Advanced Task Killer...Yes or No?

[djlen]

Ok, first some background information.
For the last 2 years my wife and I have been with Verizon and used Motorola Razr android cell phones. Never had any issues with data usage because the apps. were closed when we finished using them on those phones.
Recently we switched to Consumer Cellular and bought Samsung Rubys which are also androids. I really like the service and the phones. There is just one problem. We were using way, way too much data. We used 35mgs. in just two days. I left the phone in the car in an area unconnected to wifi and used 23mgs. in just 5 hours, not realizing that I needed to manually shut down apps. because the phone doesn't it like my Razrs did. This was totally unacceptable!!
Enter Advanced Task Killer which was recommended to me by a tech for Consumer Cellular. The problem is that although it does shut down the running apps. the phone seems to be using more battery and also is definitely running slower since I installed ATK.
Now I'm reading that androids manage the apps. well enough by themselves and don't need any extra apps. to 'help' them out. My question is what am I missing here? How do I configure this phone to shut down the running apps. when I am finished with them? There is a manual app. closer that is relatively easy to access and use but I don't think I should have to do it that way.
Any feedback would be very much appreciated.

Regards,
Len

 

[Mehta23]

The best thing to do is to leave it how it is, and let Android do it's business.
Force closing apps and then reopening them uses much more power than just leaving it, even for a long while.

 

[djlen]

I would like to do just as you suggest. I just can't handle using all that data. It would cost me way too much every month to use data at that rate.

 

[Hadron]

Actually I can't think why the RAZR would have behaved differently (unless it was just short of RAM), so wonder whether the difference isn't more that there are different apps running on the newer phones, or that they are running with different settings (being allowed to poll or update constantly)?

What would help would be if you could identify which apps are using all of the data? 3G Watchdog Pro can give you this breakdown (not sure about the free version), and I'm sure there are many other data monitoring apps can too. If it turns out that the main culprit is something you don't need then maybe you can do something about it. Certainly I'd look at the apps you think might be using data and check their settings, turn off background data or increase syncing/refresh intervals. System settings will be different, so it could be that defaults you long forgot about on the old phones need to be set again here (e.g. do you let the Play Store automatically update, and if so do you limit it to WiFi or let it use mobile data?).

 

[Slug]

I just can't handle using all that data.

You need to look into which apps are using so much data, and why. The most common cause is something configured to update very frequently e.g. Twitter/Facebook.

Next in the list of suspects is having "Auto update apps at any time" enabled in Play Store's settings.

edit: ninja'd by Hadron!

 

[aysiu]

Instead of managing apps, it's probably better to manage data.

First of all, just about every app that needs to access the internet has an option to turn off syncing or change the frequency of checking. For example in the Facebook app, you can change the refresh interval from 30 minutes to Never. You can turn off syncing for all your Google services (Gmail, Calendar, etc.).

Another option is to use something like Juice Defender to automatically disable your data connection when your screen is off, and then re-enable the connection when your screen is on. That way apps will be actively using data only when you're looking at your phone... not when it's just sitting there.

 

[djlen]

How about just deleting Facebook (which I just did). I have no use for it and many of the other junk things I'm looking at in my phone. I'm going to get rid of the high usage stuff that I don't need.
I'm also going to look at re-installing Juice Defender on this phone. I haven't yet installed here.
I still would like some feedback on Advanced Task Killer. I just wish I didn't have a need for something like that, but this phone doesn't seem to turn them off when I'm through using them. But the opinions on it are so varied. Some people love it and some absolutely say to get rid of it.

 

[aysiu]

My feedback is that Advanced Task Killer is no good, as Android apps aren't meant to be killed like that. If they get killed, they just spring back. Let the system handle that.

If data is the issue, killing apps isn't the best way to handle things any way. Sure, you can delete apps you don't need, but I believe you can manage data even for the apps you don't need.

 

[djlen]

Can you link me to a tutorial for Juice Defender so that I can configure it. I'm a little confused by some that I've seen. Most are for Juice Defender "Ultimate" and I have downloaded plain old Juice Defender.

