Database Users

Advanced Task Killer Questions please

Hi
Ive just got this app (really to save myself some battery time)
On launching for the first time it presents me with a whole bunch of stuff including my clocks
Now i'm sure this maybe a pretty dumb question but if i kill the htc clock App will that stop the time and weather updating correctly? (i have my weather set to update hourly) and also if i kill any app like K-9 or Peep (that i have an update schedule set for) will it stop that schedule till i manually launch the app again or will it auto launch when it reaches the sheduled update time?
Sorry for the (potentially) stupid questions
Cheers

The only thing you're going to achieve with using a task killer, is lowering performance and causing even worse battery drain. If that's what you want to do, fine, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
Here's why:
Android's memory management is nothing like Windows Mobile. Applications you've finished with are MEANT to stay in memory until they really are completely finished with, and just because YOU aren't using them, doesn't mean the phone has. If they've been inactive long enough, or some other program needs the RAM, Android will tidily close them down.
If you close them prematurely, then Android will have to load them back up again, so that whatever was using said program's services, can continue to function. This noticeably affects phone performance, and puts an extra load on your battery. Do you REALLY want to do that?
I'm not using any task killers, and my phone runs great, and battery is up to 2.5 days.

Hmm interesting, i might try that, im killing all instantly and repeately, thanks for the tip

FloatingFatMan said:
The only thing you're going to achieve with using a task killer, is lowering performance and causing even worse battery drain. If that's what you want to do, fine, but otherwise, I wouldn't bother if I were you.
Here's why:
Android's memory management is nothing like Windows Mobile. Applications you've finished with are MEANT to stay in memory until they really are completely finished with, and just because YOU aren't using them, doesn't mean the phone has. If they've been inactive long enough, or some other program needs the RAM, Android will tidily close them down.
If you close them prematurely, then Android will have to load them back up again, so that whatever was using said program's services, can continue to function. This noticeably affects phone performance, and puts an extra load on your battery. Do you REALLY want to do that?
I'm not using any task killers, and my phone runs great, and battery is up to 2.5 days.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thats correct.
I installed it on the phone, and the battery was empty the same night
Uninstalled it, and all works fine now.
Greetz.

would an app like task panel work?
you can add apps that are system apps etc to the ignore list and have apps such as games on the force to kill list or is it just best not to have any task killer apps installed at all?
its strange that there are so many task killer apps and its bad to run on your device. There must be some reason as to why there is an app for this purpose?

ragmanchu said:
would an app like task panel work?
you can add apps that are system apps etc to the ignore list and have apps such as games on the force to kill list or is it just best not to have any task killer apps installed at all?
its strange that there are so many task killer apps and its bad to run on your device. There must be some reason as to why there is an app for this purpose?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They exist, because people think memory management on Android works like it does on Windows Mobile. It doesn't, and never has. Think if it like the so called "memory manager" tools you can get for XP that claim to be able to free all your RAM and speed up your system... Every single one of them is nothing but a placebo designed to part you from your cash, and often end up CAUSING problems, just like task killers on Android do.
Avoid them.

FloatingFatMan said:
They exist, because people think memory management on Android works like it does on Windows Mobile. It doesn't, and never has. Think if it like the so called "memory manager" tools you can get for XP that claim to be able to free all your RAM and speed up your system... Every single one of them is nothing but a placebo designed to part you from your cash, and often end up CAUSING problems, just like task killers on Android do.
Avoid them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Guess thats a good enough reply lol

task killers can work fine, but you need to know what is running and what is using it.
for example, if you have the music widget on the homescreens, then the music player process will be opne in the background.
likewise friendstream will keep people, facebook and twitter open in the background.
if you kill those processes, they will just get opened again.
As long as you are careful, using task managers will not decrease battery life, you just need to know how to use them properly. randomly killing everything in the background is NOT the way to do it.
and you should never close clock if you want your alarm clock to actually go off!!

Might be worth making a list of what apps should be ignored and what apps can be forced killed?
When i had an app killer installed, i used to only force kill games and sat nav apps, the rest i asked it to ignore but after reading this thread, i decided to delete the app killer app =)

Ive put a bunch of stuff like clock, weather, Peep and facebook etc on the ignore list and have used the task killer to only kill off frivolous apps like Spark (for xbox friends) streamfurious, photos etc...Nothing Major!
I unhooked my phone from the power at 7:30 am on the 13th April, its now 16:36 on the 14th april and it still has 30% of the juice left, and i always have wifi and mobile data connection on too...phone is always left on with facebook connecting ever 4 hrs and peep once a day and mail set for every 2 hrs (besides which i do check and update them manually a couple of times a day)
I'll try all this without task killer installed and test how long the phone can run before charging
As you say, it could well be a combination of the battery coming up to speed and a placebo effect.
However, surely it cant do more harm than good to kill an app like Spark !
However, im no Phone Genius so im sure someone will soon tell me that im completely wrong
But so far so good....like i said, ill test things without task killer installed

