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Advanced Task Killer?? Yay or Nay??

a task killer isn't required in order to constantly monitor and manage running processes or background apps, imo. they can also cause instability or conflicts if set to interfere with things the os would rather do.

that said, i have atk installed on both my droid and my incredible. the only time i use it is to kill specific apps that might be acting up, and i always select the atk app to end itself so it never stays running in the back ground. i basically open it to kill off an app and end itself at the same time.

the phone comes with a task manager of sorts. you can always force stop an application from settings > applications > manage application. i just prefer the convenience of atk. :)
 
On my Droid, (and I am a heavy phone user between multiple apps and such) I found ATK to hurt my battery and the overall system integrity. My droid was so much faster and responsive without ATK and the unnecessary apps re-loading into memory (in the background mind you) and such.

Don't need it. Won't install it.
 
Didn't get ATK, I looked through what's been lurking in the memory, and yes, there is Skype lurking around. BUT... when I checked which programs' been sucking down on battery, Skype was not even there. So... no ATK for me.
 
ahh first android phone.. ATK has become a habit! I always end up opening to close apps... cus i feel its KILLING battery, or making slower... idk!
 
I was using Layar and Skyfire and then I hit the home key and the phone was a bit slow to respond when scrolling through apps. I saw that Layar and Skyfire were still running and killed them in ATK. My phone instantly scrolled fast and smooth after that. I wouldn't obsess about killing all idle apps but the big ones that take up CPU there's no other way to force them to exit. I really appreciate google navigation's "Exit" button. I wish more apps had this.
 
Most programs that are autostarting should have something in the programs settings to stop it from autostart. For Gtalk open it up, Menu->More->Settings-> Uncheck Automatically sign in. (It's the sign in that starts it up automatically, and also prevents it from closing when you simply leave the program. With the signin disabled it should behave like a normal app and fully close shortly after leaving it. )

As for task killers: Worthless. As previously mentioned Android has built in task management that is FAR superior to the task killers. It has several levels for each program as it drops CPU usage, moves it out of the ram to cache, and even properly shuts it down. That last one is very important, if you just kill a task, you can stuff in the cache, in ram, or even sub-processes/etc still running. NTM the fact that task killers are themselves processes and compete against the Android built in task management which will cause problems.

If you have any program that is running and you dont want it to, check the programs settings to stop it from auto-starting, and if you want to manually close it use the built-in system to close it.

It is just like a computer. You should stop programs from starting in the first place, and adjust the programs own settings. Ctrl+Alt+Del is only for a program experiencing problems.
 
How does ATK affect your phone as people are stating if it's not even running? For example, before I looked through threads like these, I did run it to close unnecessary apps (like calculator), but then had it kill itself as well. And I don't see what's wrong with closing apps like calculator if they're not essential processes.
 
appleaj said:
How does ATK affect your phone as people are stating if it's not even running? For example, before I looked through threads like these, I did run it to close unnecessary apps (like calculator), but then had it kill itself as well. And I don't see what's wrong with closing apps like calculator if they're not essential processes.
Click to expand...

If it is not running it isn't affecting things. As for closing non-essential processes it is ok to close them ( If the Android system isn't doing so on it's own ), just use the built in system to do it instead of a task killer. It's much cleaner about closing a process. ( Menu->Settings->Applications->Running Services) However, again: Check the program for a setting to stop it from starting in the first place, which is ideal.
 
NovaCove said:
im new to the whole smart phone scene and have been trying to get info from here and there and came across this from htc website..

HTC Mobile Phone Support - DROID INCREDIBLE by HTC (Verizon) - Help

How do I stop applications from running in the background?You may browse the Market to find Task Management applications that will allow you to see which applications are running as well as give you the ability to stop them.
Click to expand...

Those programs on the market are what this thread was about: They should only be used when a program is mis-behaving. If you want to close a program for battery: First go to the program and open the menu and look through settings for something to stop it from auto-starting. Also, look for something to close it from inside the program. Finally, if there wasn't anything...go to your home. Menu->Settings->Applications->Running Services and look for what you want to close. Simply tap the service ( itll be the one with the icon, the one above each of those is what started the service. ) and select Stop.
 
I've been a Windows user for about 15 years and just got the Incredible (my first smartphone). I've used WinMo a bit at work, and one of the first things I wanted to know on the Incredible was how to close apps. Well, I'm sure you could imagine my astonishment when I found out THERE WASN'T A WAY!?!?

Look, I've read some of these threads relating to running apps on Android, and I understand that Android is not Windows, but they should have given us a way to close apps without having to do the equivalent of the 3-finger salute, if for no other reason than for those of us with OCD about these kinds of things wouldn't have to stress about it. At the very least, they should've anticipated that many Android users would be Windows users, who would expect there to be a way to close apps within the app itself.

To me, having an app running in the background that I'm finished with is like having a huge, steaming dog turd in the middle of my living room floor. Sure, maybe it isn't hurting anything by being there, but I just have this urge to get rid of it that does not go away.
 