 

[chanchan05]

An app that may be running on the background may or may not be using data. ATK isn't addressing the problem. You need to manage data itself. Get My Data Manager app from Play Store. It will show you which apps are consuming the most data, and then you manage them.

 

[Hadron]

I'd not bother with ATK. As you've noticed it wastes power fighting the apps and system. Well-behaved apps don't need it: no need to close an app if it's just sitting dormant in RAM waiting until either you return to it or the RAM is needed by something else. Rogue apps should be dealt with individually, but tbh it's a long time since I had one. If you can control the data hogs then you don't need ATK at all.

 

[djlen]

I uninstalled ATK and installed Juice Defender and My Data Manager. I think between the two of them I can control what I'm using and what is running. I'm going to have to learn again how to configure Juice Defender because it's been a while since I set it up on the old phone. And I'll need to view a tutorial for My Data Manager to learn how to use it properly.

 

[chanchan05]

I'd suggest GreenPower instead of JuiceDefender. JD has been abandoned by it's developer for years. It may not be fully working on newer phones.

 

[funkylogik]

Great advice by everyone but until you get on top of it. Just turn off mobile data until you need it :thumbup:

 

[djlen]

OK, I'm now researching Juice Defender against Green Power and quite a few people are pushing Green Power. Can I get some opinions from people who have experience with both?

 

[aysiu]

I think the big difference is that Green Power last updated today, and I don't think Juice Defender has been updated for over 18 months.

The basic idea is the same, though: reduce battery use by turning stuff down or off when you're not using your phone.

 

[funkylogik]

If rooted, Greenify can be useful

 

[djlen]

I installed GreenPower and have not had time to tinker with it yet. I'm under the impression that it runs it's defaults when installed which should save me some battery and hopefully some data until I can mess with it. Yes?
I'm sure it's not a good idea to run more than one of these apps. at a time. I have looked at Greenify. Would that app. compete/interfere with GreenPower?
I'm of the impression that I will probably have to get a larger data package but at the same time My Data Manager is now forecasting quite a bit less data will be used for the month than it was only this morning which is encouraging.
I want to take a second to thank all of you who are helping a total newbie at this stuff out here. Thank you all.

 

[djlen]

One more question: In the process of uninstalling data hogs I uninstalled Google Play Stores. Why does my phone keep telling me that I need to install this "necessary" app. and linking me to it? Is it necessary? I asked around and it seemed to me that many folks didn't think so. Do the apps. and apps. from Google play need it to get updated?
Sorry, guess that's more than one question.

 

[PaulS]

You only need to update apps if you want to or if they don't work like you want.Example:I like,"One Browser" and it got updated but was then way bigger and I didn't like the new layout.As I have only a small data allowance on my phone sim I download .apk versions and keep them on my hard drive and in an APK folder on my phone SD card so I can uninstall and re-install lots of stuff with a free .apk installer app without the need for a re-download.

You should disable updates(Whilst on Google Play use it's Settings option) and then choose to update only if,"You" want.This also saves data allowances.

Note:Some .apk download sites re-direct to sites using down-loaders like Ilivid or ones that trick you to installing Delta toolbars which as as bad as a virus IMHO.DON'T use these.Stop the download.If the file does not have an .apk or .zip extension which then the .zip contains an .apk file then stop it.
Apk files are standalone versions of the apps

BTW I use what I think is a really useful little Widget called,"EZ Screen Off".It will automatically stop data syncing if you choose that option in it's simple settings.I like it as I have my Samsung Galaxy Ace in a Wallet case and don't like fiddling with the Power button on the side.You will need to re-enable data syncing manually when you want it on.

 

[WoohooGuy]

As people already stated your excessive data usage in just a few days is probably your phone applying market updates to apps which you can disable in the Play Store settings, then update apps manually when you are connected via wifi.

Weather and news apps like to update more than they should, see if you can identify if you have any apps running like that and go into their settings to see if there is options to scale back how often they sync/refresh and adjust those back or even disable them from refreshing. The most common culprits will have notifications or live widgets everywhere.

