Please bear with me since I understand this is a noob question, but a google search revealed no such topics... I have dl'd several task managers on my newly installed Android 2.2 (thanks to a wonderful xda developer) and I kill tasks to free memory on my device. However, it seems that if I open an app during any given time use of Android, those processes never fully terminate. This includes Google Voice, Maps, News & Weather, Meebo and Voice Search (which might be a system thread or w/e and I am ok with that) among many other apps. Is there a way to permanently kill these apps? Thank you for your help and patience.
EDIT: Just want to add that I use the back button to exit apps most times cuz I read thats the proper way to do it.
Don't bother, Android is not like a desktop OS where running too many applications runs down the available memory to the point where the OS slows down. Android is clever in that it will take memory claim memory back from running applications if they are not in focus. This is fast and completely transparent to the user.
Killing applications will often slow the OS down. as you have noticed, a lot of them start up again because they are needed by the OS in someway. Killing these applications slows your experience down as Android has to reload them from the flash memory - s.l.o.w
There are times where killing applications is genuinely useful but they really are few and far between.
Oh and to actually answer your question, most of the task managers will kill the task like they are supposed to. If the task starts up again, it is because something is telling it to. Like your sync settings for example.
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.
i am on revolver rom last update,
and i downloaded "Advanced task killer" , i noticed when i kill the background apps it say "11 apps killed"
after i open 1-2 apps (and close them) , and then kill the background apps it say again "15 apps killed" (and i only open 1 app)
any suggestions? , before this problem it was like "4 apps killed" ,
You normally have to select what apps will be killed.
Task killers are not normally recomended/needed
Go to SETTINGS/APLICATIONS/RUNNING APLICATIONS to check whats actually running and compare to the task killer
HTH
yeah dude, im not aware of any rom developer who suggests using a task killer. Either uninstall the app or let android do its thing with managing resources.
Don't let task killers fool you, they haven't been needed since 2.0. Bestbuy and carrier reps have no idea what they are talking about. Task Killers will give you a nice jolt of speed for a short time, then Android will start to load everything the task killer killed, back on.
Best thing to increase performance is to use RAM scripts, like the V6 SuperCharger, or to just overclock.
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...
For Android users, it's our daily routine to use task killers or RAM cleaning apps to kill those unwanted apps, free up more RAM and boost our phones' speed.
However, Android's latest OTA update has disabled some API for task killer/manager apps, which is really confusing and inconvenient for Android users.
So, has Android shut the door to RAM cleaning apps?
With the question in mind, I downloaded 3 most representative RAM cleaning apps with the largest user group on Google Play to find out. Firstly, I tried Clean Master. However, after the update, Clean Master can no longer kill running apps anymore. Then I tried Advanced Task Killer (the top one of "task killer" apps), and it stopped working as well.
Many users have expressed their upsets about not being able to boost their phones like before.
The third one I tried is Advanced Task Manager (the topone of "task manager" apps) developed by INFOLIFE team . It's working both properly and smoothly! It turns out that only one day after Android's latest update, the team released a new version. So now we can still use a third-party app to kill apps and free up RAM. And now this app has become my new favorite. Nowadays, responding speed is the most important quality for all developers because that is we as users value the most.
First, are you sure this belongs here ?
Second, did you just wrote this to talk bad about developers who dont update their apps straight everyday ?
Im not sure you know what you are doing.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/android/apps-games/attention-post-qa-troubleshooting-t3178095
Thread closed