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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?
Click to expand...
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.
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...
Don't know how many of you saw this, but I installed it last night, and it's awesome.
http://www.xda-developers.com/android/greenify-keeps-your-android-running-smoothly/
Basically, it allows you to stop apps from running in the background without disabling them. You can still run them like normal, but they don't eat up RAM when you're not. It does stop background functions, but many of the apps I see running like this don't do anything for me in the background anyway. YOU determine what runs in the background instead of your apps.
It doesn't work with system apps, these need to be moved to phone storage before Greenify can take control of them.
I've noticed a definite improvement in available memory and multitasking.
Play Store link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/..._source=xda&utm_medium=post&utm_term=download
You will spend more battery in killing those apps. ram is supposed to be filled up, the only answer to run more apps is to get more ram , not kill running apps.
Did you read the post? It's not a traditional app killer. It prevents them from running in the background at all.
Installed this a few hours ago. Definitely smoother phone, and moderately better multitasking. Been trying to find a way to get rid of pesky Facebook which uses like 25 mb of RAM just to send you push notifications and sync your calendar.
You may need to convert Facebook to a user app first. It can't do anything to system apps. I did it with mine and it's now behaving.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
Hi All,
So it appears that after installing 4.4.2 I cannot seem to get Google Play Music or Pandora to run without leaving the app open and in the foreground. I'm not sure if there is a function that has to be enabled to do this in KK, or if it is some mod I did long ago to force kill apps that are in background.
I understand this is a bit of a goose chase, but I was hoping people would be able to suggest things to check to see whether we can fix this problem of mine together or not.
- Could it be something in an Xposed Module? XBlast, GravityBox, etc. have a setting for killing background processes?
- Could it be something in the KitKat system itself that has to be enabled / disabled?
- Could it be the new settings within the apps themselves?
- Could it be a third party app (that I may have installed and am unaware of) killing background processes?
- Other ideas?
Apps run when phone screen is off, and when phone is locked, but if I go into a different app the music stops cold.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts!
Ah yes, this is the curse of Android 4.3+. I read in the Greenify settings that in 4.3 or greater, Android killed off an exploit that allowed apps to increase their priority to stay in memory. In turn, running apps can be killed off when memory is low. Horrible. I've had it across all ROMs and stock as well. I've done as much research as humanly possible to subvert this.
I'm by no means an expert on Android. I have really limited knowledge of how it runs. But I think that information in accurate, because my own personal solutions seem to support it.
Generally what I have done is keep as few running processes as possible. This means no live wallpaper, Greenifying as much as I can, and clearing out any recents frequently. If this fails, I have to restart and things get back on track again.
Go into your developer settings and look at the process stats. If it says memory is critical, you'll need to start trimming down your background processes. I don't quite exactly know how to interpret all the data that is present there, but "critical" seems clear cut at least.
If anyone has more information on this, please add to the convo!
Thanks bud. On the plus side at least I know it's nothing I've done to a setting here or there (other than going ahead and installing KK on the phone, lol).
Why Google/Motorola would make simple things like this worse as updates come out is beyond me... le sigh.
A "simple phone upgrade" to something unlockable with 2+ GB RAM is my best option I guess, lol.
Agreed. Luckily 2 GB is the baseline nowadays, but I feel like I don't want to take the chance and just go for 3 next time.
While we're still on the subject though, which xposed modules do you use? I wonder if they do contribute to RAM usage.
jldr said:
Agreed. Luckily 2 GB is the baseline nowadays, but I feel like I don't want to take the chance and just go for 3 next time.
While we're still on the subject though, which xposed modules do you use? I wonder if they do contribute to RAM usage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Xposed list is pretty lengthy, I'm sure something here is using RAM. And I totally agree with you - baseline 3GB (or more) in my next phone, with a quad or even octo-core processor.
Ah, the days of 1GB and dual-core being top of the line, lol.
Here's the Xposed list:
- AcDisplay
- All Notifications Expanded
- App Settings
- Chrome New Tab
- Disable Location Consent
- GPS Notification
- Google Play Music Listen Later (Just installed recently, haven't set up yet to test it out)
- Google Search API
- Gravity Box
- Handle External Storage
- Hide Apps Xposed (did not work on 4.1.2 since I wasn't running GEL, haven't tested after KK install)
- MinMinGuard
- MinMinLock (Just installed, haven't set up yet, might delete)
- Multi Users
- Notification Mod
- OK Google For 3rd Party Launchers (Just installed, haven't really played with yet)
- Pandora Patcher
- Stop Switch Delay
- Swiftkey Goodness On More Fields
- Swipeback
- Ultimate Dynamic Navbar
- UnToaster Xposed (version 1.1.7 - I couldn't get TiBu to work correctly with the newer versions through 1.2.5)
- Unbeloved Hosts
- XBlast Tools
- Xposed Preference Injector
- Xposed Torch (couldn't get to function correctly after KK installation)
- YouTube Ad Away
- YouTube Allow Fullscreen HDMI
I've noticed that Gravity Box and XBlast do a lot of the same things, I'm thinking I can whittle one down as long as I can find all of my settings within the other.
Using NotiSysInfo to monitor I noticed my RAM usage typically bounces between 85-125 MB free, depending on what is going on in the phone. This is double from what it used to be on 4.1.2 (typically I'd be running with about 40-50 MB RAM free). Knowing this, I'm not so sure the phone is killing the music apps based on RAM usage alone, unless the threshold for free RAM needed has been raised...
