with limited memory.
• Ultimately — application crashes or forced termination.

In iOS, for example, leaks are often related to cyclic references between objects that are not automatically released by ARC. To prevent this, weak references and profiling tools (Instruments) are used to identify issues.

Thus, memory management ensures stability, performance, and a good user experience.