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So with all this talk about Hero's ability to multitask I just wanted to ask how people leverage this ability.
Unless I'm missing something if I want to go from a browser session to my playing music app I have to go via the home screen. Similarly if I want to switch from say Google Maps to Google Mail then I need to go via the home screen and the app's icon.
This is no different to how the iPhone handles things except that the apps on the Hero continue to run in the background.
Am I missing some technique for 'TAB'ing' between running apps? Palm's Pre has got the 'cards' and the floaty shortcut menu thing.
To be honest if there is no ability to switch DIRECTLY to a running app from another running app then the whole multitasking thing is a bit pointless (Widgets not withstanding)
I'm new to Android so I'm hoping that I'm just missing something.
I have a G1 but if you hold down the home key you can switch between running apps and I imagine that works as well on the hero.
Also, you can use an app such as "task switcher" or "bar control" found in the android market to switch between applications without having to go through the home screen with a few more options than the home key thing.
HTH
Holding down the home key only displays 6 recently opened apps not ones that are running. Thats what it does on the Hero anyway. It also brings you back to the home screen and out of whatever app you were in when you held it down.
It seems that the Palm Pre is currently the only handset that truly enables multitasking app switching.
I'm somewhat disappointed in the Hero in this regard.
To be fair, the whole concept of multitasking doesn't really address in what way you would be switching from app to app. The major thing is the ability of the phone to keep two, three or ten apps running at the same time, doing their stuff in the background. This is what the iPhone doesn't have and Android does. This is the "competitive edge".
If you install "Advanced Task Manager", it will put itself in the notification drawer for two-click activation. I think I'd enable it, if there was a setting to make all apps behave this way. A sort of "show all running apps in the notification drawer" feature (or the apps I select).
Notice you can switch to all running apps from Advanced Task Manager, but that makes for a total of four clicks, moving from one app to another. It's a bit cumbersome.
Pressing and holding Home should IMHO bring up the recent apps list to allow switching WITHOUT returning Home first.
Maybe a bug or a bad decision UI wise.
@joemax
That would sort me out. Having it behave like that would be really useful.
Commantalb looked promising in the Market - very nice effect when bringing apps list up too
BUT, it cannot be envoked unless you press and hold HOME and then select Commantalb.
If it were a background process that changed the default HOME button behaviour - to launch itself, it would be very cool.
ShiroEd said:
To be honest if there is no ability to switch DIRECTLY to a running app from another running app then the whole multitasking thing is a bit pointless (Widgets not withstanding)
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Click to collapse
Ok -here's a real world example.
I use MyTracks when out walking. Since the Hero can multitask, I can start MyTracks recording, then as I'm walking do anything else with my phone that I want and not be artificially limited to a select few apps. This is something that I do regularly.
From my perspective, the lack of a true task switcher is largely immaterial to me, but the fact that the apps are still running, even when not active, is.
Regards,
Dave
joemax said:
Pressing and holding Home should IMHO bring up the recent apps list to allow switching WITHOUT returning Home first.
Maybe a bug or a bad decision UI wise.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I can happily report that this is exactly what it does with the new ROM. Yipee!!
It does indeed
Posted as such on another thread.
The new firmware is very good IMHO.
ShiroEd said:
I can happily report that this is exactly what it does with the new ROM. Yipee!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
GOD ALLMIGHTY IN THE HEAVEN!!! THERE IS STILL A GOD!!!
I didn't know this untill now... and it god damn works... WEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
We love you HTC...
Oh damn... a double post... :-(
Is there any way of removing or clearing the recent applications from the sidebar when you hit the task switcher button? Even if I go into Advanced Task Killer and terminate all programs, the list is the same.
It would be great if they would simply put an X over each window thumbnail for you to close it.
Also great would be the ability to never show specified apps in that list.
Ideas?
It's more a recently used programs list, like what you see on the Windows Start menu, rather than a task switcher or manager.
