How to identify rouge app hogging memory - General Questions and Answers

Hi,
My Verizon Galaxy Nexus has been running very very slow lately. I'm running AOKP last stable JB build and the RAM bar at the 'recent apps' screen show "665MB used - 30MB Free" most of the times. Even if I 'Kill all apps" from that screen, Free memory doesn't go higher than 42MB ever. I did google search with different keywords but all of them are returning only 'task killer' apps, which I believe don't actually do much good. In theory, Android does memory management on its own and release required memory automatically when a new app needs it. But I'm guessing there's some rouge app in my device which is always reporting "hey, I'm using this memory" and not letting Android reclaim it.
So, I'm looking for an app that can identify which app is using how much of ram at any given time. And maybe how much of CPU time etc... so that I can identify which app is bringing my device to its knees. Any suggestions?
Thanks

Related

Maximizing ram

Hey guys, I've been experimenting with some ram optimizers ("Memory boost ram optimizer" being the best) and I have come to this conclusion. You can sit their and kill those ram hogging apps every 5 seconds, or you can prevent those apps from starting up in the first place. I failed to find any apps that stop programs from starting on their own. Are there apps that can fix this problem?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Vik_92_Sandhu said:
Hey guys, I've been experimenting with some ram optimizers ("Memory boost ram optimizer" being the best) and I have come to this conclusion. You can sit their and kill those ram hogging apps every 5 seconds, or you can prevent those apps from starting up in the first place. I failed to find any apps that stop programs from starting on their own. Are there apps that can fix this problem?
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Click to collapse
Based on how memory management occurs in Android. Those apps that get used the most, you want them to have RAM. They access faster. Your phone may appear sluggish when another app is forcing an old app out of memory but for those that are used often, they will be quick and responsive because of memory. There was an earlier post describing how android manages memory, I will add the link to this thread when I find it. So, what I'm trying to say, don't kill the apps in memory, let android manage itself, and don't install apps that you don't feel are serving their purpose.
Here is that thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=904023
trekie86 said:
Here is that thread: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=904023
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the link. Very Helpful.
Vik_92_Sandhu said:
Hey guys, I've been experimenting with some ram optimizers ("Memory boost ram optimizer" being the best) and I have come to this conclusion. You can sit their and kill those ram hogging apps every 5 seconds, or you can prevent those apps from starting up in the first place. I failed to find any apps that stop programs from starting on their own. Are there apps that can fix this problem?
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I896 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
"startup auditor" lets u select apps that u don't want to start at start-up. and it even polls at regular intervals for apps u don't want to run at all in the background. The latter applies typically to att bloatware apps.

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.

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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Sent from my MB865 using XDA App
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.

[TIP] Deleting useless stock Samsung apps

If found an app that can delete those useless apps that come pre-installed on Samsung phones.
It's called ''Titanium Backup'', and it can be found in the Market
I found it to be very useful, because some of these apps open up on boot en fill your RAM while not having any added value to your phone.
You can also backup apps as the title, ''Titanium Backup'', obviously suggests.
So you can backup files you are not sure of if they are mandatory to the system before you delete them.
If you are using a custom launcher you can also delete the TWlauncher.
Dude you are talking about one of the most popular applications that requires root access on the market (if not the most popular It's obviously great, no doubt about this.
I'm not a mod or something and please don't consider it a as personal attack on you, but let me just express my own opinion: I don't think this information requires a new thread.
I woudn't delete a TW Launcher since it's the only launcher with hardware acceleration. TB has a better option: "freeze" - you simply shut down process without deleting it. You never know when you will need it.
Thanks for clearing that up.
I was just looking for something to post because I want to be added value to our forum.
This was the first thing that came to mind.
No problem, every effort in our growing community is appreciated !
It is valuable to be able to remove the samsung apps, personally I removed the hubs because I'll never use them.
About apps that launch on startup and occupy ram: please don't worry about this, the android system tries to hold apps in ram so that they can startup quickly when you need them again, the system will move them out if the active app really needs more ram. This is why task killers really aren't worth the effort.
Sent from my GT-I9103 using XDA App
It would also be helpful to have a list of those apps that can safely be removed.
I found that these useless apps take up ram again even if they are not needed. Though everybody says "android handles this perfectly" my system slows down considerably. I installed several always running apps and the combination of wanted and useles apps took up almost all my ram.
I rooted my phone and tried several apps , including TB to correct this situation.
I finally found a nice tool: gemini app manager. It allows me to disable autostart/ notification events so that an App is not reloaded after each fart from the OS.
It reduced my permanent mem usage by almost 130MB!
This makes my Galaxy R responsive like fresh from the box.
Sent from my GT-I9103 using XDA App
↑
any way to get those apps kicked out of RAM for the unrooted user...??
coz when i choose "Clear memory" it still keeps consuming lots of RAM
ofabhishek said:
↑
any way to get those apps kicked out of RAM for the unrooted user...??
coz when i choose "Clear memory" it still keeps consuming lots of RAM
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is my main reason forr rooting! And since it's so easy and has no negative aspects - why shouldn't i do it?

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.
Sent from my Desire HD using xda app-developers app
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
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
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Assuming you are replying to me, your response is a bit ambiguous...

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