I've stopped using the task killer now and my battery life has improved very noticably.

oursoul said:
I've stopped using the task killer now and my battery life has improved very noticably.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im not so sure about this.
im using a task killer when i want to close the browser or something using internet, as we all know internet drains a lot of battery and even if the browser or market is in the background it still probably has some active connections = draining battery

cez10 said:
im using a task killer when i want to close the browser or something using internet, as we all know internet drains a lot of battery and even if the browser or market is in the background it still probably has some active connections = draining battery
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you want to close fast the browser or any app, you should have a try at taskOS and launch it with the search key whenever you want...

Binned this app in favour of Juice defender, my new battery saving app of choice, seems to be working as it should too...nice

profete162 said:
If you want to close fast the browser or any app, you should have a try at taskOS and launch it with the search key whenever you want...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
but then that works pretty much like a task killer
can anyone correct me about the apps i.e. browser using internet while not active(in background) is this true or not? of course having the sync/updates turned off

Task killers can be handy for those times when apps seem to have crashed but aren't forcing close. for example, i've had times where ebuddy just doesn't want to even try to sign in. Task kill it. Try again. all is well. And last my internet browser wouldn't let me click any buttons. Again, killed it - restarted - all is ok.

I've had to use such an app countless of times due to unwanted/unneeded apps running, hanging FCs and black screens, checking/closing net related or sensor using apps, and numerous times when 300KB apps wouldn't install citing 'low memory' when I have more than 70MB free, but it was the RAM being near full causing FCs in apps like Market, and halting the installs. I only use Androids built-in TaskPanel widget for this though. Everything routine is set over to the ignore list so that I don't accidently hit and close that (single hit closes the app). Additionally I use this app to check and to switch to an opened application that is running (when it's not in the recent list).
Sent from my HTC Desire using the XDA mobile application powered by Tapatalk

profete162 said:
If you want to close fast the browser or any app, you should have a try at taskOS and launch it with the search key whenever you want...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the route I've taken naturally. I'm using jkAppSwitch on my longpress search key, mainly used for switching but can be used to kill problem apps.
Full task killers are being proven to be useless on the Desire.

I would recommend using an app that monitors the cpu usage(watchdog etc.). This way your can see which apps put a drain on your phone.

Thank you for the information. But I do notice a considerable improvement in battery power with Advanced Task Killer.
I hope someone can provide me an answer.

[Q] Why do apps keep popping up in my "Advanced Task Killer"?

I don't know if this is an issue with android.. or galaxy s... or "Advanced Task Killer".... but apps keep popping up after i "Kill" them....
when i say apps pop up... i mean random apps that i have not touched...
for example I never touched the Visual Voicemail as i don't have use for it.. and amazong mp3.. the list just keeps going ...
i don't know why it keeps reloading after i "kill" them..i did google this problem and could not find any one else complaining... maybe i didn't do a good job of searching... this is wayy too frustrating
is there a "Fix" for this?

well first you shouldn't be using a task killer. Second they show up there because some apps run in the background occasionally without you even opening them.

Because the apps are doing stuff and you keep killing them so they restart. Stop using a task killer and let android handle the running programs like google programmed the os to do. The google programmers are really talented I promise.

As said above. Apps auto run in background. Android deals with this efficiently, best not to use a task killer

Don't use task killers.
It's really that simple.

Task killer is a no no for Phones with 128+ RAM

Most stuff needn't be killed, but T-Mobile includes some bloatware that has absolutely no right to be running at all, much less all the time (hi, daily briefing). The "don't use a task manager" meme is fine for a stock android phone where presumably you're only installing things that you actually want to use, but when you buy a branded phone you really *don't* want the carrier garbage running all the time. At best, it sits around doing nothing until Android kills it on its own, but at worst it can drain your battery life and cause instability.
The only surefire solution I've found is to actually remove the offending bloatware using root explorer or titanium backup.

