Database Users

[Q] Advanced Task Killer or Juice Defender?

Hey guys,
At the moment I'm using Advanced Task Killer as a system manager to speed up my phone but I've been having problems with my X10 lately. It gets really laggy and sometimes it doesn't even load the a webpage on the browser when it's connected to wifi. I can easily fix this by restarting my phone but it's kinda annoying Like I said, I'm using ATK right now but I've searched the forums and I've heard that JD is better. I've used it for a while but I didn't quite like it cuz a lot of the functions are not available in the Lite version. Can anyone give my any suggestions? Nobody likes slow laggy phones

having Used both fairly substantially.. I have found that the best option is neither.. Phone is faster, battery is better.
Sent from my x10 using XDA and swype.

Since the most recent update I have dumped Juice Defender as the battery life seemed to have improved so much anyway.
I am still trying to decide on the Task Killer cos I have read quite a lot of posts from people saying don't bother, android looks after itself. I think I may experiment over the weekend and not use it and see what my battery usage is like.

I actually installed Advance task killer after updating my Roger's X10a (i.e., to R2BA020). I found that the battery actually last longer now and there is no more re-starts. I basically leave some of the SE tasks to continue, since they keep coming back after using advance task killer.
Before installing advance task killer, I did not know there were so many apps utilizing memory for no apparent reason. This app has actually made the phone better.

i use Advanced Task Manager

Thanks for all the replies I've rooted my phone and my build no. is R2BA023. I know it's not the latest but I can't be bother to update my phone lol. Does the latest update fix these battery issues? I've also heard that rooted phones won't be able to update via SEUS, is this true? I'm going to uninstall ATK and use the phone without any task manager and i'll give you guys a feedback.

i really doubt x10 can live without a task killer. every time my ram drop to around 30mb it lags like hell, and the i spend around 30s craw to my task killer everything went smooth.
or is it just me?
Sent from my X10i using XDA App

I had used Advanced Task Killer from day one i bought X10, but since last 3-4 weeks i've not used Advanced Task Killer (unistalled it) & I found my device more stabil & faster now & Battery is improved as well.

Another neither vote here.

hmm. I've uninstalled ATK and was using the phone the whole evening. So far so good will keep you guys posted.

Neither, the OS will just end up loading your apps more often (after killing them) it's going to kill your battery. Leave the OS to the task it's designed for you'll be better off.

I used to use app killer but when i updated to 24, i found on a call that the proximity sensor would kill the screen, app killer was set to work then, but, would re energize the screen ending up in a blip on the sound while making a call. I dont use it now, phone is fine... I just switch off at night now... am happy.

Bennachie said:
Another neither vote here.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Good to know. Will uninstall JD for the meantime and just let 2.3.5 CM7-ZMOD CYANOGENMOD 7 take care of itself.

TRY TASK MANAGER by ADAO TEAM

I know there is probably gonna be alot of heat about using Task killers or not but this is just to suggest to the people who are interested in using a task killer/manager but don't know of a good one for there EVO.
ive tried other task killers and they all created FCs and resets. task manager by adao team is the only task killer that ''I'' found that works great with no FCs or resets. task manager is awesome it lets u auto kill tasks with a set time interval after your screen is off instead of instantly. it also lets you kill system services. it really does help my EVO and i can suggest it. also it was recently updated to work with 2.2. try it out and let me know what u think. make sure to ignore things that are important to you such as mail messages etc
like i mentioned before this is JUST A SUGGESTION
try it out and give your thoughts about how you like it
please do not leave your thoughts about how u think Android O.S doesnt need a killer/manager

i didnt know they allowed ads.

i saw that someone was having issues with 2.2 and a task killer so i thought id make this thread about task manager bc i like it.

Wrong section

the only issue with task killers is that people use them.

Task Killers are only good for garbage apps without an exit button, such as the ad infected generally overrated TuneWiki

So funny to listen to people regurgitate what they have heard regarding task killers. The OP made it absolutely clear that it was only a suggestion and it has helped him out and he wanted others to try and NOT respond about why they are bad. I have run both my Droid and Evo with and without a task killer and notice a substantial difference in smoothness when they are running. I just switched over the Auto Killer and have enjoyed even better performance. To each their own.

