[Q] Program Monitor Nexus S - Nexus S Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

I just left my Epic for the Nexus S, and so far the results are mixed. One tool I really miss is the Program Monitor, which I kept on my home page to kill apps that were using the battery. I can't find it anywhere on the Nexus.
Am I missing something, or is that app kill process no longer necessary with the Nexus S?

task killers aren't really necessary on the nexus s, but if you have a rogue app or need to kill an app for some reason go to
settings > applications > running services
you can then click on them separately and kill them as needed

Related

Why are task killers so bad?

I'm just curious. There are 4 apps I want to kill upon bootup.
ATT Family Map
ATT navigator
ATT hotspots
Asphalt
I don't use them and dont want them loading.
So what would be wrong with using something like Advanced Task Killer to do that?
Also on a side note. The captivate comes with a really nice task manager which I thought made it really easy to just shut down a program you aren't using at the moment.
Is there an easy way to install that on the inspire without rooting? Or is there something just like that in the market?
Sent from my Inspire 4G
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=963478
shutting down an app generally causes it to simply reopen itself. theres a link about taskillers in the thread i linked. a good read.
From my understanding it was mainly caused from killing system processes that kept coming back.
I doubt the ATT programs would restart once closed cause are not being used. They just start when the phone boots.
As far as asphalt. Why a racing game would auto start upon boot is beyond me.
Sent from my Inspire 4G
You will have to root in order to keep Apps from restarting. Use titanium backup to freeze them.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
apps running in the back ground don't use your battery. Apps that go crazy and randomly use 50%-60% of your CPU kill you battery. If you must have a some sort of task killer download Watchdog lite off of app market. It will tell you which apps are overusing your CPU and give you the option to kill them. Keep in mind that android naturally kills a background process when it needs the space.
mudknot2005 said:
apps running in the back ground don't use your battery. Apps that go crazy and randomly use 50%-60% of your CPU kill you battery. If you must have a some sort of task killer download Watchdog lite off of app market. It will tell you which apps are overusing your CPU and give you the option to kill them. Keep in mind that android naturally kills a background process when it needs the space.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the info.

[Q] Is there something like the Samsung Task Manager available for the Nexus S?

Hi all,
I just got my Nexus S and am wondering... Is there something like the Samsung Task Manager available for the Nexus S?
I am so used to being able to kill programs on the fly with my SGS, etc to save RAM and such but this seems to be missing on the Nexus S.
If there is nothing like this for the Nexus S then can someone tell me how I clean programs on the fly, etc?
Thanks,
Killing Apps is in general not necessary with Android, the system manages RAM just fine, but if you insist, you can use the built in manager to stop running background services and/or install ES Task Manager from Market to kill opened Apps.
You really don't need a task manager for 2.3, its quite good at internal management for apps. Its actually more harmful to use a task killer for 2.3 in terms of battery life.
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA App
read from almost everywhere that the current os will do it's job in managing the tasks for you instead. No need for a dedicated task killer.
Thank you all for your replies on this.
I am not looking for an app like "advanced task killer" or anything like that... I am looking for something like the stock task manager like my SGS has.
If it is not needed for GB then I won't really worry about it but how can I make sure that my apps are closed properly and no longer running or using data without it?
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
Bump... Anyone else have any feed back / info on this?
EDIT
posted in wrong thread...
Anyway, from what i've read its just not necessary for a task killer, i would not worry about it.
Check out this thread guys. From what I understand it optimizes androids built in memory manager to your liking. Also it comes with a task manager which shows all running Apps in the background. It's not available on the android market and is only downloadable through the op's thread. Check it out. It's pretty useful and effective.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1022850
Power Android Memory Manager -- AndMemory 1.5 Latest Release
Sent from my Nexus S using XDA Premium App
I use "paid version" of advanced task manager IMO best one all sorts of useful tools built in
I still kill task from time to time granted the OS is great at managing things

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?
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA Premium App
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.
Sent from my HTC Sensation Z710e using XDA App
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using XDA App
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!
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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?
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
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?
Sent from my HD2 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You most definitely do not need it.