Lmao at the dog turd analogy, that was funny. I will say there is one good reason to use task killers, poorly coded apps. If tthey aren't properly shutting down or idling and caching on their own then I would kill them. I don't use any task killers though so my solution? Uninstall the poorly coded app. If the dev can't utilize Android then I don't want his/her app.

Once you get root you can modify the threshold for which Android decides when to kill a app. I will find the thread about this when I get home.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
 
So, how long does it take Android to shut down an app by itself. Say something like Calculator or Radio. I seem to find them on. If I just leave them running, will they eventually close on their own?

I checked ATK a few minutes ago and found 17 running apps. To me that sounds WAY TOO MANY....

Should I just be playing with the settings of individual apps?

Help!
knight
 
CRPercodani said:
Lmao at the dog turd analogy, that was funny. I will say there is one good reason to use task killers, poorly coded apps. If tthey aren't properly shutting down or idling and caching on their own then I would kill them. I don't use any task killers though so my solution? Uninstall the poorly coded app. If the dev can't utilize Android then I don't want his/her app.

Once you get root you can modify the threshold for which Android decides when to kill a app. I will find the thread about this when I get home.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

But... I'm not going to root my phone. Does this mean that I can blissfully kill all of the useless junk that runs when I don't want it to?

There are noticeable performance gains that can be made by closing programs that are still running. Period. Whether you choose to use an app that does it for you easily or the long, convoluted method in Android, it doesn't matter. Yes, some things should run and will be fine, but others suck down battery life and slows the phone up.

Also, don't forget the placebo effect.
 
Android will first let a app idle, when it needs memory it will ask it nicely to close (Android will cache everything first), if it doesn't comply then Android will terminate the app. There isn't any time constraints, only when Android needs memory. The incredible has a boatload of RAM which is why so many proccesses stay open. Poorlycoded apps are the downside to all of this because even if they aren't hurting your memory they are running at full speed when they should be idling.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk
 
This is the latest, most up to date operating system available for Android, and running on a phone with a 1gHz processor......just let it do what it was built to do!!! Uninstall that ATK and use the space either for something else, or just leave it open. Having fewer things on your phone won't cause it to work as hard, which, inadvertantly will give you the results you seek in an ATK.
 
worknman said:
I've been a Windows user for about 15 years and just got the Incredible (my first smartphone). I've used WinMo a bit at work, and one of the first things I wanted to know on the Incredible was how to close apps. Well, I'm sure you could imagine my astonishment when I found out THERE WASN'T A WAY!?!?

Look, I've read some of these threads relating to running apps on Android, and I understand that Android is not Windows, but they should have given us a way to close apps without having to do the equivalent of the 3-finger salute, if for no other reason than for those of us with OCD about these kinds of things wouldn't have to stress about it. At the very least, they should've anticipated that many Android users would be Windows users, who would expect there to be a way to close apps within the app itself.

To me, having an app running in the background that I'm finished with is like having a huge, steaming dog turd in the middle of my living room floor. Sure, maybe it isn't hurting anything by being there, but I just have this urge to get rid of it that does not go away.
Click to expand...

ditto here - and it first struck me when i had windows ce on my ipaq. but in reality, android has far better memory management than windows.

FAQ: Why You Shouldn’t Be Using a Task Killer with Android Geek For Me – Android CDMA Sprint Hero

the key points i took away from that article (there are many other good ones, but these seem to have the most effect/weight for me):

first of all, most background apps don't suck up cpu cycles. in fact, after 1.6, they're capped at 5 or 10% cpu if running in the background.

secondly, the way windows was written, more free memory = faster running programs. that isn't true for android - "linux [and therefore android] will run the same regardless of if you have 20mb free memory or 200mb."

and lastly, apparently, starting of an app is one of the bigger battery killers on android. in essence, it's kinda like fluorescent bulbs: it takes more energy to turn on a fluorescent bulb in the morning than it does to keep it running on all night.

so for apps you know you'll be running again, keep them running. but apps you know you won't be running for a while (e.g. you just tried out a game or something), it's a candidate for task-killing, if so-inclined.
 
How do you find out how much CPU a program is using? Therefore, figuring out which apps are not draining battery life?
 
zemerick said:
Those programs on the market are what this thread was about: They should only be used when a program is mis-behaving. If you want to close a program for battery: First go to the program and open the menu and look through settings for something to stop it from auto-starting. Also, look for something to close it from inside the program. Finally, if there wasn't anything...go to your home. Menu->Settings->Applications->Running Services and look for what you want to close. Simply tap the service ( itll be the one with the icon, the one above each of those is what started the service. ) and select Stop.
Click to expand...

Most of the time atk shows more apps running than the "running services" in the settings. Why is this?
 
powdbyrice said:
The dumb beezy at VZW who sold us our second Inc. said 'make sure u download atk.' I wanted to reach across the counter and smack her.
Click to expand...

Same here. She told us that they strongly emphasized in her training to make sure all customers knew to download a task killer as soon as they charged up their phone.
 
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