How does one get Music and Voice Mail to stay killed?

admorris said:
So funny to listen to people regurgitate what they have heard regarding task killers. The OP made it absolutely clear that it was only a suggestion and it has helped him out and he wanted others to try and NOT respond about why they are bad. I have run both my Droid and Evo with and without a task killer and notice a substantial difference in smoothness when they are running. I just switched over the Auto Killer and have enjoyed even better performance. To each their own.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thank u.... someone who actually can read correctly

if you want better performance then overclock your cpu, yes some poorly made apps need to be killed, but you dont need an extra app for it, android can do it natively. why even use those poorly made apps.

davebu said:
if you want better performance then overclock your cpu, yes some poorly made apps need to be killed, but you dont need an extra app for it, android can do it natively. why even use those poorly made apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blah blah blah blah...I'm guessing you are one who hasn't used one, but jumped on the "I've heard it from everyone else, so it must be true" bandwagon. I am not a noob and I can tell you for a 100% fact that there is a noticeable difference when and when not using auto killer. Programs open quicker with no stutter, screens switch quicker/smoother with no stutter, scrolling through app drawer is 100% smooth with no stutter. All of this cannot be said when relying on Android to manage application memory.

admorris said:
blah blah blah blah...I'm guessing you are one who hasn't used one, but jumped on the "I've heard it from everyone else, so it must be true" bandwagon. I am not a noob and I can tell you for a 100% fact that there is a noticeable difference when and when not using auto killer. Programs open quicker with no stutter, screens switch quicker/smoother with no stutter, scrolling through app drawer is 100% smooth with no stutter. All of this cannot be said when relying on Android to manage application memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, it depends on how you are using Auto Killer. If you are only using it to tweak memory management settings, there's no danger. You just give the system more aggressive values for its built in task manager. This is definitely the best way to tweak task management. If you are using it to kill individual apps, then that could be a problem. I used to use task killers, and then when I heard about the problems, I decided to test it and see if the claims are true. This was back on my hero, so we are talking the slightest difference is very noticeable. When I did a factory reset and didn't install a task killer, I realized that the system was running smoother and didn't get random force closes (a big problem in 1.5 and early versions of Android). This performance actually got better over time as Android became more efficient at knowing which apps to kill and which to save.
Basically, if you let Android handle things, you'll get optimal performance, as that's how Android was made to work. If you use task managers, you may notice a difference, but eventually they start causing issues in the system and the actual performance is degraded slowly. People who have switched away and tried a fresh install without task killers have noticed a difference in battery life and overall performance. Tweaking auto killer's settings to a more aggressive setting is ok, as long as you don't go overboard, as that changes values that Android uses in low memory situations.
Also, I am not a noob. I might not be a dev yet, but I've been using Android since 1.0 on the G1 and do know quite a bit about how Android works. That and I read all the Android development blogs and hang around here a lot. So I have a good mixture of experience and knowledge. Please, if you think I am wrong, tell me how so, but from my experience and from the Android team's own statements, I'm pretty close to right.

To kill or not to kill
to use a task killer you have to really know what you are doing to not affect the performance device (if you knew then you wouldn't have one but I'm just sayin...). I have used one since the day the hero came out, and I just recently stopped using a task killer and the performance of my phone has drastically increased. This is an FYI to people who read this post, not an argument to the OP.

task killer

should i use task killer or not. some say it slows down the mobile or eats more battery.. pls help

Just don't use it. There's an app called watchdog which works better, according to me.

Are this apps necessary to free memory or its just a gimmick
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

No, Android will manage all of your memory for you. You do NOT need a task killer.

AWBob is right.
Task killer is not needed and actually can give the opposite effect from what you want it to do.....
Android is capable to manage memory (in addition, DHD has a lot of memory )

niks_5in said:
should i use task killer or not. some say it slows down the mobile or eats more battery.. pls help
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am no technogeekexpert
but Advanced Task Killer works just fine for me. Just leaving everything running slowed my Evo down enough to make it a satisfying. and feasible option.