Don't know of any apps off hand that will clear it.
We could most likely do something about this if we had the source. However, we don't..
Yeah, it would be great if I could clear this without rebooting. It's quite useful but gets way too cluttered for my liking... and it also lists multiple instances of the same program. I realize this isn't a true task switcher, but still...
Hi there,
wondering if there is a way to get the back-button finishing the app.
When i'm at contacts or writing an sms or surfing, i want to go back to desktop as fast as possible...but when i'm at contact/details, i have to press the back button 5-6 times to go back trough all the previous screen.
Is there a way/hack/app telling the back-button (have to be a hardware button) to end the tasks completly when holding it, for example?
THX THX
Press the home button? That will take you back to the desktop.
If you need to you can then use task manager to end the task.
Would be nice to see a hack/fix to add the back button to kill functionality though
IakobosJ said:
Press the home button? That will take you back to the desktop.
If you need to you can then use task manager to end the task.
Would be nice to see a hack/fix to add the back button to kill functionality though
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire
Pkplonker said:
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's already in in MIUI and most probably will be also in CM7.
well the back button does kill apps.
if you start, say, the browser and press the home button, then enter task manager, the browser will still run. if you start the browser and press the back button and open the task manager, it will show that the browser is not running anymore (actually, the browser was a bad example, since after a little bit of browsing you'd have to push the back button quite a lot since its primary function is to go back). the same goes for many more apps, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, angry birds...
Pkplonker said:
I miss this from my oxygen rom'd desire
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
me too. adamG has apparently got a SGS2 though
Thinking about it, I would also like this functionality although it isn't so urgent for me. If more people show interest maybe I'll attempt it as my first android app For such a simple app my opinion is that it should be free and not packed with admob spam, but if another dev wants to attempt it that's their choice I guess.
My thoughts:
It should be quick to develop a simple app providing this functionality. Just have it bind to an event which fires when the back button is pressed long, and have it kill the app whichever is first in the foreground window Z-order (I'm fairly new to the Android API, so I use Win32 API terminology here for example only). The only complexity may be to make the event bound globally (in all apps), as opposed to only bound in the app itself - hopefully that doesn't require root! I guess it should be a background service which runs on boot, and perhaps a very simple gui app to control that service (in fact would there be anything to configure at all? What do you think?).
sl9 said:
Thinking about it, I would also like this functionality although it isn't so urgent for me. If more people show interest maybe I'll attempt it as my first android app For such a simple app my opinion is that it should be free and not packed with admob spam, but if another dev wants to attempt it that's their choice I guess.
My thoughts:
It should be quick to develop a simple app providing this functionality. Just have it bind to an event which fires when the back button is pressed long, and have it kill the app whichever is first in the foreground window Z-order (I'm fairly new to the Android API, so I use Win32 API terminology here for example only). The only complexity may be to make the event bound globally (in all apps), as opposed to only bound in the app itself - hopefully that doesn't require root! I guess it should be a background service which runs on boot, and perhaps a very simple gui app to control that service (in fact would there be anything to configure at all? What do you think?).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It would need to be in the framework of the rom, I think
Chef_Tony said:
well the back button does kill apps.
if you start, say, the browser and press the home button, then enter task manager, the browser will still run. if you start the browser and press the back button and open the task manager, it will show that the browser is not running anymore (actually, the browser was a bad example, since after a little bit of browsing you'd have to push the back button quite a lot since its primary function is to go back). the same goes for many more apps, whatsapp, facebook, twitter, angry birds...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it does, but you have to press and press and press...would be cool, if you can "hold down" the button for a sec and it will end the task.
Example...when i'm at handsentSMS > SMS > keyboard open...
