As a general rule, task killers are ok to use as long as you understand the following things:
1. Never set your task killer program for auto kill and if you absolutely must auto kill something, never auto kill core processes, mail, messaging, DRM services, location services, or any other vital service for communication.
2. Make sure your task killer program is "meant" to run on your device. Make sure you look to make sure it's compatible with donut, eclair, or froyo... If you use Advance task killer (most popular one), there is a separate Advance task killer froyo version.
3. Task killers are meant to mass kill unwanted tasks from running so you don't have to manually go through and kill each one... they are not meant to optimize your phone... do not attempt to optimize your phone with a task killer
4. Task killers are not meant for the average android user. If you don't know what ADB, fastboot, acore process, build.prop, apk sdk, kernal flashing, bootloader, customer recovery or any other extremely simple acronyms or development activities (this is a beginner list) then that means you should not have a task killer on your android device.
If i understand Android correctly, it sends applications into a "background" mode when switching tasks? I would like to prevent that. There are some apps (like games or browser) that need quit a bit of time restoring the last state so this would be usefull for some tasks.
Is this possible ?
TyrionWarMage said:
If i understand Android correctly, it sends applications into a "background" mode when switching tasks? I would like to prevent that. There are some apps (like games or browser) that need quit a bit of time restoring the last state so this would be usefull for some tasks.
Is this possible ?
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Click to collapse
Well, switching to background mode just marks the application as not displaying anything. The way memory management on Android works, if foreground apps (i.e. apps that are actively displaying on the screen) need memory and there's none available, then background apps will be put into a stored state that frees up memory for the foreground apps. Coming back from that stored state is probably what you're noticing. Android also tries to keep a certain amount of unused memory around and will put background apps into stored state to achieve that. We do have pretty limited memory available on this device so some level of pausing is always going to happen. See also: http://andrs.w3pla.net/autokiller/details
You may be able to reduce how many background tasks are put into storage by tweaking the minfree parameters (using e.g. Autokiller Memory Optimizer from the market) to tell Android to aim for a smaller pool of free space.
Mioze7Ae said:
Well, switching to background mode just marks the application as not displaying anything. The way memory management on Android works, if foreground apps (i.e. apps that are actively displaying on the screen) need memory and there's none available, then background apps will be put into a stored state that frees up memory for the foreground apps. Coming back from that stored state is probably what you're noticing. Android also tries to keep a certain amount of unused memory around and will put background apps into stored state to achieve that. We do have pretty limited memory available on this device so some level of pausing is always going to happen. See also: http://andrs.w3pla.net/autokiller/details
You may be able to reduce how many background tasks are put into storage by tweaking the minfree parameters (using e.g. Autokiller Memory Optimizer from the market) to tell Android to aim for a smaller pool of free space.
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Click to collapse
Thanks, i'm will give it a try. Is it also possible to max out swap before sending apps to background? I think restoring the ram-state from sd would still be faster for several apps.
Edit: reading your post again, i'm not talking about a tasking switch delay, but apps that completly reload themselves when switching tasks (DolphinMini page load,DungeonHunter as examples). Just to prevent any confusion...
TyrionWarMage said:
Thanks, i'm will give it a try. Is it also possible to max out swap before sending apps to background? I think restoring the ram-state from sd would still be faster for several apps.
Edit: reading your post again, i'm not talking about a tasking switch delay, but apps that completly reload themselves when switching tasks (DolphinMini page load,DungeonHunter as examples). Just to prevent any confusion...
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Click to collapse
Oh... Sorry I misunderstood. I don't know anything relevant to that case.
I've spent a few hours trying to find how to make certain Droid apps maintain their foreground state when put in the background with no luck. Perhaps it just can't be done.
I'm thinking of the Cydia iPhone app called Backgrounder which lets you choose which apps maintain foreground state when put into the background.
This is necessary, for example, with a note application where you are switching between taking notes and looking up info. Every time you switch back to the note app, you need to go back into your note, put it in edit mode and navigate to the section of the note you were editing. If it were acting like a foreground app in the background, when switching back to it it would already have your note open and be in edit mode with the cursor where you left off.
K9 mail has a similar problem where if you have an email open, switch to another application, when you go back to K9 it takes you to your inbox again where you have to navigate to the email you had open before switching.
Is there a tool similar to Backgrounder for Android?
Thanks.
nheacock said:
I've spent a few hours trying to find how to make certain Droid apps maintain their foreground state when put in the background with no luck. Perhaps it just can't be done.
I'm thinking of the Cydia iPhone app called Backgrounder which lets you choose which apps maintain foreground state when put into the background.
This is necessary, for example, with a note application where you are switching between taking notes and looking up info. Every time you switch back to the note app, you need to go back into your note, put it in edit mode and navigate to the section of the note you were editing. If it were acting like a foreground app in the background, when switching back to it it would already have your note open and be in edit mode with the cursor where you left off.
K9 mail has a similar problem where if you have an email open, switch to another application, when you go back to K9 it takes you to your inbox again where you have to navigate to the email you had open before switching.