^^TL;DR Remove bloat, don't use a task killer.
Sent from my SGH-T959 using XDA App

Ok, I'll ask if no one else will, why not run a task killer? What is the downside?
There are any number of applications on the phone that I literally never use like Amazon MP3, Slacker, and Visual Voicemail, why would I want to leave those running when I have no use for them, and there is an easy way to kill them off when they spawn themselves?

lmlloyd said:
Ok, I'll ask if no one else will, why not run a task killer? What is the downside?
There are any number of applications on the phone that I literally never use like Amazon MP3, Slacker, and Visual Voicemail, why would I want to leave those running when I have no use for them, and there is an easy way to kill them off when they spawn themselves?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think its ok to use Task Killers for occasionally stopping apps that are giving you issues (running slowly, frozen). The problem with using Task Killers is that it can make your system unstable, it can mess up widgets, and Android doesn't really need it. Android will close apps on its own when it needs more memory . Most apps, if programed correctly, will use little to no battery power when idle in the background. It can take more battery power to start up an app again rather than opening it from idle.

lmlloyd said:
Ok, I'll ask if no one else will, why not run a task killer? What is the downside?
There are any number of applications on the phone that I literally never use like Amazon MP3, Slacker, and Visual Voicemail, why would I want to leave those running when I have no use for them, and there is an easy way to kill them off when they spawn themselves?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
We're finding more and more that on higher end phones, such as the Vibrant, when a task killer is running the Android OS isn't being allowed to control the apps to it's full potential and some of the task killers are causing problems. After we remove the task killers, problems can occasionally be resolved. Not always, it's just something we're seeing. At least in my store and when I can in to support.

Because when an app is running in the background, it uses practically no battery. Most of the time it is not using any processor clock cycles just taking up some ram space. You don't have to worry about the ram being used because android will automatically end apps when it needs more ram. A lot of the time, ending an app via task killers will actually slow the phone down because when you go to open the app again it has to totally reopen rather than just awake from an idle state. Android 2.2 is even better at managing background tasks and running a task killer will almost guarantee a slower phone.

Read 4 post down.
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

Smart Bars not a bad one that you can start up and kill a task that wont exit out. However i wouldn't use it to "free up RAM"

When you start up the phone on stock rom w/ all the bloatware you have like 20+ random apps already running by default. If you ran a quadrant test now your score wouldn't be as high as if you killed all those apps then did the test. I went from 1900 to 2250 by killing all the apps. Not a huge difference but personally I don't like things like Slacker or GoGo running in the background when I never use them.
I don't like using task killers though, I just wish all these stupid apps wouldn't start when the phone is booted up. It can really make the phone slower. Killing all apps + lagfix means load times are almost non existant. Having all those apps running + lagfix means you will get some stutters in load times.

Task killers often show cached apps. They are not running just on stand by until you open them.
Sent from the best phone from TMO... Vibrant

There is an app called "Start Up Auditor" It disables any app you want (yes including the bloatware) Form starting up when you boot up and randomly while the phone is on.
For example I have all my bloatware that I don't want set to do not start at boot up unless I physically choose to open that app.
Better than any task killer out there. So you NEVER have to worry about the bloatware other than it taking up some memory.

http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2010/04/multitasking-android-way.html
That's really the best explanation right there. It explains just why Android does what it does.
Sorry, no tl;dr for the lazy.

I had my task killer on auto kill cuz i was frustrated..... but i'm gonna go download that "Star up Auditor"... sounds like the most efficient way... since i actually do use Slacker..
anyhow..thanks alot guys for the suggestions..

Task killer

Until android 2.2 I can definitely say that using a task killer wisely is needed for some users. I use advanced memory manager for root and have set to (bottom up) 150, 140, 135, 120. In my case it doesn't ever free up memory fromm my storm live games or opera. So I use ERAY to auto kill all games and browsers when screen goes off. This Is A NECESSARY. these programs will drop my memory down to 110 which gets sluggish.
Don't let people fool you. Using task killers wisely IS a good idea.
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

I beg to differ.
I was a big believer in Task Killers and I used them from the G1 all the way to my Epic 4G and I discovered one thing. It's Android's nature to have programs in Dormit state in the background, what really sucks is to have porgrams in the backgorund consuming processor time, not memory.
I have uninstalled the Task Killer software and I've been task killer free for more than 2 weeks now, and I have seen more improvements. I notice in my task killer days that the phone would become somewhat sluggesh after 112 - 110 MB becuase the programs were restarting in memory and thats when the impact on the processor was being made (thus draining some more power).
After uninstalling task killer, I installed Watchdog which can kill apps but its main focus is to find the programs that will not be dormit while not being used, so far i've seen a jump in performace and longer battery life. I notice that everytime my phone may become sluggish there is always an nonused / nondormit software that needs to be killed, but its just one, not a bunch.
Also killing apps is not right for the phone, this can corrupt the services and programs in the long run.
I don't curse the people who use task killers, but I just don't think that we need it, specially with such a powerfull phone.

