Home vs back button exiting apps - General Questions and Answers

From my layman understanding of how android OS works, leaving an app via the home button will place the app in a "pause" state but not remove it from memory until the OS decides it has been paused a while and wants the resources for something else.
Using the back button is supposed to tell the OS that you're done with the app and take the service out of memory usage *IF* the app was coded well enough to cooperate.
But I've noticed on my phone that no matter which method I've used, when I open the stock task manager the apps remain as running services regardless. So does it make any difference on my battery life and system resources which method I use?
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well i would suggest that you should close only apps like games or facebook(because facebook keeps syncing and games use a lot of cpu).Other processes for example keyboard do not affect battery life and should be running in the background

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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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Bump
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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.
Sent from my HTC G2 using XDA App
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?
Sent from my DROIDX using XDA App
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long press on blank homescreen>shortcuts>settings>manage applications

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.
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Thanks for the info.

Can you have to many system apps? Odd.. .

All my system tools, network tools, repair tools, is it possible there tools over lap. Like if three apps all have same program all have start up app killers do they all work. Which wins out.. that's one thing I'm talking battery savers. Network defence. I have apps for there best options but some do things I don't want so can that cause conflict? Like slow phone down. I notice memory being eaten up and wonder if that could be the issue. I mean I want them all but if there duplicate abilities is hurting not helping I will uninstall them. Also how come programs that don't need to start up and come back even after I Kill them. Thanks
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Is there any other way to release more system memory each ram beside deleting apps. I hate using over 350ram which I often do
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Deleting apparently will not free up ram it will free up rom. Your ram is used when apps are running. I have only seen system monitors needed when you overclock and battery savers usually don't help that much. And yes they will overlap and conflict with each other. My battery lasts longer without battery savers and app killers. App killers can also (by default) turn off apparently your phone needs to run and cause stability issues unless you tell them not to (not all will do this but some.) I personally use the back arrow to go back to the home screen and that pretty much stops the app and I get on average about 18 hours out of mt photon (most I have gotten is 1 day 13 hours but I didn't use it a lot at all) and I got about 15 hour average on my evo.
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OK I just hate getting rid apps I paid for and are good. Like Rom manager. Super manager. Rom tool box and titanium back up. I mean others too where one does all functions. So if I uninstall a app it wont run, so more memory. Is there a way to clean duplicate system files running or does it need them. Like system tasks not apps. Thanks. Also why do some apps run even when I turn them off starting up is there as app for that. Freeze? Function keep it from running in the background
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why are you trying to use any type of task killer? its not needed.
why do you think you need to uninstall your useful tools?
do you understand how Android works?
why do you think you need to free up RAM? Free RAM is WASTED RAM....there are thousands of articles on this subject, i would suggest you do some reading on how the system works, before you randomly start killing processes and apps.

Recent Apps in Jelly Bean custom rom - Battery??

I've been using Andromadus JB Test Builds on my desire S. A feature of it is the new recent apps, that shows every recent app, even though i've quit the app. I've now had to swipe each of the app as i'm concerned it does eat up my battery if i leave them there.
Could someone explain if it really does eat my battery or i shall leave the recent apps there as is?
maniche04 said:
I've been using Andromadus JB Test Builds on my desire S. A feature of it is the new recent apps, that shows every recent app, even though i've quit the app. I've now had to swipe each of the app as i'm concerned it does eat up my battery if i leave them there.
Could someone explain if it really does eat my battery or i shall leave the recent apps there as is?
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Click to collapse
Leaving them there or removing them will have no affect on your battery.
Each app you have installed is composed of any number of activities, services and more components. The screens you see in an app are the activities, the main (or last activity) in the app will show up in the recent apps list. The activities are not running or doing anything unless they are fully visible on the screen. When an activity is not on the screen or in the process of being removed or created it does not use up any battery. Services on the other hand run in the background and do consume battery, the only way to stop these and ensure they do not restart is to uninstall the app, you can stop them from the Manage apps section but they may be restarted by the app. You can also stop the app from the Manage apps section but it too may be restarted.
Last but not least: Android has a build in task killer. so there is no need for you to kill apps to prevent the system from getting laggy or consuming too much battery. As soon as more free memory is needed, Android kills some applications by its own.