Is there a tool similar to Backgrounder for Android?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Looking for such tool too. Making app to stick with its foreground state even though it is actually in the background. (Make it appear in notification?)
ZDBox is a useful tool... you can download from market its free and the app has the abbility to:
★ Traffic counter: Monthly/daily mobile data usage overview, shows remaining data traffic, detailed data usage information for each app.
★ Do not disturb: Just set days and the time when you need your privacy and you won’t be disturbed by your phone. Set phone to silent, vibration or airplane mode.
★ App lock: Protect apps with a password or pattern, for exmaple your contacts, Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp,Gmail and so on
★ Task killer: Kill all apps at once, define protected apps which won’t be killed, set auto kill when screen gets locked, mark single or multiple apps to kill
★ history eraser：clean your（Browser history,market search history,Google Map search history,Gmail search history,Clipboard）
★ Notification bar: One tap on the bar shows remaining battery time, running apps, how much data traffic is left and if app lock is active or not. A tap on these informations starts ZDbox.
★ Uninstaller: Shows used/available internal and SD card memory. Apps can be easily uninstalled. Single or multiple (batch) uninstall possible.
★ App to SD: Move apps to your SD card. Single or multiple (batch) move possible. Only for Android 2.2 and 2.3.
★Cache Cleaner:With Cache Cleaner you can clean your cache of phone.protect your secret without a trace.
I hope you can use for keep your running applications with that app...
sorry for my english...
davidequiz said:
★ Task killer: Kill all apps at once, define protected apps which won’t be killed, set auto kill when screen gets locked, mark single or multiple apps to kill
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Click to collapse
This will not help since the task killer which kills the background apps in inside the android system not an external one.
We must find a way to control the internal one then...
nheacock said:
I've spent a few hours trying to find how to make certain Droid apps maintain their foreground state when put in the background with no luck. Perhaps it just can't be done.
I'm thinking of the Cydia iPhone app called Backgrounder which lets you choose which apps maintain foreground state when put into the background.
This is necessary, for example, with a note application where you are switching between taking notes and looking up info. Every time you switch back to the note app, you need to go back into your note, put it in edit mode and navigate to the section of the note you were editing. If it were acting like a foreground app in the background, when switching back to it it would already have your note open and be in edit mode with the cursor where you left off.
K9 mail has a similar problem where if you have an email open, switch to another application, when you go back to K9 it takes you to your inbox again where you have to navigate to the email you had open before switching.
Is there a tool similar to Backgrounder for Android?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guys, I'm so much looking for a solution of this same thing. The closest I came to is Ram manager. Has a xda threat and can be found in the play store. But it also can't manage to lock an app and prevent its killing (although it helps a lot). I need my navigation always running and it is silently killed or stopped while I'm looking at my mail or have a phone call. This is ridiculous. Have you found a solution. Some way to protect an app from killing and lock it in the foreground. I mean how are they able to do it for the apps which are in the system tray!? Like antivirus apps and tons of other. I can't believe xda experts don't know how...
I would think that Antivirus apps run a service.
In Mioze's CM6 there are build prop edits that might work, but I never tried them.
Code:
# apps to be kept in memory (specified by process name)
# use with caution, RAM is limited!
sys.keep_app_1=
sys.keep_app_2=
I am not an expert and can't tell the difference between service and an app running. What you're saying makes sense, but I need clear instructions somewhere to make an app protected from killing. Thanks for helping.
Sent from my HTC One X using xda premium
Wrong forms this milestone xt720.
Sent from my SGH-T759 using xda premium
I pretty much fixed android multitasking - even on ense 4.0 and 4.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1900626
Testers welcome.
And for locking an app in a foreground state, my SuperCharger can do that via BulletProof Apps menu.
zeppelinrox said:
I pretty much fixed android multitasking - even on ense 4.0 and 4.1
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1900626
wI
Testers welcome.
And for locking an app in a foreground state, my SuperCharger can do that via BulletProof Apps menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I tested that and almost became an expert. I'm not so sure if it is completely solved, although I have to admit that you have done a great and recognized job.
Just tell me can the script for bulletproof apps work alone, without the supercharger script. Many ROMs have their own memory settings and one is afraid to cover them with supercharger script settings.
But if bulletproof script can run and do the job on itsown then the problem is really fixed.
Yeah its separate.
Alot of devs say dont supercharge because they dont want to be showed up and scare their users lol
But hundreds of roms come supercharged anyway.
zeppelinrox said:
Yeah its separate.
Alot of devs say dont supercharge because they dont want to be showed up and scare their users lol
But hundreds of roms come supercharged anyway.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for answering!
So I'm going to try running only the bulletproof script without the supercharger script and set an app to be UNbillable.
Should I set it to run on startup!? I'm using custom ROM. The last revolution HD.
The init.d script would run automatically.
So you dont need to configure anything.
Whatever app is in the hitlist will get bulletptoofed soon after running the app.
zeppelinrox said:
The init.d script would run automatically.
So you dont need to configure anything.
