Database Users

How many of you use a task killer?

I have seen people saying you need one and others saying you dont. Even Android devs posted a blog a few weeks ago saying you really dont need one. I installed ATK and it showed things running that made no sense to me and way more then what my running processes showed under my settings, how is that possible?

task killer vs no task killer... its like automatic vs. manual transmission. many new cars have automatic, but than does not mean that its better than manual (tho sometimes it IS, but rarely).
i do use task killer, but only when needed. sometimes i like to kill my browser to clear out the history and open windows, and once in a while i get an app that's simply not behaving.

frifox said:
task killer vs no task killer... its like automatic vs. manual transmission. many new cars have automatic, but than does not mean that its better than manual (tho sometimes it IS, but rarely).
i do use task killer, but only when needed. sometimes i like to kill my browser to clear out the history and open windows, and once in a while i get an app that's simply not behaving.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This man speaketh the truth. There's no way to end some apps in Android, but to use a task killer. Browser/Internet is one of them.
The more I deal with Android, the more I realize how unpolished its code is. For example, to decades old WinMo.

acrh2 said:
This man speaketh the truth. There's no way to end some apps in Android, but to use a task killer. Browser/Internet is one of them.
The more I deal with Android, the more I realize how unpolished its code is. For example, to decades old WinMo.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Windows has a built in memory manager. I use autokiller to manage the memory manager.
Check out Flipz's FAQ behind why you should not use a task killer.
Also check out Flipz's FAQ about how Autokiller works.

danknee said:
Windows has a built in memory manager. I use autokiller to manage the memory manager.
Check out Flipz's FAQ behind why you should not use a task killer.
Also check out Flipz's FAQ about how Autokiller works.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I checked those (or like those) out many months ago, when I was playing with N1.

I have the option for one (SystemPanel), but it has no auto features and I never use it. I use it more for monitoring my device and battery usage.

Advanced users are going to use them. Performance starts to suffer in the system when memory drops to around 100 and gets really noticeable sub 50.
Generally I have 200+ free because I'm on froyo so its not as necessary but on stock the htc **** is just insane. Damage rom does a great job of taking stock and making it useable.

I always used one until FroYo, now I have generally around 260mb free. It's perfect

I was using one (Advanced Task Killer) and finding it frustrating as it would show apps open that I had never used. I would kill them when I found them and then I set it to autokill when the screen turned off. Didn't work, they would still be there when I turned it on. I finally just said the hell with it and uninstalled it. Since then I've noticed that the phone seems to run a lot better with less lag. I like it much better since I dumped the task manager.

I don't use one and normally I uninstall the default browser (it annoys me i cant exit it) and install Dolphin HD as my default.

I used a task manager when I first got this phone, did more research as I tweaked the phone and read about why not to use a task manager. So far its been a week without a task manager and I'm noticing better battery life, and while I don't notice an improvement in performance of any kind, I also don't notice a drop in performance.
I think I will be sticking with no task manager for the time being. Its also really nice not having to worry about what's running or not, and having to run the task manager to exit applications or what not. Its also one less program I have to worry about.

Any suggestions for a good task manager?

Hello, all. I am currently running the free version of Advanced Task Killer, which seems to work ok, but there has to be something better. What I've noticed is, that after a reboot, the app will tell me that I have about 240 MB of available memory when all apps are closed with the exception of the task killer itself.
However, by the end of the day, after I've opened and closed a few apps, sent some messages and emails, made some calls, etc, the task manager will show significantly less available memory available. It could drop to as low as 135 MB with all apps closed with the exception of the task killer.
This leads to me to believe one of two things:
a) The Task Killer is full of it and it does not have an accurate read of how much memory is actually available.
b) The Task Killer is only able to "kill" certain tasks while others remain running in the background and it does not show that the app(s) are actually running.
Honestly, I think it is option B, because I do notice that when the app tells me that I have less than normal available memory, the phone does tend to function slower and lag a bit. Nothing that cannot be fixed by a powering it off and on, but I am hoping that someone knows of a good app (even if it is a paid app) that will actually bring up ALL tasks running and kill them. I've also noticed that even with this task killer, Google Talk (which I have never used) always remains open in my phone and I have to manually go into into the settings and turn that off.
Any suggestions?

My suggestion is to not use one.
I do use Autokiller though which tweaks the thresholds for Android's internal "task killer".
It's best to let Android do it's thing.

