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Help Android Best Practice when done with an app

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icedice34

Well-Known Member
I am currently running an ICS ROM, but I have a general Android question. In the early days with my Moto Droid, "app killers" were all the rage. Then I read that actually best practice is to always use the "back" button to close an App. So today, what is best practice to maximize battery life and power. Can I just hit the home key and leave an app that way? Or will it still run in the background slowing down my phone.

Thoughts? Tips? Advice? Thanks!
 
I am not a big proponent of app killers but I do use one to kill apps after restarting my phone from scratch or when an app seems to be hanging up or keeping the phone awake. All in all Android does a good job of killing apps when resources are needed and just randomly killing apps using an app killer actually uses more battery and resources in the long run. There is a difference in a running app and one that is in memory. Apps that you are not actively using are not really running unless they are updating or performing some sort of calculation or such. Non running apps aren't using cpu cycles or eating battery. Having apps in memory for the most part does not slowdown your phone. Android allocates memory and resources differently than a PC does and having apps running in the background (loaded into memory) actually makes your phone faster by having the apps ready when you need them.
Depending on how the app was written, backing out of it does not necessarily kill it but that's really not so important for the reasons I outlined earlier. So either backing out of an app using the back button or just hitting the home button is fine.
The bottom line for Android is don't worry about what apps are running and just enjoy your phone.
 
That is a very detailed response. Thanks for the info. That is largely what I was thinking. I'll try to get out of the habit of hitting "back" and start hitting home.

Thanks!
 
Wish all the apps would quit running after I back out of them. I have the repeated problem of the Sense restart (white HTC screen) when I play my games (Words, Hanging & Scramble) and then back out of them. I found it to be because the RAM is running low. When I go to look at what apps are running all three of them will be showing to be using anywhere between 20-60 MB even though I backed out of them. Then I have to manually stop them from the "running services" screen of do a restart. Then everything will be fine again untill the next time I open/play all 3 again.
 
fyrfyter612 said:
Wish all the apps would quit running after I back out of them. I have the repeated problem of the Sense restart (white HTC screen) when I play my games (Words, Hanging & Scramble) and then back out of them. I found it to be because the RAM is running low. When I go to look at what apps are running all three of them will be showing to be using anywhere between 20-60 MB even though I backed out of them. Then I have to manually stop them from the "running services" screen of do a restart. Then everything will be fine again untill the next time I open/play all 3 again.
Click to expand...

I have noticed the same thing with Zynga's apps. My opinion of their products is dropping fast.
 
H20nly said:
I have noticed the same thing with Zynga's apps. My opinion of their products is dropping fast.
Click to expand...

Dropping? my opinion of their products is much to low to give them that much credit.
I honestly think wwf crushed the battery faster than running quadrant on an endless loop
 
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