Whatever app is in the hitlist will get bulletptoofed soon after running the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am trying to get this configured. But I only want to run the bulletproof script, not the 99SuperCharger script. I just want to keep my rom's memory settings, cause I am OK with them.
But both of the scripts (99SuperCharger and bulletproof) are going to reside in the init.d folder of my custom rom. So they will both be started, aren't they?
How can I make only bulletproof script run at boot. Should I just delete 99SuperCharger from init.d?
So with the OTA ICS update, I noticed that the stock task manager that was on gingerbread has been removed. Does anyone know why that is, and is it recommended to use any of the market task managers? The reason I ask is sometimes I forget to close things like maps or navigation, and I usually set it up to kill the task once my screen locks to save battery.
A common misconception is that apps run in the background forever; this is not true. If an app is using too much memory (which links to battery life) it’ll be killed by your phone. That’s why if you play a game, check a message, and come back the game is still running. It’s memory usage isn’t that high. However if you put your phone down, walk away for an hour, and the game is still trying to run in the background, there’s a good chance it will be closed before you come back. Separate task managers have to constantly be running in the background which can actually use more battery than it saves. Yes, task managers can use more battery than claim to save.
Long press the home button. Swipe left or right to close out an application. Or, if you're really concerned about this, under Settings -> Developer options, there is a setting under the APPS category called Don't keep activities. It says that selecting it will "destroy every activity as soon as the user leaves it." Also, you can limit your background processes there as well.
Sent from my rooted Mayan Calendar
Just wanted to add, while the task manager has disappeared explicitly as an app, as Apex rightly pointed out ICS is more dynamic in it's task & app management since being a upgraded iteration of the Android OS. Also whilst the further useful tips what Apex has advised, bear in mind the swipe to end action will never show background processes & tasks, rather it shows only running main non system apps. Also since practically everyone makes use of a file manager like Astro you also have a task manager (which is an inbuilt function of the program) which you can make use of. Similarly Avast too has an inbuilt task manager. Also many apps have internal setting to disable feature of autostart while rebooting which you may want to look at. I kind of feel also a lot of apps have got work to do in terms of coming to speed with seamless ICS cohabitation until which point of time they misbehave at times.
A thing which I miss is, earlier when we used to hit the home button it would revert to the third home page out of the five and if pressed once again all the five home pages would float simultaneously but I believe this functionality has been discontinued now.
Hi!
I have tried various task managers from play store. They all show either nothing or just few app. Mostly they dont even display stuff that is running such as Firefox.
Sofar the only task manager that works for me is:
Code:
su -
top
But the problem is that it my phone has so many processes working that they dont all fit in one screen, and since top command is constantly updating, it scrolls back down. So I have to Ctrl - C to interrupt and then write kill -9 pid which is a bit annoying.
Is there any simple task manager out there that is graphical version of top command and that shows me absolutely everything, not only stuff that is currently active? To me it's important to see cpu usage next to pid.
sysctl said:
Hi!
I have tried various task managers from play store. They all show either nothing or just few app. Mostly they dont even display stuff that is running such as Firefox.
Sofar the only task manager that works for me is:
Code:
su -
top
But the problem is that it my phone has so many processes working that they dont all fit in one screen, and since top command is constantly updating, it scrolls back down. So I have to Ctrl - C to interrupt and then write kill -9 pid which is a bit annoying.
Is there any simple task manager out there that is graphical version of top command and that shows me absolutely everything, not only stuff that is currently active? To me it's important to see cpu usage next to pid.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, task managers are crap, the native task killer that android has built in works fine. 3rd party task killers actually make the device work harder because they constantly reload the tasks that you kill.
Best option is root your device then uninstall unnecessary system apps, and use Greenify to freeze your other apps when they aren't in use.
All task managers, RAM savers, optimizers and battery savers are all junk, they actually do the opposite of what you think they do.
I DO NOT PROVIDE HELP IN PM, KEEP IT IN THE THREADS WHERE EVERYONE CAN SHARE
Dunno how with Android, but actually the 'top' command can be configurated to di what you want. Just read the top man page.
Sent from this galaxy
Clean Master is a good one. I got it mainly for it's ability to clear junk files, but the ram boosting ability is handy as well every now and then. It also has a mode that let's you launch games in "boosted" mode, which I think is just a clearing a ram when launching the game. Not sure if it maintains that or just just does a task kill at launch. Killed apps can often just restart soon after. Incidentally, I do that a lot for Iron Man 3.
ABSarah said:
Clean Master is a good one. I got it mainly for it's ability to clear junk files, but the ram boosting ability is handy as well every now and then. It also has a mode that let's you launch games in "boosted" mode, which I think is just a clearing a ram when launching the game. Not sure if it maintains that or just just does a task kill at launch. Killed apps can often just restart soon after. Incidentally, I do that a lot for Iron Man 3.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, Cleanmaster is not a good one, none of the task killer/RAM optimizer apps are "good" they are actually counterproductive and make your device work harder in the long run.
Sent from my LGL84VL using Tapatalk
Instead of using a task manager that will probably not work, try Kernel Adiutor and try setting the Low Memory Killer to your wishes, following this guide.