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Advanced task killer not killing everything?

Came from an x10, where every app would close when i ran atk...now gbaroid, pandora, last.fm, all stay running... whats up?
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It seems that the API for killing tasks has changed under Froyo. According to other task killers I've used, you can no longer directly kill an app from another app. Only the 'settings' page can do that.
I generally use Free Advanced Task Manager. It will "attempt" to kill the background process of the app, but admits this is not reliable. Otherwise it will take you to the Application Management tab of the specific app your are trying to kill and let you manually kill it from there.
Also note that there is no consensus that killing apps to free memory makes your device faster. By caching programs in memory, android is able to execute them faster when called upon. By killing them, you are forcing the OS to reload them (slower) when needed).
You might be better served by looking into some of the tweaks out there that set the memory management system of the OS into a more aggressive mode. The proper settings will find a nice balance between killing off apps/free memory, and letting the cache system take care of itself.

KILL the TASK KILLER.....

If you can kill the task you can force close it. Long hold on the app, then select force close and it should do the trick. Ive had that issue too but force closing should work with most apps.
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Is there a way to make a shortcut to the default app manager?
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kdkinc said:
KILL the TASK KILLER.....
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Agreed, Task killers are a total waste in the Android environment. I've found over the years my devices runs better, faster, and has better battery life when I stopped using a Task killer.

will2live said:
Agreed, Task killers are a total waste in the Android environment. I've found over the years my devices runs better, faster, and has better battery life when I stopped using a Task killer.
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This is correct. The "nervous system" (so to speak) is built on process management. I'll try to explain it as quickly and as plainly as I can
On a computer and some other devices, you want to close an application when you are finished with them, because a running program will continue to draw on system resources even when you aren't using it. This is not the case with Android. When an app is not running/in use (best example: pandora. running=on the screen, in use=streaming music in the background), it is in a "frozen" state. While the app appears to be taking up memory, the allocated space isn't actually being used. Instead, it's reserved for that application. So while the memory is not "free", it is also NOT being used constantly.
Task killers are useful if you download an app that causes your system to slow, that way you can kill it then remove it. But most apps are going to open themselves back up in a few minutes anyway, and they are designed to do so.
Summary: over a long period of time, frequent task killing will drain more battery than it saves.

The5ickne55 said:
Is there a way to make a shortcut to the default app manager?
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long press on blank homescreen>shortcuts>settings>manage applications

Task killer ?

I thought the newer android operating systems did not need a task killer, yet there is one included on the sensation.
Is the inclusion for the sensation, ginger bread, or?
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The task killer is definitely a HTC app. I'd not use it, it can't even report the amount of free RAM correctly.
To test, goto Settings --> Applications --> Running Services, at the bottom of the screen you'll see the amount of RAM used and free.

Thanks..
Is the correct way to turn it off in the settings section of the task manager app?
Do you use another task manager?

I have not used a task killer since android 2.1. I really don't believe you need to manually kill apps in gingerbread, but some people might disagree.
If you want to manually kill app, you can setup a shortcut to running services on the home screen.
Select Personalize -- Shortcut -- Settings -- Running Services
This is the best way to kill an app or process since we are doing it in gingerbread.

Thanks.. that's what I've always read also.
Threw me for a loop when I say this task killer on the phone.

I don't use the task killer to free memory as i believe it is pointless on android. I never installed a task killer on previous android handsets. However, I have found the included task killer invaluable for killing programs which have crashed in the background, hogging CPU cycles.
I know you can do it through the settings menu but this app is more convenient.
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Don't install or use a task killer. I create a shortcut to the "Running Services" in the settings menu and close out the music application when I'm not using it.

Bigmille said:
The task killer is definitely a HTC app. I'd not use it, it can't even report the amount of free RAM correctly.
To test, goto Settings --> Applications --> Running Services, at the bottom of the screen you'll see the amount of RAM used and free.
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I've seen this to.. However every other system tools/widget i tried show the same amount of used and free memory as the the task killer. So is there some hidden app running somewhere that "running applications" won't see?
I never run out anyway tho so it's not an issue.. Just strange...

