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Any real life problems with using Task Killers?

freeza

freeza

Android Enthusiast
I have been reading so many mixed emotions about task killers. However, the most i've read are from people are who dislike/discourage people from using them. But, I never get any real world experiences from those people. Only, "they can mess things up", "they aren't good", "android manages memory fine", and a bunch of other 'facts' without any backing up of real world experience that lead them to this conclusion.

I have been using ATK (auto kill every 30 minutes with a very short ignore list) since the first day I got my phone. I now use a combination of ATK and Autokiller. My phone has been on for over 350 hours without a single reboot (will reboot today to insert my 32GB microSD) without any anomalies associated with said programs. So, android community, what exactly did you guys do to get these horrible results that you're so firm in telling other people not to use task killers for various reasons?

How is my experience with them perfectly fine and other people's a nightmare?
 
Been using Advanced Task Killer for bout a month straight now. Not one issue as of yet. In my opinion is mandatory to have one. Have u seen the list of active apps open?
 
You've installed better behaved apps than others?

I'd suspect that others' experiences are due to some side effects between ATK and other apps or some arcane behavior from one of the ATK update cycles.

Autokiller is only for those of us with root, so I'll leave that be for now.

As for ATK - have you tried Advanced Task Cleaner Pro as a replacement to that? I believe you'll find it uses less memory than ATK. Also, I far prefer its interface and options, but that's entirely subjective.
 
hendodo said:
Been using Advanced Task Killer for bout a month straight now. Not one issue as of yet. In my opinion is mandatory to have one. Have u seen the list of active apps open?
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Yeah I sure have, and it's part of the reason I use ATK. I just don't get how it's possible for people with the same phone to get totally different experiences using the same program. unless they're setting the security level to low, then killing everything they see. But even then, with a specific set of checked processes, you can accomplish this without any adverse reactions.
 
EarlyMon said:
You've installed better behaved apps than others?

I'd suspect that others' experiences are due to some side effects between ATK and other apps or some arcane behavior from one of the ATK update cycles.

Autokiller is only for those of us with root, so I'll leave that be for now.

As for ATK - have you tried Advanced Task Cleaner Pro as a replacement to that? I believe you'll find it uses less memory than ATK. Also, I far prefer its interface and options, but that's entirely subjective.
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I haven't tried Advanced Task Cleaner Pro, but I will definitely give it a shot. ATK does have some bugs that are quite annoying, so this might be a better option for me.
 
hendodo said:
Have u seen the list of active apps open?
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It doesn't matter a great deal how many are open so long as you have available memory.

Better behaved apps can be backgrounded forever and not materially affect how your phone behaves.

The problem isn't the size of the list - it's the nature of the offenders in that list - in my opinion.

It's the apps that are constantly phoning home, or always waking up and encouraging their sisters to do the same that are the real culprits - again in my opinion.

By the way - if you're interested in system monitoring, as many with task murderers are - then I highly recommend Android System Info by Electric Sheep. Found out about it from this forum the other day and it's just sooper dooper.
 
EarlyMon said:
It doesn't matter a great deal how many are open so long as you have available memory.

Better behaved apps can be backgrounded forever and not materially affect how your phone behaves.

The problem isn't the size of the list - it's the nature of the offenders in that list - in my opinion.

It's the apps that are constantly phoning home, or always waking up and encouraging their sisters to do the same that are the real culprits - again in my opinion.

By the way - if you're interested in system monitoring, as many with task murderers are - then I highly recommend Android System Info by Electric Sheep. Found out about it from this forum the other day and it's just sooper dooper.
Click to expand...

Have you also tried SystemPanel?
 
U know there going to get on here and say we are. "IMMATURE" To the Android system and its smart enough to take of itself. They say just go in "running services" and end them one by one....That is a pain!!! Ill stick with ATK for now
 
Been using it since i've had my phone with ZERO issues.....I say to people try and see if it works for you.... Dont go buy what others say.....
 
Its a give and take situation.

Task Killers became a habit of WinMo users who needed to kill tasks for more memory. While the Android "manages memory better" (which it does) that is not the reason why you should use a Task Killer esp on the Evo.

The reason why I would use a Task Killer on the Evo would be to kill the apps that are killing my battery. Not so much the resources (unless you are going crazy with tons of apps). I'm sure others have their own reasons but if its based on memory there is no need.

The downside as you know is that it can cause anomalous software glitches, sometimes it can go so bad where you will have to reflash the phone. If you are savvy enough to do this it shouldn't be a problem. If you know what to kill and can troubleshoot, a task killer shouldn't give you too many problems.
 