Tikerz said:
My suggestion is to not use one.
I do use Autokiller though which tweaks the thresholds for Android's internal "task killer".
It's best to let Android do it's thing.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really? Do you mind elaborating on why you feel that way a bit so I can understand? Because I do notice that when the I am running a bunch of things at once and I use this app to kill the tasks, it does improve the performance of the phone.

I can understand why some people say you don't need one but I do think it is necessary to have it installed for when you do. I'd rather kill apps than pop the case, battery cover and battery to fix a frozen phone.
I have some GPS apps I run occasionally that after exiting them they don't turn off the GPS or lock the GPS on and drain my battery. So for those apps where the developer didn't put a close buton on the menu it helps shut them down. I don't know why Google Market doesn't require apps to have a close option.

get OS MONITOR from the market

PAPutzback said:
I don't know why Google Market doesn't require apps to have a close option.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Because users shouldn't have to manage their own memory. Apple folks already love laughing at us for that very reason, and even though it pains me to say it they're absolutely correct.
I can certainly buy the argument that task killers are nice for those occasions when something does go haywire and it needs to be forcibly killed, and I can understand using one just because you're curious and want to see what's running and how much memory you have, etc, but beyond that I find that they're unnecessary. My EVO runs very smoothly without me manually intervening, even after many days of uptime with many apps running.

GHOST99K said:
get OS MONITOR from the market
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wow! That's detailed and a lot more than I bargained for....lol. Thanks! Good thing my phone is rooted and I was able to use it since I never did the recent update to the 1.47.xx OTA update and I'm waiting for a fully functional version to be released, but there is a lot of stuff on this that goes well beyond my basic knowledge. Apparently, my phone has 89 processes running with no apps running (according to Task Killer) and only one widget running and the CPU is fluctuating at 10-40% usage.
Interestingly enough, but apps report the same amount of available memory......EXACTLY the same. So it can be assumed that both apps provide an accurate figure of available memory.

I would advise against using a Task killer. Android has its own memory management, which works extremely well on the EVO, to be honest. The latest update (1.47) feels like its makes the EVO perform much better and allows it to be more efficient.
If anything, I would suggest you read this thread about an app called Autostarts, which isn't a task killer, rather a startup manager that can be tweaked to do many different things. By not allowing certain things to start up when your phone boots, you'll have more memory to begin with and Android will be more efficient in memory management. I would try Autostarts before using a task killer.
Hope that helps.

eagle63 said:
Because users shouldn't have to manage their own memory. Apple folks already love laughing at us for that very reason, and even though it pains me to say it they're absolutely correct.
I can certainly buy the argument that task killers are nice for those occasions when something does go haywire and it needs to be forcibly killed, and I can understand using one just because you're curious and want to see what's running and how much memory you have, etc, but beyond that I find that they're unnecessary. My EVO runs very smoothly without me manually intervening, even after many days of uptime with many apps running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, but having to run a task killer is a small price to pay to not be part of the iPhone bandwagon crew, IMO.
Are you running a custom rom on your phone? I just have a rooted stock rom. Maybe that's why your phone can go days without the performance being affected? I still have all the bloatware on mine, and I've put off removing it because I am still a noob at this and I'm in the learning process. I wonder if the new update that was just released improves this aspect of the phone at all.....?

pseudoremora said:
I would advise against using a Task killer. Android has its own memory management, which works extremely well on the EVO, to be honest. The latest update (1.47) feels like its makes the EVO perform much better and allow it to be more efficient.
If anything, I would suggest you read this thread about an app called Autostarts, which isn't a task killer, rather a startup manager that can be tweaked to do many different things. By not allowing certain things to start up when your phone boots, you'll have more memory to begin with and Android will be more efficient in memory management. I would try Autostarts before using a task killer.
Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks, I will definitely look into it. All advise is appreciated as I am very new to all of this. You answered my last question on my previous post with this, too.... I can't wait for a fully functional rooted OEM rom to be released with the goodies from the new update to try it out. I'm hesitant to update my phone now and lose superuser as I use the WiFi tether a lot.

[Q] Are task killers safe for your phone?

I've read some posts and people said they are killing more battery.Other people said that they're good.So are they safe for your phone,or they can harm it.
I've used task killers since I got my phone and hadn't got a problem.