I don't think there are any hidden apps or process which would account for that much differences in memory reporting between Gingerbread and 3rd party task killers.
Its more likly that the task killers was written with android 2.1 and 2.2 in mind. They are simply not working correctly in gingerbread.
Don't forget the gingerbread only available on small % of Android, most devices are still rocking with 2.2 and 2.1 (read an article on this in one of my news feed, but can't remember the source).
P.S. my xoom also have this problem. Some app report complete different available memory from running services.
Bottomline, I'd always trust the amount of ram reported by running services over any 3rd party app.

Force Stop vs task Manager

Hi,
I occassionally kill an app to free up resources via the built in HTC task manager. But, i also noticed that under the manage apps menu, when you click on an app, some of them allow you to press force stop if they are running.
I am confused though, becaue for example i never use slacker or google maps, yet these 2 apps give me the option to force stop. yet, some apps i use frequently do not have the force stop option (its greyed out).
Thanks

Freeze or remove the apps that you don't use, as long as they're not system apps. Check and be sure you know what it does before removing. Task manager apps are not really needed for Android 2.2+. I use the one in the pull down on occasions when I know my phone will be on stand-by for a while so nothing is running in the bg. You should be good. TiB is good for removing and freezing apps, but if you don't wanna pay, you can always disable them via adb.
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Don't kill apps to free up memory. Android will relocate the memory for you if necessary.
The only time I use the task manager is as a quick way to restart an app.
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dr.m0x said:
Don't kill apps to free up memory. Android will relocate the memory for you if necessary.
The only time I use the task manager is as a quick way to restart an app.
Sent from my Leedroid Sensational Htc Sensation!
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I sometimes find myself wanting to kill an app that leaves GPS running, etc...

dr.m0x said:
Don't kill apps to free up memory. Android will relocate the memory for you if necessary.
The only time I use the task manager is as a quick way to restart an app.
Sent from my Leedroid Sensational Htc Sensation!
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Hi, what is the objection of killing apps via Task Manager in Sensation? I am coming from Windows Mobile and therefore have used to kill apps after closing them.

DJouneyt said:
Hi, what is the objection of killing apps via Task Manager in Sensation? I am coming from Windows Mobile and therefore have used to kill apps after closing them.
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Basically anything Android 2.2+ handles applications. Closes them after the appropriate period of time. Ends all processes related to the app unless it had a background service that runs.
Task killer abruptly shuts down the app and doesn't let the Android OS do the job. Earlier on 1.5/1.6 days it was definitely needed because Android didn't handle it as well.
If you have to force stop or task kill make sure your task killer isn't set to auto kill. Also I do kill apps occasionally via Force Stop when the app isn't working. Usually facebook app does this at times or words with friends.

DJouneyt said:
Hi, what is the objection of killing apps via Task Manager in Sensation? I am coming from Windows Mobile and therefore have used to kill apps after closing them.
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It isn't really necessary to "free up resources" in Android. Apps that have been dormant for some time or are unnecessary are closed automatically when memory is required. Often apps that are force closed will simply be reopened by the system, which actually has a negative impact on battery life.

Ok I been using advance task killer since I got android I'm using 2.3.4 I have auto kill on 30mins I use it to save battery, are u guys telling me i don't need it?
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relldroid said:
Ok I been using advance task killer since I got android I'm using 2.3.4 I have auto kill on 30mins I use it to save battery, are u guys telling me i don't need it?
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You most definitely do not need it.

Task killer or not?

Hello,
I was wondering, is it good to have an app killer, something like "Advanced App Killer" or "System Panel App"?
I know we have one that came with the phone stock, but the wife has a Captivate and the task manager in that phone is very cool, it even let you release memory for the RAM. And I find that the "Auto-End list" in the Atrix 2 barely works, for me at least.
Any suggestions will be much appreciated.