Why You Shouldn’t Use a Task Killer On Android

So i saw many posts on which people have asked as to which task killer should be used !
and then i stumble upon this site which provided me the details,
i just complied info
sources-by Chris Hoffman
http://www.howtogeek.com/127388/htg-explains-why-you-shouldnt-use-a-task-killer-on-android/
Android Doesn’t Manage Processes Like Windows
Most Android users are familiar with Windows. On Windows, many programs running at one time – whether they’re windows on your desktop or applications in your system tray – can decrease your computer’s performance. Closing applications when you’re not using them can help speed up your Windows computer.
However, Android isn’t Windows and doesn’t manage processes like Windows does. Unlike on Windows, where there’s an obvious way to close applications, there’s no obvious way to “close” an Android application. This is by design and isn’t a problem. When you leave an Android app, going back to your home screen or switching to another app, the app stays “running” in the background. In most cases, the app will be paused in the background, taking up no CPU or network resources. Some apps will continue using CPU and network resources in the background, of course – for example, music players, file-downloading programs, or apps that sync in the background.
When you go back to an app you were recently using, Android “unpauses” that app and you resume where you left off. This is fast because the app is still stored in your RAM and ready to be used again.
Why Task Killers Are Bad
Proponents of task killers notice that Android is using a lot of RAM – in fact, Android stores a lot of apps in its memory, filling up the RAM! However, that isn’t a bad thing. Apps stored in your RAM can be quickly switched to without Android having to load them from its slower storage.
In summary, you shouldn’t use a task killer – if you have a misbehaving app wasting resources in the background, you should identify it and uninstall it. But don’t just remove apps from your phone or tablet’s RAM – that doesn’t help speed anything up.
Empty RAM is useless. Full RAM is RAM that is being put to good use for caching apps. If Android needs more memory, it will force-quit an app that you haven’t used in a while – this all happens automatically, without installing any task killers.
Task killers think they know better than Android. They run in the background, automatically quitting apps and removing them from Android’s memory. They may also allow you to force-quit apps on your own, but you shouldn’t have to do this.
Task killers aren’t just useless – they can reduce performance. If a task killer removes an app from your RAM and you open that app again, the app will be slower to load as Android is forced to load it from your device’s storage. This will also use more battery power than if you just left the app in your RAM in the first place. Some apps will automatically restart after the task killer quits them, using more CPU and battery resources.
Whether RAM is empty or full, it takes the same amount of battery power – decreasing the amount of apps stored in RAM won’t improve your battery power or offer more CPU cycles.
hope u understood!
words of wisdom by fellow-mates
go into settings - apps and see how many running apps you have. now go to cached apps and see there, how many apps there are. you see? nearly 50% of those apps discovered by you in the processes are apps that you didn't opened ever but they are still opened and running. why? because that's how linux manages its resources. instead of having free ram for no use (what's the point of having 14gb of ram when you only use 1gb), linux fills all the ram blocks with useful apps or apps that you are running frequently so that when you call that app, it will bring it on the screen almost instantly. this my friend, is called multitasking.
and no, you are wrong. if you use a task killer killing the apps every 10 minutes, the cycles the whole system does - opening again apps and caching them, task killer closing them - results in much more functions done by CPU => more battery spent. even if you say that the battery life its the same, you are wrong. when using a task killer IT MIGHT drain your battery with 0.1% per hour. it's not that much, but IT EXIST.
oh and yeah, one thing: android has its own task killer. that's why you don't need one app to kill your other apps. because android its doing it by itself. if you don't believe me, strip down one kernel, open the init.rc file and find the values for task killer.
I've never used those programs, I like to use what the phones have by default
But is good to know anyways
I agree with that...to an extent
Auto killing apps is plain stupid, but I do believe in killing certain apps. In a perfect world heavy apps would just be uninstalled, but plenty of useful apps without good replacements are fairly heavy, and it helps to kill them. E.g. after exiting a game I will kill it because its hogging up valuable ram by running in the background, while still using he same resources it uses at the forefront.
I understand that android, and Linux should manage ram well, but more often then not some app is just out there slowing my phone down. Even an hour later of not using that app, it'll still be in the background using up a lot of CPU and ram I don't have (more importantly battery). Android is great at managing smaller apps, but in my experience, it sucks at doing the same for larger apps.
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I don't use automatic task killers, those that are constantly running, but i do kill unused tasks and apps with no reason to be still running. Google services is a common example. It will launch at boot and keep running peemanently, even if you never launch a google app, google services is running, why?
A lot of apps, mostly the free ones, get revenue by reporting anonymous usage statistics (not so anonymous in some cases). So they stick a running service even if the app is never launched again (sometimes even if it isn't launched in the first place).
To sum up, killing everything is bad, but leaving everything to run free can also decrease performance. This can be observed on an android device that has been running for a long time, versus an android device that's just been reset.
some unused tasks will repeatedly rerun even if killed.
This will further decrease battery life and affect performance as resources are needed to keep restarting it.