I found the answer by myself:
http://lifehacker.com/#!5650894/and...ed-what-they-do-and-why-you-shouldnt-use-them

I tested ATK with 2.1 2.2.1 2.3.2 using my phone (Gps, 3g - ON) with same apk on board each ROM and modarate killing and my battery last longer without ATK.
Peace
Sent from my GT540 using XDA App

panoramixus said:
I tested ATK with 2.1 2.2.1 2.3.2 using my phone (Gps, 3g - ON) with same apk on board each ROM and modarate killing and my battery last longer without ATK.
Peace
Sent from my GT540 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I got rid of my task killer.I will provide some feedback after some use.Thanks for the reply by the way.

its good n safe if u use it wisely
i ever killed a running system n my phone become frozen

I've been using AutoKiller Memory Optimiser which utilises presets and works well with rooted phones.

i think not

Task killers aren't necessary for Android 2.1 and above. Google has optimized the system so that if you run out of memory, it will start automatically killing unused apps in the background. Even though you might see that only around 20MB of RAM is available doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It means that you can load up your recently used apps more quickly as it is already "cached" in your memory.
Killing apps may also disrupt other system processes that require it to run properly. However, if you want to save that extra battery then a task killer is good to use. Otherwise, task killers are not necessary. I would recommended downloading an app called "Watchdog" in the market. What this app does is monitors your running apps for any memory hoggers. This allows you to kill that app or uninstall it.
This is just my thoughts and may not be entirely correct. Anyone wishing to correct me is welcome to.

Reply
MegaBubbletea said:
Task killers aren't necessary for Android 2.1 and above. Google has optimized the system so that if you run out of memory, it will start automatically killing unused apps in the background. Even though you might see that only around 20MB of RAM is available doesn't mean it's a bad thing. It means that you can load up your recently used apps more quickly as it is already "cached" in your memory.
Killing apps may also disrupt other system processes that require it to run properly. However, if you want to save that extra battery then a task killer is good to use. Otherwise, task killers are not necessary. I would recommended downloading an app called "Watchdog" in the market. What this app does is monitors your running apps for any memory hoggers. This allows you to kill that app or uninstall it.
This is just my thoughts and may not be entirely correct. Anyone wishing to correct me is welcome to.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for your reply.I also think that they aren't necessary.In the link above I read that task killers are dangerous for your phone.They are slowly killing your CPU and after some time the phone may start to crash.

Well i'm using a taskkiller and it doesn't do any harm.. And I think it makes my battery last longer.. But that might just be some kind of "placebo effect"

I personally don't use them on my phone, but on my tablet, I use them as it can get very slow without it.

Haque92 said:
Well i'm using a taskkiller and it doesn't do any harm.. And I think it makes my battery last longer.. But that might just be some kind of "placebo effect"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I also thought that they were great,but after doing some research I decided to remove my task killer.My phone is working as smooth as before.But that's just me.

Best App for Killing/Blocking Apps

The best, most efficient, smallest footprint, and easy-to-nav app that can kill unnecessary apps/services and block ones you don't want coming up?

rorytmeadows said:
The best, most efficient, smallest footprint, and easy-to-nav app that can kill unnecessary apps/services and block ones you don't want coming up?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I always have and still do use Advanced Task Killer off the market.

Have always used Android Assistant but it seems to have some problems blocking apps in honeycomb.

It's been posted time and again on many Android forums that Task Killers are generally a bad idea. Let Linux do its thing. If an app is misbehaving, uninstall it. Use Titanium Backup to either freeze or uninstall ANY application (root is required).

jimbobtexas said:
It's been posted time and again on many Android forums that Task Killers are generally a bad idea. Let Linux do its thing. If an app is misbehaving, uninstall it. Use Titanium Backup to either freeze or uninstall ANY application (root is required).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why are they generally a bad idea?
And what does freezing apps do?

Sometimes Task killers are necessary for a misbehaving app. I have several that I use that sometimes fail to close properly start using large chunks of cpu time in the background.
Blocking an app from starting up is different. Some applications want to start up everytime you power on your device and it is just not necessary. This is where blocking them from starting up I find a beneficial. Before doing this though you should analyze the application and how much memory and cpu is actually using.
However I agree That using a task killer to constantly kill tasks in the background is indeed a bad idea.

A few points about Linux, Android and Task Killers:
1. Android is based on Linux, but the Dalvik byte code layer and framework design makes the OS it's own entity.
2. If all apps were designed to spec, there were no fragmentation and they "played nice", then a task killer would not be needed. Since a lof apps do not and there is fragmentation, a lot of apps do not play nice. Even OEM loaded apps can suck the resource soul out of a device. The Sony Play is an example of this (great device slowed by AWFUL bloatware).
3. Task killers are very handy to kill rogue apps that are an issue and the key is to exclude system-apps, which are usually the little green & white icons, but not always.