EarlyMon said:
It doesn't matter a great deal how many are open so long as you have available memory.

Better behaved apps can be backgrounded forever and not materially affect how your phone behaves.

The problem isn't the size of the list - it's the nature of the offenders in that list - in my opinion.

It's the apps that are constantly phoning home, or always waking up and encouraging their sisters to do the same that are the real culprits - again in my opinion.

By the way - if you're interested in system monitoring, as many with task murderers are - then I highly recommend Android System Info by Electric Sheep. Found out about it from this forum the other day and it's just sooper dooper.
Click to expand...
Jus downloaded that...I think i will like this...Thanks
 
I would like to hear from someone who has used a task killer that has done so much damage, that they had to wipe their phone.
 
EarlyMon said:
My pleasure. I think you'll be well-served also checking out Advanced Task Cleaner Pro as an alternative to ATK. Despite the name, it's free.
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Just downloaded that too. Could u please educated me on the advantages this has over ATK. They are almost the same app
 
I switched from ATK to ATCleaner, and I like it a lot more. I haven't had any problems thus far. Seeing how literally every single app starts running from the get-go, I really don't understand how killing them is a bad thing.
 
kmoon89 said:
I switched from ATK to ATCleaner, and I like it a lot more. I haven't had any problems thus far. Seeing how literally every single app starts running from the get-go, I really don't understand how killing them is a bad thing.
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Especially if you don't even use those apps! (mostly for people who aren't rooted) OR if you use those apps very rarely, why have them 'loaded and waiting'? they should just ...you know...not start at all. Or have a feature similar to Windows 7 ReadyBoost, which loads RAM with apps you frequently use, instead of loading every single app in anticipation that you are most definitely going to use it. I'd much prefer a prefetch schedule based on user activity that develops overtime, rather than the lazy approach to just load everything and hope for the best. There are times where I see virtually every single app I have on my phone just hanging out, reserving their spot in memory incase I decide to use them, when the fact of the matter is. I probably won't.
 
hendodo said:
Just downloaded that too. Could u please educated me on the advantages this has over ATK. They are almost the same app
Click to expand...

What I'm about to say is from past ATK experience, so if I do it an injustice from updates I've not seen, I'll apologize in advance:

  1. Uses less memory that ATK.
  2. Many users claim it uses less battery than ATK, I've not attempted to verify that personally.
  3. It gives the option to go into kill mode when you turn off the screen and allows you to turn off killing by a preset interval. This makes it event-driven rather than polling, and would account for the lower resource usage reported (if true).
  4. Option to clean up at start time.
  5. This is subjective - but I find its presentation and management of the kill list much more straightforward and considerably less arcane than ATK's user interface.
  6. This is subjective - I emotionally felt as if my phone were somehow more responsive when I switched to ATCPro from ATK.

I'd suggest that if ATK has always had those features that I thought that it did not have, then that's the fault of its interface - I tend to be seen as a very meticulous user and would further suggest that I can't find options in some app then the option layout is weak.

Those are a few facts, along with opinions.

However - if nothing else - it does seem to use less memory to get the job done.
 
freeza said:
Especially if you don't even use those apps! (mostly for people who aren't rooted) OR if you use those apps very rarely, why have them 'loaded and waiting'? they should just ...you know...not start at all.
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I like that ATCPro has the option to kill at startup - but I like its sister app, Startup Cleaner 2.0, even better for that.

Before I rooted, I had the Sprint apps and the social networking apps making my life a living hell.

Now, I've uninstalled the apps I know I'll never use - but I leave a few others in that I think I'll never use - just in case - and murder them at will for the moment.

I saw definite battery and performance improvements with my Startup Cleaner 2.0 / ATCPro strategy - far greater than with ATK.

Further - in the weeks since using those apps, I've had exactly two app force quits while running. I saw that much more frequently with ATK.

That could be pure coincidence, so you'll have to judge my performance claims for yourself.
 
PS on my recommendations - if you go with the apps I suggest, you specifically want the Startup Cleaner 2.0 and the Advanced Task Cleaner Pro - the dev tends to keep several versions of his stuff available - those are the revisions you want if you're using an EVO.
 