I had advanced task killer installed but I'm interested in watchdog.
Why is killing apps not good for the phone but allowing bunches of apps is good?
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

It is because of the way that android handles background applications, sorta like the difference between windows and linux...in windows mobile phones, if an app is minimized it is still running like normal and taking up resources, you just are on a different screen. For android, if an app is "minimized" then the app shuts down but keeps certain files in storage to open up the app faster when you go back to it. the android OS is smart enough that it assigns a priority to each app based on how often it is used so that if it starts running low on memory then it will stop those apps with the lowest priority. If you use a task killer then it wipes all the stored files from the apps and when you go to open it again it has to work harder to open the app, therefore spending more resources and using more battery power
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

The longest I ever went between charges on my Epic was the day I didn't use my task killers at all...
Repeatedly opening and closing apps unnecessarily is not good for your battery. Most of those apps are just going to re-open themselves anyway.
Now I only use my task killer if my phone is actually starting to feel sluggish, and in that case it's just a matter of my experience using the phone, not trying to conserve battery. Task killers do the opposite of conserving battery.

badasscat said:
The longest I ever went between charges on my Epic was the day I didn't use my task killers at all...
Repeatedly opening and closing apps unnecessarily is not good for your battery. Most of those apps are just going to re-open themselves anyway.
Now I only use my task killer if my phone is actually starting to feel sluggish, and in that case it's just a matter of my experience using the phone, not trying to conserve battery. Task killers do the opposite of conserving battery.
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Click to collapse
Exactly, if you are going to use a task killer then that is the way you should do it, I use mine to shut down the drm service after a reboot to improve battery life but if my phone is feeling sluggish then I just do a reboot
Sent from my SPH-D700 using XDA App

Best method for task killing

So since 2.2 I hear you shouldn't use a task killer. What's the best method you take to end tasks?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

Let the kernel do the work. Updated stocks are pretty good, but I like Netarchy's kernels better.

Suicide_Evo said:
So since 2.2 I hear you shouldn't use a task killer. What's the best method you take to end tasks?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The way that 2.2 manages memory makes having a task killer almost unnecessary. However, you might want to keep one handy just in case you get one of those buggy apps that keeps on draining your battery or makes the phone unstable. I personally use SystemPanel app: nice interface and monitoring options for battery life, history, uninstaller and backup-to-sdcard (archive).

Why would you ever want a task killer?

I would like more input on this. I ditched them on my Hero back when I ran CM6, mainly due to the fact that they actually slowed that phone down!
But it seems on the Evo, killing tasks seems to save much more battery life. Or am I just dreaming?...

I have stopped using a task killer since going to 2.2 and have never looked back.

ImmortalLuD said:
I would like more input on this. I ditched them on my Hero back when I ran CM6, mainly due to the fact that they actually slowed that phone down!
But it seems on the Evo, killing tasks seems to save much more battery life. Or am I just dreaming?...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're dreaming.

Keep a passive task killer around if you like that you can use to kill programs that go completely nuts. E.g. use it to kill a game or app that has locked up or just isn't working right. A passive task killer is one that doesn't actively go searching for apps to kill on its own - one that you must manually tell to kill an app.
If you like, I suggest you try Watchdog Lite from the Market. It occasionally checks your phone for programs that are gobbling up tons of CPU time that may be an indicator that an app isn't running correctly. It still won't actively kill the app though; it just warns you and lets you choose to kill it.
Task killers with Android 2.2 are usually a dumb idea. 2.2 does not have a traditional "kill" command like earlier versions of Android. In 2.2, the same command that would have killed an app is now just a restart command. Instead of the app dying and going away, the app dies and then restarts all over which uses up lots of extra CPU cycles to restart the app. It's only going to save you battery if the app in question has gone haywire.

If anything, get an app like Autostarts that lets you control when apps are allowed to start.

I have systempanel lite.. gives you some nice OS info also gives you a widget to kill apps on demand. I don't use it much but sometimes if I feel my phone is getting a little sluggish. You can exclude all the htc/system/gmail apps etc from being killed. But I agree, do not have a task manager running all the time.

SystemPanel is great. Aside from being a task manager it also is a system monitor and is very helpful in tracking down problematic apps and system processes.
Autostarts is also great, I have mine configured so pretty much NOTHING runs without my say so.
Hot Reboot is pretty slick too, when your phone is starting to slow down and act sluggish. Just do a quick ROM reboot (10-15 seconds TOPS) and your phone is as good as new.

Why not just use the built in one? Settings, applications, manage applications, running tab?
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

I use System Panel to moniter my phone and AutoStart is a great app to jeep apps from launching themselves again after you close them out. Throw in startup manager and you have a great trifecta of apps.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

bwcorvus said:
Why not just use the built in one? Settings, applications, manage applications, running tab?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, this is the way to go. No extra programs needed.

[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"
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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.