Pressing BACK > close keyboard
Pressing BACK > closing SMS windows
Pressing BACK > closing handsentSMS
3 times pressing this button after every SMS suxx...sorry
Yeah i can press the HomeButton, but then its in my mind, that the app is running in background...isnt that bad at android-OS-structure, but its a bad feeling to me...
yes that's true. i was reading over your original post again and the first time through i must have overread the part where you named sms and the browser as examples. you are right, in that case, it does not work very well. an alternative way is to hold the home button, then press task manager and kill the app instantly. but that takes even longer. i guess your best option is to actually let it run in the background, if you want to get out of it fast.
pulser_g2 said:
It would need to be in the framework of the rom, I think
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Click to collapse
I suspected this may be the case, really hope it isn't but I understand the Android security model needs to enforce a certain level of isolation for each app in the VM I'll do some further reading of the documentation to find out for sure, since a simple non-root APK providing this functionality for users would be very welcome.
I'm too used to other less-secure API's (Win32) in which any app could basically do whatever it wanted to other apps and the OS; I guess thats why virus authors love Windows so much
yeah just for anyone not totally in the know, there is a difference in android between pressing the BACK button and HOME button to leave an app. using the back button to leave an app and go back to the home screen basically "kills" the app. it puts it in a state where it can readily be killed by the OS in an instant.
when just pressing HOME to leave an app, the app is technically backgrounded. the OS will keep it around longer or in a different fashion.
so backing out of apps with the back button is always the way to "exit" any app.
It has been confirmed now.
I was wondering how on-screen buttons are supposed to work alongside capacitive/physical buttons on the note?
... and other discussions.
I'm sure Samsung will touch wiz the onscreen buttons right out of the ROM...
Sent from my GT-N7000 using xda premium
It's possible to remove onscreen buttons with default launcher.
If a device has physical buttons the on-screen buttons will not be used by ICS. This has been covered many times in reviews and direct statements from Google.
Sent from my GT-N7000 using XDA App
galaxytab1 said:
It has been confirmed now.
I was wondering how on-screen buttons are supposed to work alongside capacitive/physical buttons on the note?
... and other discussions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It was confirmed a week ago.....
xAnimal5 said:
It was confirmed a week ago.....
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When i say now, it was setting up the context for further discussion and not breaking the news.
there is one on screen button i want them to keep in - the multitask button. that button would save me from having to use a task switcher app, and makes app/ram management a lot easier.
one thing i am curious about though, since ICS features the ability to freeze apps integrated into it, is it possible to freeze touchwiz and revert to generic ICS? (im a bit of a nubb as to the complexities of android).
Souai said:
there is one on screen button i want them to keep in - the multitask button. that button would save me from having to use a task switcher app, and makes app/ram management a lot easier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe you know this and just don't think it's enough, but have you tried using the already built in multi tasking feature? Just long press the home button and a menu with shortcuts to your six most recent apps will appear. Here you can also enter the task manager to shut down apps and clear RAM
Sent via Tapatalk on my Galaxy Note
Forget about that, touchwiz is full intigrated into the android framework. You cant even boot without it.
Send from my Galaxy Note
BaconDanny said:
Maybe you know this and just don't think it's enough, but have you tried using the already built in multi tasking feature? Just long press the home button and a menu with shortcuts to your six most recent apps will appear. Here you can also enter the task manager to shut down apps and clear RAM
Sent via Tapatalk on my Galaxy Note
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i know about long press home, but that only shows recent apps, it doesnt tell you which ones are still open and which ones are closed. id rather have something that tells me which ones are running, rather than which ones ive used recently which may or may not still be running.
on my old n900, there was a visual task switcher built into the UI. tap the button, and it shows all active windows. you can see a preview of what each one is doing (including seeing a video play in realtime) and you can close each one directly from this screen, no need to go into a menu or three just to find out which ones are open and which ones are closed.
there was a visual task switcher on android that was similar, but it only runs on android up to froyo. the next best thing ive used on android is the smart task switcher, but it doesnt help that the only button i can assign it to on the galaxy note is the home key. on my atrix, i had it assigned to the search key. it also doesnt do previews like the n900, but it does tell you how much free ram you have.
call me picky, but from my experience, multitasking is one thing that nokia does better than android, even though nokia lacks a dual core device. hopefully the task switcher in ICS changes that.