As for a task killer, I highly suggest you do not run one. The required memory footprint for a running base android system is very small, normally much less than the total available memory your device has to offer.

Android automatically loads apps into the additional free memory and then puts the app to "sleep" or in other words freezes the app so that it is no longer using CPU cycles until the app is called for or needed.

Why?

1. Your device is using the same amount of power keeping your memory 1/4 full as it would spend keeping the memory 90 percent full.. There are no power savings to be had keeping memory free.

2. When an app is finally called for that has been "sleeping" in memory it starts faster and is ready sooner as the CPU only has to wake it up.

Android is far more efficient at managing your device memory to balance performance and free memory available so large memory hogs like games have all the memory they need than you could ever manage with a task killer, or even worse a task killer set to kill benign android processes at a regular time interval.

Every time a task killer kills an "unneeded" or sleeping app in the device memory the device actually wastes more power reloading the app OR another app into the same memory footprint as the Android system once again has to re-balance it's complicated performance to memory scheme. The next time that task killer runs, more power wasted. They are not needed.

What you need is a monitor that does not care what is loaded into memory, but watches what is loaded to make sure it does not misbehave. When an app misbehaves it often ramps up the CPU use of the device and that is what kills your battery.

A program crashing, stuck in a loop, or even poorly coded can ramp up the CPU of your device and shorten battery life.

I personally run Watchdog Task Manager on all my devices - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.zomut.watchdoglite&hl=en

Watchdog sits silently in the background monitoring the CPU of your device and when an app goes over a certain threshold it alerts you. You click the alert and it shows you the process name and what percent of CPU loading it used to trigger the alert. One touch on the misbehaving app and you can kill it.

Odds are the misbehaving app will start again but hopefully better behaved.

The lite version has ads, the pro version removes the ads and adds the ability for you to flag a particular app as troublesome and have Watchdog automatically kill it when it misbehaves.

My only suggestion for the app as a user, you probably want to turn off the audible alert as misbehaving android apps are like smoke detectors needing a new battery.. 3:00 am most days..

 

[WoohooGuy]

One more question: In the process of uninstalling data hogs I uninstalled Google Play Stores. Why does my phone keep telling me that I need to install this "necessary" app. and linking me to it? Is it necessary? I asked around and it seemed to me that many folks didn't think so. Do the apps. and apps. from Google play need it to get updated?
Sorry, guess that's more than one question.

You do need the play market unless you intend on using a different one like Amazon.

I highly suggest you keep the play market.

 

[funkylogik]

if you want the Play store app back, get it from someone on here instead of taking your chances with installing it from an unknown source. I can give u a private link to the apk if u want :thumbup:

 

[WoohooGuy]

if you want the Play store app back, get it from someone on here instead of taking your chances with installing it from an unknown source. I can give u a private link to the apk if u want :thumbup:

+1

Dont trust a blind google search for it.

 

[chanchan05]

I installed GreenPower and have not had time to tinker with it yet. I'm under the impression that it runs it's defaults when installed which should save me some battery and hopefully some data until I can mess with it. Yes?
I'm sure it's not a good idea to run more than one of these apps. at a time. I have looked at Greenify. Would that app. compete/interfere with GreenPower?
I'm of the impression that I will probably have to get a larger data package but at the same time My Data Manager is now forecasting quite a bit less data will be used for the month than it was only this morning which is encouraging.
I want to take a second to thank all of you who are helping a total newbie at this stuff out here. Thank you all.

You have to open it first for it to start runninh though. It's going to appear in your notification bar.

One more question: In the process of uninstalling data hogs I uninstalled Google Play Stores. Why does my phone keep telling me that I need to install this "necessary" app. and linking me to it? Is it necessary? I asked around and it seemed to me that many folks didn't think so. Do the apps. and apps. from Google play need it to get updated?
Sorry, guess that's more than one question.

Google Play Store does not use any unnecessary data unless you have apps set to auto update. Just turn it off. And if you don't have it, where do you plan on getting apps? I strongly discourage anyone from going to apk download sites as that is a very good way of getting malware apps onto your phone.