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Advanced App Killer - Really necessary on Nexus S?

J

JoelB84

Newbie
I used to use ATK every time I used my phone to ensure that I wasn't using more battery than I needed. I also noticed lots of issues with ringtones changing, Live wallpapers changing and some APPs not working correctly. Just as a test I've quit using ATK. I haven't seen a reduction in battery life and it seems to be working smoother.

Is ATK really necessary with this phone and Android 2.3?
 
Android definitely does not need a task killer. Partly because it manages tasks pretty well on its own and partly because Linux does not perform better with more free RAM anyway.

As you have seen, a task killer can also be detrimental. You don't know which processes you are stopping which may still be doing something!!!
 
As the above said, you don't need a task killer with the current Android phones. Task killers were used more with the older Android phones (the Hero/G1/Dream) since the phones had smaller processors/RAMs/memory. Now with the newer phones, it's powerful enough and the OS will 'kill' tasks that you aren't using on its own. The bad thing with killing as task/app is that you don't know if it's connected or being used by another task/app. So even after 'killing' it, the app will restart again (as it's being used). This would mean that you end up using more resources on your phone. Only reason why a task killer is needed is when you have rouge applications that continue to runs in a loop (can't be properly killed). If that's the case, it's better to delete the app than killing a dozen apps so that you kill that one bad one.

This is a great post from one of the most knowledgeable members here:
OfTheDamned said:
Welcome to the forum.

Some light reading for you. ;)

FAQ: Why You Shouldn’t Be Using a Task Killer with Android
http://androidforums.com/sprint-htc-hero/26997-task-managers-your-hero.html
Droid Den - Android Guide: Should I Use a Task Killer - Droid Den
Android Developers Blog: Multitasking the Android Way
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/18334-task-killer-apps-truth.html#post113494
Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them
AndroidSPIN Why you don’t need a task killer app with Android.
Froyo update kills Android task killer apps | andrew | Androinica
Google and Cyanogen comments imply task killer/manager apps are pointless | andrew | Androinica
Task Killers... The Answer from Google & Developers.
Android OS Task Killers: Does killing background tasks and services actually help?
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/39801-task-killers-good-bad-ugly.html
Task Killers: Good or Bad? Android And Me Forums
ongoing:android_myths [CVPCS Android Wiki]
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/42114-yes-you-need-task-killer-app-eris-period.html
Another look at Android memory management, and why task killers are not bad - PPCGeeks
http://androidforums.com/htc-droid-eris/47545-memory-management-task-killing-another-view.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL6gSd4ugSI&feature=channel

If you prefer the CliffNotes version to all this - Some like them, but most don't need them.

When it comes to Android, the OS is really designed to handle memory itself. Yes, you will see your RAM on the low side soemtimes and if you look you will see a bunch of applications running in the background. This is all normal for the OS. Majority of the apps in the background are sitting idle and just waiting around to be launched. The RAM that they are "using" will become available to another application as soon as it is needed. All of this is done with very minimal battery usage as well.

For me the old saying, "If it isn't broken, don't fix it." comes to mind in discussions about task killers. The key question that you need to ask yourself is, "How is my phone working?" If the answer is good, then you already have your answer to the Great Task Killer Debate. If the answer is bad, then majority of the time the next question should be, "Why?"
Click to expand...
 
As the above said, you don't need a task killer with the current Android phones. Task killers were used more with the older Android phones (the Hero/G1/Dream) since the phones had smaller processors/RAMs/memory. Now with the newer phones, it's powerful enough and the OS will 'kill' tasks that you aren't using on its own. The bad thing with killing as task/app is that you don't know if it's connected or being used by another task/app. So even after 'killing' it, the app will restart again (as it's being used). This would mean that you end up using more resources on your phone. Only reason why a task killer is needed is when you have rouge applications that continue to runs in a loop (can't be properly killed). If that's the case, it's better to delete the app than killing a dozen apps so that you kill that one bad one.

This is a great post from one of the most knowledgeable members here:
OfTheDamned said:
Welcome to the forum.

Some light reading for you. ;)

FAQ: Why You Shouldn
Click to expand...
 
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