Apparatus, methods, and other embodiments associated with group based read reference voltage management in flash memory are described. According to one embodiment, an apparatus includes a partition logic, a Vref memory, and a Vref logic. The partition logic is configured to assign respective cells in a flash memory device to respective groups of cells. The Vref memory is configured to store respective Vref values mapped to respective groups of cells. The read logic is configured to read a cell in the flash memory by determining a group to which the cell is assigned; determining a Vref mapped to the group; and using the Vref value to read the cell. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes an adaptation logic configured to selectively adapt respective Vref values mapped to the respective groups of cells.