...if that is the case, any idea of a good app to lower the threshold for free RAM before the phone starts killing things? I was looking at Auto Memory Manager, but it didn't seem to do the trick keeping music alive in the background.
Sounds like a good idea for another Xposed Module, lol. Do you happen to know the thread for posting up ideas or requests?
LifeAsADroid said:
Sounds like a good idea for another Xposed Module, lol. Do you happen to know the thread for posting up ideas or requests?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/index-collection-xposed-modules-post-t2327541
I think AMM worked for me for a while, but wasn't perfect. Nothing really ever did the trick like a restart... which makes me think that there is a memory leak somewhere, but I could never track it with any app I used. Maybe it is something to do with xposed? I never tested my phone long enough without it.
I haven't had it in a while, and I've done two things since it kept happening consistently the last time: 1) switch from SwiftKey to Google Keyboard. 2) Deactivate Muzei, best wallpaper app ever (RIP). Both apps seemed to consume variably large amounts of RAM.
Another thing I should note is that when frantically googling memory leaks, someone wrote on XDA that Android can only handle so many services running at once, so that when the number is exceeded, it automatically kills one. Possibly, this is the issue with the music.
coolloser said:
http://forum.xda-developers.com/xposed/modules/index-collection-xposed-modules-post-t2327541
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks a lot, found the thread right after I posted, lol.
jldr said:
I think AMM worked for me for a while, but wasn't perfect. Nothing really ever did the trick like a restart... which makes me think that there is a memory leak somewhere, but I could never track it with any app I used. Maybe it is something to do with xposed? I never tested my phone long enough without it.
I haven't had it in a while, and I've done two things since it kept happening consistently the last time: 1) switch from SwiftKey to Google Keyboard. 2) Deactivate Muzei, best wallpaper app ever (RIP). Both apps seemed to consume variably large amounts of RAM.
Another thing I should note is that when frantically googling memory leaks, someone wrote on XDA that Android can only handle so many services running at once, so that when the number is exceeded, it automatically kills one. Possibly, this is the issue with the music.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I found a solution in the "ask Xposed questions" thread listed above. Use the module App Settings and for the apps to stay running in background checkmark "resident". Works perfectly for me now.
I agree AMM is junk. KeepRunning doesn't work that well either. Xposed all the way!
I wonder if this is the same issue I'm having with Hangouts and SMS notifications. It seems that if I have enough going on in the background, Hangouts will stop giving me notifications for SMS. When I go into the app, the new message(s) is there and waiting for me to read it. This to me is a huge problem. I didn't have this issue on CM11. For me, it seems it most always happens if I'm using the Facebook app and viewing a link from Facebook on Chrome. I've now made a habit of checking Hangouts periodically to see if I have any new messages.
cmajpwc said:
I wonder if this is the same issue I'm having with Hangouts and SMS notifications. It seems that if I have enough going on in the background, Hangouts will stop giving me notifications for SMS. When I go into the app, the new message(s) is there and waiting for me to read it. This to me is a huge problem. I didn't have this issue on CM11. For me, it seems it most always happens if I'm using the Facebook app and viewing a link from Facebook on Chrome. I've now made a habit of checking Hangouts periodically to see if I have any new messages.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I would try clearing your data for Hangouts. Sometimes notifications won't come in if they are associated with an older android device ID.
I have had nothing but problems with hangouts and the messaging app. I deleted both and am using a third party messing app now. No problems.
Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using xda app-developers app
So here's my train of thought,
Lollipop put an end to the clear all recent apps button. This caused me to recall something I read on slimroms website a while back regarding why slim recents doesn't have a clear all button either. If I remember correctly, basically they said that the way Linux works, opening an app in it's closed state calls on more ram or cpu than it would if it were just running in the background - so what does this say for greenify? I'm certainly no computer science expert so I could totally be misunderstanding, but if someone could clear this up for me id really appreciate it. Is hibernating my apps saving my battery? Or is the extra effort of opening them back up draining my battery?
Thanks!
First of all, slims rom you close all recent app by pinching it. There is no button. Also, with gcm push abilities, apps like Facebook and whatsapp saves battery by hibernating and using greenify to act as a proxy when a push notification comes in. Google gcm greenify for more details. It isn't about the battery loss in restarting an app but rather what that app is doing while on in the background. Hope that makes sense.
Thanks for the response, I'll have to research a little to wrap my head around it entirely, but I think I understand. Just for reference though, here is the link to the slimrom thing I mentioned:
http://slimroms.net/index.php/faq/slimbean/414-will-you-add-the-kill-all-in-recents
I use LiquidSmooth, which is based on SlimKat, and the pinch to kill all works on it. That said, it really is better to simply kill only the apps you don't want running in the background. If you keep killing apps you frequently use, your phone has to re-load them from storage each time, which takes time, processing power, and battery juice.
Similarly, Greenify is indeed best used to hibernate apps that you don't want running in the background. For example, frequently use Facebook, Words with Friends, Wikipedia, Dolphin, RealCalc, etc. I want to keep these running. Other apps, like the T-Mobile account app, or my banking app, I don't want/need running constantly in the background, so they get Greenified.
Another way to go about this is to use a task killer like Clean Master, but whitelist apps you frequently use.