The best way is to ignore if it takes a small portion of resources or to uninstall the app. Rooted users may disable the triggers via certain apps.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
In phones with very low RAM, this becomes a necessity.
Switching programs take up a lot of time to process unless there is a sizable free RAM
Markuzy said:
some unused tasks will repeatedly rerun even if killed.
This will further decrease battery life and affect performance as resources are needed to keep restarting it.
The best way is to ignore if it takes a small portion of resources or to uninstall the app. Rooted users may disable the triggers via certain apps.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use auto run manager
it is the answer to most of every body's problems
DarthSimian said:
In phones with very low RAM, this becomes a necessity.
Switching programs take up a lot of time to process unless there is a sizable free RAM
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if u have low RAM, please manually remove the apps!
dxppxd said:
I don't use automatic task killers, those that are constantly running, but i do kill unused tasks and apps with no reason to be still running. Google services is a common example. It will launch at boot and keep running peemanently, even if you never launch a google app, google services is running, why?
A lot of apps, mostly the free ones, get revenue by reporting anonymous usage statistics (not so anonymous in some cases). So they stick a running service even if the app is never launched again (sometimes even if it isn't launched in the first place).
To sum up, killing everything is bad, but leaving everything to run free can also decrease performance. This can be observed on an android device that has been running for a long time, versus an android device that's just been reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
use autorun manager, keep it simple
dxppxd said:
I don't use automatic task killers, those that are constantly running, but i do kill unused tasks and apps with no reason to be still running. Google services is a common example. It will launch at boot and keep running peemanently, even if you never launch a google app, google services is running, why?
A lot of apps, mostly the free ones, get revenue by reporting anonymous usage statistics (not so anonymous in some cases). So they stick a running service even if the app is never launched again (sometimes even if it isn't launched in the first place).
To sum up, killing everything is bad, but leaving everything to run free can also decrease performance. This can be observed on an android device that has been running for a long time, versus an android device that's just been reset.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
let me tell you something about google services...
when you installed your rom, you had to check two options from google services - location and another one.
if you are on stock, those options are available in settings also.
the google services are needed (you are running a google os, right?) because without it, the location feature will not work, the play store will give you headaches and not to mention, google now that needs that service like water.
if you kill that process over and over again you will not gain anything because that service will keep restarting it until you will give up. ah, you will loose a massive amount of battery if you do so
another thing, the google service is a system app. system apps have priority in resources so even if you kill now, as i said, it will restart after a few seconds because some apps that you are running are requesting that service.
as someone said here, yes, even I kill games after I stop playing, BUT, I do it from the task manager built in. Settings - Apps - Running apps etc.
1ceb0x said:
let me tell you something about google services...
when you installed your rom, you had to check two options from google services - location and another one.
if you are on stock, those options are available in settings also.
the google services are needed (you are running a google os, right?) because without it, the location feature will not work, the play store will give you headaches and not to mention, google now that needs that service like water.
if you kill that process over and over again you will not gain anything because that service will keep restarting it until you will give up. ah, you will loose a massive amount of battery if you do so
another thing, the google service is a system app. system apps have priority in resources so even if you kill now, as i said, it will restart after a few seconds because some apps that you are running are requesting that service.
as someone said here, yes, even I kill games after I stop playing, BUT, I do it from the task manager built in. Settings - Apps - Running apps etc.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if u dont want them to restart use, autorun manager
task killer
Well, i think a task killer is useful. It sometimes helps to speed-up the phone a bit.
snelle-eddie said:
Well, i think a task killer is useful. It sometimes helps to speed-up the phone a bit.
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No that is wrong.....it consumes more ram it self
Sent from my One V
Normally to kill a process I use the Running Tab in Apps, If any recently opened app which I feel should be closed is open I kill it!Though I leave the google services untouched!
Stopped using Task managers and Battery saving apps long time ago!
Want to really save the juice? Try Under Clocking! and killing the bloatware(saves RAM too!)
I used to have a task killer but the more I killed apps, the slower my phone was, so I eventually ended uninstalling it.
great post. lots of usefull info!!
Instead of using a task killer to keep on eating your battery life, simply either delete the app or disable it in your system if it's a system out (eg: default browser, bloatware, etc).
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zomut.watchdog&feature=search_result
its good, but most android users atleaast ppl like me know which apps are usefull and which are not
cybervibin said:
its good, but most android users atleaast ppl like me know which apps are usefull and which are not
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Assuming you are replying to me, your response is a bit ambiguous...

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