Souai said:
i know about long press home, but that only shows recent apps, it doesnt tell you which ones are still open and which ones are closed. id rather have something that tells me which ones are running, rather than which ones ive used recently which may or may not still be running.
on my old n900, there was a visual task switcher built into the UI. tap the button, and it shows all active windows. you can see a preview of what each one is doing (including seeing a video play in realtime) and you can close each one directly from this screen, no need to go into a menu or three just to find out which ones are open and which ones are closed.
there was a visual task switcher on android that was similar, but it only runs on android up to froyo. the next best thing ive used on android is the smart task switcher, but it doesnt help that the only button i can assign it to on the galaxy note is the home key. on my atrix, i had it assigned to the search key. it also doesnt do previews like the n900, but it does tell you how much free ram you have.
call me picky, but from my experience, multitasking is one thing that nokia does better than android, even though nokia lacks a dual core device. hopefully the task switcher in ICS changes that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
webos also has good multitasking.
You guys don't think Samsung will just place the multi task app for that?
Long press the home button and that should bring up the new ics app mananger. I think that would be the most logical route for them.
Sent from my GT-I9100
Souai said:
i know about long press home, but that only shows recent apps, it doesnt tell you which ones are still open and which ones are closed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm confused... besides the recent apps, there's a task manager button there that does show only the open apps. Or is it just the fact that it's an extra button press?
The task manager shows the apps that are running. The pop-up (long press) is recently opened apps/fast task switcher. If you for example open the XDA app and exit from it, it will still be in the recently opened/fast switcher pop-up.
The videos I've seen of ICS running with Touchwiz has you just hold down the Home button to bring up the new multi-tasking app switcher menu or whatever you want to call it.
LordManhattan said:
The task manager shows the apps that are running...
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Click to collapse
Right, and isn't that what they were asking for?
I answered your question.
"I'm confused... besides the recent apps, there's a task manager button there that does show only the open apps. Or is it just the fact that it's an extra button press?"
LordManhattan said:
I answered your question.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well, no, I'm still confused about what everyone's issue is.
You said:
The pop-up (long press) is recently opened apps/fast task switcher. If you for example open the XDA app and exit from it, it will still be in the recently opened/fast switcher pop-up.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand that. But as I said in my original message:
besides the recent apps, there's a task manager button there that does show only the open apps.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you click that task manager button, it takes you to a screen that shows only the running apps, and lets you switch between them. Isn't that what people are wanting to do?
NV30 said:
It's possible to remove onscreen buttons with default launcher.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
should be and hope ne
dscline said:
I'm confused... besides the recent apps, there's a task manager button there that does show only the open apps. Or is it just the fact that it's an extra button press?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you cant access the task manager in android from every screen, you need to go through a few screens to get to it. on ICS and on my nokia n900, you could get to it at the push of a button, makes multitasking much much easier and much much faster. faster is always better, just like if samsung's custom browser for the note used tabs like dolphin and firefox instead of the new window thing, im sure people would love it more.
Its windows, why cant I kill the apps running in my background. When I hit the back button all the way out of an app it takes me to the home screen, if I hit that app again later it takes me back to where I thought I had quit out of. When I use my computer I run one thing at a time, My android phone would exit all apps when I used its included task manager.
Sometimes the phone even gets laggy because of the amount of apps that are still running. Yes I turned everything off of the background apps settings, nothing should be running when I exit it.
I am new to windows phone, and doing a restart is the only way to set all apps back to the original pages.
Any help would be appreciated.
That is why i return the phone
Hold the back button down for <1sec and swipe apps away
even when i do that it re starts where i was, its a small annoyance but its nice learning a new OS