Don't use it. It is not needed. Check the detailed info here.
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=769735

Then how will we able to free RAM .
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

Maybe this article helps you
By default, every application runs in its own Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the application’s code needs to be executed, and shuts down the process when it’s no longer needed and system resources are required by other applications.
A content provider is active only while it’s responding to a request from a ContentResolver. And a broadcast receiver is active only while it’s responding to a broadcast message. So there’s no need to explicitly shut down these components.
Activities, on the other hand, provide the user interface. They’re in a long-running conversation with the user and may remain active, even when idle, as long as the conversation continues. Similarly, services may also remain running for a long time. So Android has methods to shut down activities and services in an orderly way:
An activity can be shut down by calling its finish() method. One activity can shut down another activity (one it started with startActivityForResult()) by calling finishActivity().
A service can be stopped by calling its stopSelf() method, or by calling Context.stopService().
Components might also be shut down by the system when they are no longer being used or when Android must reclaim memory for more active components.
If the user leaves a task for a long time, the system clears the task of all activities except the root activity. When the user returns to the task again, it’s as the user left it, except that only the initial activity is present. The idea is that, after a time, users will likely have abandoned what they were doing before and are returning to the task to begin something new
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

niks_5in said:
Then how will we able to free RAM .
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You don't need free RAM, this isn't windows it doesn't perform better with free RAM, if you kill tasks to free RAM, android will probably re-open them again. Task killers will break your system, young children will laugh and point at you for using them, and support for any problems will consist of remove your task killer then come back and talk. Don't do it kids you know it makes sense

Oh man chill
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

ghostofcain said:
You don't need free RAM, this isn't windows it doesn't perform better with free RAM, if you kill tasks to free RAM, android will probably re-open them again. Task killers will break your system, young children will laugh and point at you for using them, and support for any problems will consist of remove your task killer then come back and talk. Don't do it kids you know it makes sense
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
rofl, nice bit of scouse wit

HI,
As I don't want that children laughing at me and throwing some little rocks on me let me ask THE silly (or not ?) question :
is autokiller* as bad as the other "taskiller" ?
I've read that this app was "not like the others" but hey... devs who want to stick their apps in my phone are a bit like mens trying to stick something else .. somewhere else :
"I'm really not like the others baby..."
so... where is the truth ?
(as usual : I'm a French writing a pain-full English to read, sorry)
*too young here to post link, look for autokiller-memory-optimizer on appbrain

gregaste said:
HI,
As I don't want that children laughing at me and throwing some little rocks on me let me ask THE silly (or not ?) question :
is autokiller* as bad as the other "taskiller" ?
I've read that this app was "not like the others" but hey... devs who want to stick their apps in my phone are a bit like mens trying to stick something else .. somewhere else :
"I'm really not like the others baby..."
so... where is the truth ?
(as usual : I'm a French writing a pain-full English to read, sorry)
*too young here to post link, look for autokiller-memory-optimizer on appbrain
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
autokiller doesn't actually kill anything.. it allows you to change the default values set in android's internal memory management. it's more like an interface for android's internal memory manager.

I've replaced ATK with auto killer and I think that it is a positive change. My device feels faster en it looks like it runs smoother.
I think this is a great thread which helps me beter understand the memory handling within Android. For now auto killer looks like a charm to me, and has more benefit than ATK.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App

MANY RECOMMEND TO GET RID OF VIDEOLAG USE TASK MANAGER
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

I am using rockplayer lite withour any video lag. Have played movies which are more than 1.4 GB withour any problems.
I am on LeeDroid 2.3.4 BETA 4 R2.

I used all the time ATK, but after reading this thread I have uninstalled it.
I give android a chance to manage the memory itself.
Thanks for this post.

niks_5in said:
MANY RECOMMEND TO GET RID OF VIDEOLAG USE TASK MANAGER
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Who is many and is he a half wit? Better to use watchdog to kill apps using too much cpu in the background in this instance. A task killer will not help.
--- I am geek. Hear me squeek. ---

I am talking about lag during video recording
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA Premium App

Should I use Autokiller Memory Optimiser?