I second this. The Galaxy S2 I was using before my Atrix 2 had a neat task manager that had the option to "kill all" running applications and allowed one to free up some RAM as well. The provided task manager doesn't really do much...

These task killers only kill your battery, not much else. Android is more then capable of handling multiple tasks on its own.

AnyMal said:
Android is more then capable of handling multiple tasks on its own.
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Very true!! Do a little research if you don't believe it yourself. I don't run any task managers or battery helping apps. Most of the time they add to the problems and not solve them.

atrix 2 has a built in task manager. works rather well actually.
but the 3rd party managers seem to just be a waste of resources.

svtfmook said:
atrix 2 has a built in task manager. works rather well actually.
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What he said
I use it to stop apps that i'm not using or don't plan on using anytime soon, mostly when I get ready to play a game of NFL Flick Quarterback, just to make sure plenty of ram is available.

Thanks for the replies guys. I was curious just because I'm a little picky and the Atrix 2 task manager is not very "user friendly".

Just use the A2 task manager and add all the apps in AutoKill after 2 mins then root and freeze apps that you don't use but running on the background ^_^ no need to release any ram because the system will try to run the background app again that is why people say don't use other TM or JD. It is like doing a push up, more work when you go down but its easy to stay up hehehe.

Android with dual core hardware shouldn't ever need a taskkiller. And if your app freezes kill it thru settings or task manager. Thru daily usage this phone does not hang at all. Their are a few apps I have used that froze but that's easy to kill/fix. I would leave it honestly.
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You are right in that it doesn't need a task manager. But I add all unnecessary apps, such as games, to the auto-kill list in the included task manager and leave the rest to Android to manage. Some games will occupy ram while not running and eventually they will be closed but that usually happens right when that ram is needed and that can lead to an occasional stutter as the OS is reclaiming ram. Also, if one of the memory hogs is using CPU that could have an impact on battery life. I think it is a neat little tool that helps out, but unlike the Market task managers, it doesn't arbitrarily kill all apps, it only kills what you want it to kill. Killing all apps is a bad thing.

(Q) How to automatically turn off the application?

Guys, how to automatically turn off the running application?
I feel very upset because my application like Maps, Market, Gmail, etc, always automatically running without my permission.
Because of that, i always manually kill that apps with Task Killer. But, not much later, it was running again!!!! Please help me guys, How to automatically turn off the apps? and never running again without my permission

u dont have to close those apps...doing so would result in wasted battery life as the app/process would start again on its own...
using task killers is NOT AT ALL advisable on android 2.2+, because android has ram management built in...
kill (better if u uninstall) only rogue apps, like i had this wallpaper app which used to constantly start by itself, and i was better off unistalling it....rather than killing it every time it started...
and its not advisable to uninstall google apps like gmail and maps, and these will keep running passively in the background...and they are harmless...so no reason to worry about them....

try using titanium backup...freeze the apps you dont want to run(works only on titanium backup premium...
i think this might help

a.cid said:
u dont have to close those apps...doing so would result in wasted battery life as the app/process would start again on its own...
using task killers is NOT AT ALL advisable on android 2.2+, because android has ram management built in...
kill (better if u uninstall) only rogue apps, like i had this wallpaper app which used to constantly start by itself, and i was better off unistalling it....rather than killing it every time it started...
and its not advisable to uninstall google apps like gmail and maps, and these will keep running passively in the background...and they are harmless...so no reason to worry about them....
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but, it can "eat" my ram performance right?

hebosto said:
but, it can "eat" my ram performance right?
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i didnt get you properly....ram performance on android (based on linux) is different than what it is on windows...
here ram in use is not neccessarily bad, because it manages ram differently....if any app actively requires ram, then android closes passive apps itself.....
and if ur phone feels laggy, then its because an app/process is actively using cpu, rather than ram...if you understand what i mean....