Wich task killer should I download

I WANT TO DOWNOALD A TASK KILLER BUT I DONT KNOW WICH ONE
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA Premium App
You don't really need one... the Samsung one is perfect
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
You really shouldn't need to download a task killer unless your still on a really old version of android such as 1.6. Any advice you are reading about the benefits of task killers are likely outdated and are remnants of the older day's of android. In fact installing one on anything above 2.1 will likely be detrimental to performance and battery life. Android will manage and kill processes on it's own, and if you start killing tasks with a 3rd party app you will likely find that android starts them right back up again. This constant kill and restart will eat up cpu cycles and drain battery. Let Android manage tasks and memory on it's own the way it was designed to.
Instead, focus on tweaking the settings of apps that you don't often use to ensure that they are not running in the background when you don't need them. I'm not sure what your goal is with the task killer, whether it's battery or performance related, but some good places to start tweaking are here:
Facebook --> If you don't need to be notified of updates and you don't care much for syncing contacts then disable the syncing feature from within the app. Otherwise it will run in the background and call in every hour or so looking for updates to sync.
Google Talk --> If you don't use this, then start the app and make sure that auto sign in is disabled. This should keep it from autolaunching in the background and signing you in.
News & Weather app --> Go into settings and manually specify your location rather then using cell triangulation or gps settings to determine your location. These will both drain your battery. Also set the app to download a very high auto refresh, like 6 hours, or disable it completely so that it only refreshes when you actually launch the app.
Location settings --> It's best to disable "use wireless networks" and "gps" unless you are actually using location based services. I personally only turn them on when i need to use them. This saves a bunch of battery by not constantly pinging cell towers to determine your location throughout the day.
To get an idea of what else you can tweak, go into Settings --> Manage Applications --> Running, and have a look at what apps are currently running. More then likely each app should have some sort of settings available that will help you manage what it actually does in the background.
Also, keep in mind that part of Androids strategy in launching apps quickly is to keep the commonly used apps open in the background and ready to launch. If your phone does not feel sluggish or slow, then don't fix what aint broken, leave it be.
Hope this helps.
DaMeatMan said:
You really shouldn't need to download a task killer unless your still on a really old version of android such as 1.6. Any advice you are reading about the benefits of task killers are likely outdated and are remnants of the older day's of android. In fact installing one on anything above 2.1 will likely be detrimental to performance and battery life. Android will manage and kill processes on it's own, and if you start killing tasks with a 3rd party app you will likely find that android starts them right back up again. This constant kill and restart will eat up cpu cycles and drain battery. Let Android manage tasks and memory on it's own the way it was designed to.
Instead, focus on tweaking the settings of apps that you don't often use to ensure that they are not running in the background when you don't need them. I'm not sure what your goal is with the task killer, whether it's battery or performance related, but some good places to start tweaking are here:
Facebook --> If you don't need to be notified of updates and you don't care much for syncing contacts then disable the syncing feature from within the app. Otherwise it will run in the background and call in every hour or so looking for updates to sync.
Google Talk --> If you don't use this, then start the app and make sure that auto sign in is disabled. This should keep it from autolaunching in the background and signing you in.
News & Weather app --> Go into settings and manually specify your location rather then using cell triangulation or gps settings to determine your location. These will both drain your battery. Also set the app to download a very high auto refresh, like 6 hours, or disable it completely so that it only refreshes when you actually launch the app.
Location settings --> It's best to disable "use wireless networks" and "gps" unless you are actually using location based services. I personally only turn them on when i need to use them. This saves a bunch of battery by not constantly pinging cell towers to determine your location throughout the day.
To get an idea of what else you can tweak, go into Settings --> Manage Applications --> Running, and have a look at what apps are currently running. More then likely each app should have some sort of settings available that will help you manage what it actually does in the background.
Also, keep in mind that part of Androids strategy in launching apps quickly is to keep the commonly used apps open in the background and ready to launch. If your phone does not feel sluggish or slow, then don't fix what aint broken, leave it be.
Hope this helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It help thaxx a lot
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