Hello Everyone,
I'm well aware of the damage that a task manager can do to an Android phone, as well as the changes in the Android SDK for Android 2.2 and later which makes most of the task managers on the Android Market obsolete, but one thing caught my attention, this app called Autokiller Memory Optimiser.
According to some posts I've read on some of the forums, Autokiller justs tweaks Android's minfree values so that Android can kill tasks more efficiently or something like that.
Is this true or should I steer clear of this app?
And did I post this in the right sub-forum?
Sent from my T-Mobile G2 using XDA App

I used a few different auto memory apps and have always found that my phone seems slower with them, uses more battery and I have less memory. So I just let android take care of me
Sent from my 'SilverBullet' HTCDesireZ running CM7

The only 'task killer type' application that I have used is Watchdog Lite.
I use it to monitor rogue applications that use excess system resources while running in the background.
It does use some system resources to do the monitoring but its nice to know when a background app is going out of control and hogging resources.

Android manages memory on its own, task killers are a waste of time. Unless you have a specific problem you need to troubleshoot with a poorly written app hogging app for no good reason (as mentioned above), I would not bother with them. Task killers waste resources, and can cause more issues then they solve.
http://lifehacker.com/5650894/android-task-killers-explained-what-they-do-and-why-you-shouldnt-use-them
Someone posted recently that a task killer was making his G2 power off randomly. He uninstalled the task killer, and the problem vanished.

The app that the op is posting about isn't a task killer. It modifies the system values/thresholds for when to kill stuff and flush memory and all that happy crap I don't really understand. I am guessing it would depend on the rom and how the dev have the values set to begin with. Just a guess tho.
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

if you have an automatic task killer in gingerbread you're an idiot.

xsteven77x said:
The app that the op is posting about isn't a task killer. It modifies the system values/thresholds for when to kill stuff and flush memory and all that happy crap I don't really understand. I am guessing it would depend on the rom and how the dev have the values set to begin with. Just a guess tho.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In addition to tweaking the system values, it includes a process/service manager, same as any other task killer.
Besides, any app that claims to improve battery life and performance by freeing up memory is immediately suspect. Having memory free affects neither in Android.

redpoint73 said:
In addition to tweaking the system values, it includes a process/service manager, same as any other task killer.
Besides, any app that claims to improve battery life and performance by freeing up memory is immediately suspect. Having memory free affects neither in Android.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Its not an auto task killer and its a supplemental part of the app. I used to use that app and never even looked touched or saw the taskiller part. Just saying. Its not its main use or strength and not really advertised as such!
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App

xsteven77x said:
Its not an auto task killer and its a supplemental part of the app. I used to use that app and never even looked touched or saw the taskiller part. Just saying. Its not its main use or strength and not really advertised as such!
Sent from my HTC Vision using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They don't seem to know much about the very much , it is actually quite helpful on tweaking the android's "built-in" killer. It is not a task killer, the author of the app is a member of XDA and you should check out his work. A task killer is nice too, since many apps like Camera, gallery, maps, browser, etc are not kicked out until memory is "extremely" low. The G2 has what, 300-340MB free on a clean boot? After you open a couple of apps that will go to low 200's or high 100's. You may notice a difference in performance or maybe more battery drain from those apps staying open. I've used android since the G1 and can tell you that you dont want certain intensive apps to stay alive. But, this is just my opinion, not trying to attack anyone at all.
P.S. Here's a link to the app dev
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5861010

Ace42 said:
They don't seem to know much about the very much , it is actually quite helpful on tweaking the android's "built-in" killer. It is not a task killer, the author of the app is a member of XDA and you should check out his work. A task killer is nice too, since many apps like Camera, gallery, maps, browser, etc are not kicked out until memory is "extremely" low. The G2 has what, 300-340MB free on a clean boot? After you open a couple of apps that will go to low 200's or high 100's. You may notice a difference in performance or maybe more battery drain from those apps staying open. I've used android since the G1 and can tell you that you dont want certain intensive apps to stay alive. But, this is just my opinion, not trying to attack anyone at all.
P.S. Here's a link to the app dev
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=5861010
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see it as an attack, your opinion is welcome. Although from what I have read (link I supplied above), Android does not benefit from having memory free, as having free memory does not improve performance and battery life.

