App keepers

[tobyjuggler]

There's plenty of app killers around, but is there an app that will keep other apps open if the system tries to shut them down, or is this dangerous? Thanks.

 

[scary alien]

There's plenty of app killers around, but is there an app that will keep other apps open if the system tries to shut them down, or is this dangerous? Thanks.

Interesting question / concept...but no simple answer I'm afraid .

Well, Android has been pretty well-behaved regarding memory management and the need to explicitly kill apps since v2.x / Eclair became available. There are apps (AutoKiller comes to mind) and methodologies / strategies for managing memory thresholds that will cause Android to kill apps (vs. true app killers which probably do more harm than good).

Balancing and managing memory usage in a memory-constrained device like a smartphone is both art and science, LOL. "Forcing" (really, changing system settings so that selected apps will be more likely to remain in memory) apps to remain active is a robbing Peter to pay Paul scenario: there are trade-offs (i.e., no free lunch, you will be sacrificing something else like performance / responsiveness).

Here's a couple of links to pages discussing how an app like AutoKiller works that are directly related to your question:

AutoKiller Memory Optimizer - AndRS Studio

AutoKiller Memory Optimizer - AndRS Studio

http://androidforums.com/eris-all-things-root/158846-autokiller-vs-setcpu.html#post1452069

Hope that helps a little.

Cheers!

 

[tobyjuggler]

Thanks very much for the in-depth reply.

 

[chanchan05]

Android Booster from NetQin is a task killer with an option to exclude apps from the killing process.

 

[Johnny_S]

I don't think there is an app that can 100% block the system from ever shutting it down. The Android OS is built around memory management and prioritizing various system applications over less important apps (i.e. phone calls). If the system feels threatened, it is going to kill your app, no matter what.