It is my belief that people who express serious issues with using a task killer have no clue how to use one properly. Task killers are only for stand alone apps you don't wish to run at any time in the background unless and until you intend to use it. That said, the ignore list needs to consist mainly of actual factory set android phone functions and the few apps you wish to keep running bc you use them alot, or have some sort of notification alert set to them. (ie email, twitter, facebook etc..) I've heard all too often "the Task Killer suddenly rebooted my phone." Why? oh is it perhaps you have the factory set "makes the phone freakin' work" Sense UI in the "Kill" list? "My alarm won't work since i've installed a task killer, now i've lost my job bc of oversleeping!" why? bc the clock is in the kill list? "the damn weather widget wont update!" why? bc you have the weather in kill list! You see where i'm going with this right? ok, moving right along.. Understand that apps are NOT always idiot proof! Don't assume that you can install it and hit "auto kill" thinking the thing works fresh from the market-psychically tuning in to your mind to determine what apps you want to keep or kill. what things you phone needs to keep to work properly or kill etc.. if this were a walgreens commercial that would be an occurrence in the land of perfect..but this isn't Neverland so a bit of research and caution is needed in order to make the app of your chose function in the way you need or want. For task killers there is a bit of effort needed from you to not only adjust it to kill what you want killed, but also to protect the phone it's self from mass restarts and possible loss of much needed setting functions. my rule of thumb? if it has anything in it that appears to be something from your android system that isn't an app name but what looks like code then KEEP IT! especially if it has HTC. in it. JUST READ IT! stand alone apps are clear cut with a clear name..those are kill discretionary..i keep my twitcaster, gmail, facebook, handcent, weather, & clock on the ignore list..why? bc these apps either have no problem "back" tracking out of to close, or i want my alerts to work properly..besides, to my way of thinking it seems more taxing on the phone's battery to have to "restart" these items everytime you open them than it is to just quietly keep them running with little to no battery drain as a result. let the phone do it's "thang" and continue to multitask. as far as battery life? c'mon people it's a multitasking, net surfing powerhouse of a phone! You can't seriously expect to use the blasted thing the way it was meant to be used and demand and all day full battery reading..be rational here folks, if you allow the phone to do it's natural stuff in concert with proper task killer use, then you should get pretty decent & or realistic play time with your phone. (extent of usage permitting) Take the time to read the many battery saving tips found on the internets and research ALL the apps before you install anything on your phone..educate your self and your phone works for you. savvy?

of course that's just my opinion, i could be wrong.
 
Personally I don't use a task manager unless it's to kill some random app/process that's misbehaving. Not because I'm against them, but simply because I don't really have a need to have one running and auto-killing. I don't have any odd slowdowns over time or sluggish performance. My battery life is great. In short, I just don't have a need.

Now, that doesn't mean in someone elses particular situation it won't be of benefit. I used to use a task killer on my old myTouch. Sometimes it'd kick off and kill an app I'd temporarily had running in the background but not on the ignore list. Apps always loaded slower since they weren't resident in memory. Nothing really "broke" or anything, but it was just inconvienent and I never saw any benefit in speed or battery life.

So, longwinded bit aside, I think that a task killer totally depends on the particular situation and person. If you don't have any anomolies such as slowdowns or poor battery life, then a task killer won't make things any better since there's nothing to improve. If you do (and know what to set on the ignore list), then a task killer can help by auto-removing offending apps.

My motto for apps is pretty much "if it has a benefit for you, use it. If not, don't." Kinda like how I only use the stock Sense media player with iSyncr. It works for me, but might not fit everyone else.
 
I have not used a task killer either, simply because like the previous poster said, I don't feel the need. I have good battery life and my phone is responsive. For those of you that are using them, what is your reasoning? Is it just that you don't like to see all of the apps running? I feel like if you used one from day one then you don't really know how your phone behaves without one, so how can you truly know one is required? Not saying this pertains to anyone here, but a lot of the times I see people saying one is necessary, their reasoning is "cuz a whole lot of apps are running." To me, thats the same as the naysayers saying "Android just doesn't need a task killer." Theres no real logic behind it.

Has anyone just started using a task killer and seen an improvement in phone performance?
 
dakidobf said:
I have not used a task killer either, simply because like the previous poster said, I don't feel the need. I have good battery life and my phone is responsive. For those of you that are using them, what is your reasoning? Is it just that you don't like to see all of the apps running? I feel like if you used one from day one then you don't really know how your phone behaves without one, so how can you truly know one is required? Not saying this pertains to anyone here, but a lot of the times I see people saying one is necessary, their reasoning is "cuz a whole lot of apps are running." To me, thats the same as the naysayers saying "Android just doesn't need a task killer." Theres no real logic behind it.

Has anyone just started using a task killer and seen an improvement in phone performance?
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Maybe not an improvement in performance so to speak, but I enjoy seeing apps I'm not using not loaded, which leaves more free memory for other apps that I am using.
 
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