[Q] Is the "Kill All" from Recent App like a task killer ?

Hey,
As mentioned in the title I was wondering if using Kill All button (equivalent of swiping everything in Recent App) was as bad for the OS as task killers. Because this swiping ability is built-in ..
++

teribilis said:
Hey,
As mentioned in the title I was wondering if using Kill All button (equivalent of swiping everything in Recent App) was as bad for the OS as task killers. Because this swiping ability is built-in ..
++
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No its not bad, it closes all the apps in recent apps thus taking them out of memory.

heat361 said:
No its not bad, it closes all the apps in recent apps thus taking them out of memory.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's what task killers do and it interferes with Android memory management .. That's why I hope it's not similar

teribilis said:
It's what task killers do and it interferes with Android memory management .. That's why I hope it's not similar
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
youve been brainwashed. ive been killing my apps since october 2008(g1, mytouch, og droid, nexus one, nexus s, galaxy nexus, nexus 7, and nexus 4). it only makes my devices happier, task killers and "non task killers". yea, android manages itself, but it doesnt do a good enough job for my liking.

simms22 said:
youve been brainwashed. ive been killing my apps since october 2008(g1, mytouch, og droid, nexus one, nexus s, galaxy nexus, nexus 7, and nexus 4). it only makes my devices happier, task killers and "non task killers". yea, android manages itself, but it doesnt do a good enough job for my liking.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed with this. I've constantly read about how task killers don't help and they're useless etc., but on my HD2 the fact of the matter was that killing tasks would make my phone significantly faster and reduce battery drain by around 5mA (equivalent to a standby drain of 1%/50 mins going down to 1%/1.5 hrs). I haven't found any need to use any automated task killer with hardware this good but I don't see any reason it would harm the device at all either. I guess killing something which needs to be open (and thus will reopen itself soon enough anyway) could cause unwanted battery drain, but other than that there's no problem with task killers.

there are other ways to manage memory. i like to use the autostarts app on my devices, you can prevent apps from starting up in the first place. also, i like using the auto memory manager app to change androids memory management numbers.

I believe its different.. It just takes out the apps from your recents section. Even if I have a kill button on my custom rom, the app will still appear in the recents menu.

Rizy7 said:
I believe its different.. It just takes out the apps from your recents section. Even if I have a kill button on my custom rom, the app will still appear in the recents menu.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
its the same to a point. some roms come with a longpress back button to kill option too.
the whole task managers are bad thing started when cyanogen made a statement about them. people were killing their launchers and widgets(widgets would stop updating), and creating false issues for themselves then blaming cayanogenmod for for their troubles. cyanogen didnt want to deal with these people so he made a statement that task killers are bad. since then, its been blown up more than the "issues" that they create.

simms22 said:
there are other ways to manage memory. i like to use the autostarts app on my devices, you can prevent apps from starting up in the first place. also, i like using the auto memory manager app to change androids memory management numbers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greenify also works well for hibernating apps that like to "start up" :highfive:

What about the background processes option in developer options?
Sent from my Nexus 4 using xda app-developers app

killall swipes apps out. its the same as swiping them out by hand, it does not harm your android.

Thanks, glad to hear that.

good questions should get thanks too
So many newbs don't ask a perfectly good question anymore because so many times they get dawged and told maybe they shouldn't have that technology or search the threads newb even though he just spent 30 minutes doing that. So apologies for prior and future newbs who don't have enough time in the day to keep up on what's been posted and where and sorry for whatever else some, definitely not the majority, contributors get upset about. It's so crazy the way people treat people online, think about would you be saying this to a person you don't know in a physical socal setting. I hope not to the angry contributors of wrath. Good night and day to my opposite world companions.

Such a random bump.
Sent from my iPad Mini