Dupe post. Silly.

I understand that task killers drain your battery, but im not gonna lie I like bein able to close all my apps and not gettin notifications all day long. so is there something out there like this that doesn't constantly run in the background?

Iconia said:
I always have and still do use Advanced Task Killer off the market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Same here. Put the widget down bottom right of the screen, just tap it every now and then. Works like a charm.

Taskmanager is useless...

The taskmanager that comes pre-installed with the phone seems useless...
Reason being is that when it's used to close apps to free ram, seconds after it's as it was before...
Supposing my used ram is 474mb. I then clear the memory at which then the task manager reports used ram as just 273mb.....
When checking the task manager literally minutes after it will then read 474mb or higher.
This is even when the phone has not been touched & was left on idle.
So please tell me the point in having a task manager that kills apps which then simply open again moments later....

Task manager exists to Effin close the apps for good, not have then "tabbed-out" and sit there and drain battery / Ram. Man, some people are oblivious.
Edit: abd apps dont open by themselfs after, geez. Its the system (THE PHONE) that takes from Ram to actually /run/ and function
Sent from my GT-I9100 using XDA App

Clearly someone doesn't understand how Android works. If you want to learn something, then google "Android why you shouldn't use a task killer".
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium

BazookaAce said:
Clearly someone doesn't understand how Android works. If you want to learn something, then google "Android why you shouldn't use a task killer".
Sent from my HTC Desire HD using xda premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Clearly someone doesn't KNOW how to read...
Since when did I mention a task killer? I am referring to the STOCK task manager that comes PRE-INSTALLED on the phone.
Instead of jumping to conclusions, learn to read...
All I'm saying is that the task manager doesn't seem effective...

hey mr angry pants, task killer and task manager are the same thing, the only thing a task manager can do is "kill" a task

bamboo12 said:
hey mr angry pants, task killer and task manager are the same thing, the only thing a task manager can do is "kill" a task
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes I know, but BazookaAce referred to a task killer, a third party app in which I didn't mention.
I simply stated my opinion and I did not have a go at anyone & neither was I rude.
So for a simple opinion I get trolls having a go at ME making statements such as I know nothing about android and being oblivious.
Seems you can't express your own opinons without getting trolled on...
Why must people be so rude and have a go at you?
I have a right to be angry...
If someone disagrees with my statement, then let it be. I'm not saying I'm right or wrong but If I disagreed with someones statement why should I become rude and fight?
Why is it so wrong if I simply stated I feel the task manager is useless? There is no need to get rude...

what the task manager does is kill everything except for the bare OS. then when you go to home, it will rebuffer all your widgets and icons back into the ram, and will reload any background processes that are required to run the widgets.
occasionally when you run an app and close it, it will leave the process running in the background, taking up ram unnecessarily. an example would be something like tap tap revenge, android market, music player, facebook, the crappy polish media player that came with my phone even though i never used it, etc.
normally, unless you have a task killer or task manager app, these apps will remain hogging up ram until you kill it. even if you use the market or music player once and then close it, it may remain running or may have a background process that remains running. what clear memory does is it removes all of these little annoying processes from the memory and just restores the OS back to its bare ram usage again.
this is useful for when you want to play a game or use an app that requires a lot of ram (ie. dungeon defenders) and you dont want it to crash on you when youre making an ingame purchase because you ran out of ram. you can clear your ram of junk first and then run the game, leaving you with more ram available for the game data.
task killers are silly because people often program them to kill apps that are designed to reopen themselves anyway, which puts the app in a reboot loop that drains more battery.
if you want to permanently stop a process from hogging up ram, you'd have to root your phone, run titanium backup and freeze the useless processes.

Thank you so much Souai for your response, you provided some useful information with regards on how task managers work...
Unlike a few others who were unhelpful I appreciate your post and detailed explanation.
Will hit the ''thanks'' button.
As for Titanium backup, I've heard of it but not tried it. Once my phone has been rooted I will give the application a try.

BazookaAce said:
Clearly someone doesn't understand how Android works. If you want to learn something, then google "Android why you shouldn't use a task killer".
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well i can tell you from experience that task killers DO work.
Before i put the phone in my pocket, i run it, saves battery drainage.
And when the phone begins to lag, i run it, and it runs smooth again.
So whatever all those articles tell you, i experience the opposite.
P.S. I'm rooted