App Manager shows apps I haven't launched by myself

[brunces]

Guys,

Please, I need some help.

I'm new to Android. I have purchased an LG P350 with Android 2.2.2. I'm enjoying it a lot.

Well, there's one thing I still don't understand. I have a widget for the App Manager on my first screen. Sometimes, I kill all apps, then it shows 00 (zero) apps running. Cool. Then, I don't touch my phone anymore. Screen and keyboard are blocked by themselves. Internet is off. After a few minutes, I unlock the screen and keyboard to make a call or whatever. Then, there are a few apps running again. Why? I don't want them to run. Apps like Gmail, Market, Messaging and a few more (I don't remember all of them now) are running. Why does this happen? Another thing... most of the apps are related to internet, but the internet access is off (wifi and SIM internet are off). If internet is off, why are those programs running? Also, how do I set these apps not to run automatically, without my consent? Unless it's something mandatory that I don't know. Is it?

Are there any apps which "have" to be running all the time? Which ones?

How do I get some apps not to run "by themselves"? (Unless they have to.)

As I said before, I'm new to Android, so maybe I'm talking nonsense here. That's what I want to know.

Thanks for your time, guys.

brunces

 

[Rolfmao]

as far as i know these apps are constantly syncing this can however be changed in options, tell me if that didnt fix your problem

 

[brunces]

as far as i know these apps are constantly syncing this can however be changed in options, tell me if that didnt fix your problem

Thanks for your answer.

Well I have "Background data" option on and "Auto-sync" off. Is that what you mentioned?

Now, for example, the Facebook app is running. I don't even have a Facebook account set. WTH??? (lol) Gallery is also running. Why? I have nothing there. No photos and no videos. Weird!

brunces

 

[zuben el genub]

FB checks for new posts at regular intervals. Gallery is built into the phone. I've seen posts either here or TMO about telling FB not to check.

 

[Crashdamage]

Simple answer: Android handles processes and memory automatically and efficiently for you. Don't worry about processes that auto-start. Just turn off sync for what you don't want to sync automatically. Relax and enjoy your phone.

 

[brunces]

Simple answer: Android handles processes and memory automatically and efficiently for you. Don't worry about processes that auto-start. Just turn off sync for what you don't want to sync automatically. Relax and enjoy your phone.

Really?? Well, you know better than me, so you might be right. Anyway, I still think it's something very wierd. Now, for example, Voice Search, Maps and Market are running. Internet is off. To me, it makes no sense, but...

Thanks for your time.

brunces

 

[Saltine713]

Maps will always be running as it determines your location that way.

Voice search will sometimes be running, idk why. Don't worry though, Android OS knows what it is doing 98% of the time.

 

[brunces]

OK, guys, I'm sorry, but I have to insist on this. Please, don't get me wrong.

Yesterday, I was at college and I didn't touch my mobile during the time I spent there (4 hours in a row). When I left the building, I unlocked it to make a call and, guess what, there were ELEVEN apps running. ELEVEN!!! They were:

1. Gmail (Why? Internet access was off.)
2. Email (Why? Since the beginning, I've never set up any account for this App.)
3. Facebook (Really? I don't even have an account set up.)
4. Gallery (Gee! What for?)
5. YouTube (How so?)
6. Maps (Come on!!!)
7. Search (?)
8. Voice Search (WTH???)
9. Market (Market? Why?)
10. Messaging (I guess this is "normal". OK.)
11. LinkedIn (Why?)

Again, I didn't touch my mobile for 4 hours (the time I spent at college). Internet was off (both WiFi and SIM accesses). Auto-sync option is always off.

I'm sorry but I refuse myself to believe Android really knows what it is doing 98% of the time. (lol) I mean, it does not make any sense! At all! There seems to be something wrong. Why would it run those apps by itself? Apps which need internet while there's no internet access available. Apps which don't even have accounts previously set up. Apps which need input from me, otherwise they won't do anything. This is totally weird!

Guys, really, is there any configuration I'm missing?

By the way, I've recently reset factory data and haven't installed anything but LinkedIn and updates. So my system is "clean" (I guess).

Thanks for your time, guys.

brunces

 

[chanchan05]

Seriously? Uninstall App Manager and just enjoy the phone. There is nothing happening that you should worry about.

Simply put, these apps are just recognized by Android OS as the most used by users regularly, and since the phone is still new, it still does not know what apps you use the most. Eventually it will load only the apps you use the most + background running services.

Bottom line is, uninstall App Manager, you dont need any app manager or task killer on your phone and just use it.

 

[Kicksilver]

First of all: uinstall any kind of manager, task killer or system panel, you don't need them.

Android takes care of itself pretty well. Those are the apps you use the most, so they're loaded into your RAM before you even use them, so they will come up instantly when you open them.

The're in frozen state, thus usnog 0% processor and consequently power.

 

[Unforgiven]

I'm sorry but I refuse myself to believe Android really knows what it is doing 98% of the time. (lol) I mean, it does not make any sense! At all! There seems to be something wrong. Why would it run those apps by itself?

Android can be confusing and frustrating for users coming from windows. I know I was frustrated by the same thing you are. After having Android phones for two years, I can tell you that it does work. I grabbed a quote I used in another thread the tries to explain how it works without getting to technical. I hope this helps.

Android itself is the best task killer. It is designed to run at or near memory capacity. I have been using my GNex for a little over a month now, and when I check to see what is running, it is only stuff I use. When I first got the phone, it would load up stuff like the music app, MyVZW, etc. I didn't kill the apps even though I never loaded or used them.

Android learns what you use, and preloads those apps into memory so your phone is more responsive. I don't know the technical details, but this is my non technical understanding of it.

Android pays attention to the apps it has to close in order to open the apps you want to use. So for me, the more times Android had to close myVZW in order for me to open Facebook, it has now decided that when it needs to fill up memory, it will load Facebook before myVZW.

Using a task killer prevents Android from learning this and probably makes it worse. Here is what I presume (just my educated guess) happens when you "kill" a task. Say I had been using a task killer to constantly kill the myVZW app. Android suddenly has free memory that it wants to fill up, so it goes to find what you use most and holy smokes, look at how many times myVZW has been loaded, so it loads it back up.

If this is remotely how it works, then task killers would be doing the exact opposite of what the user wants, making the apps they don't want loaded the first.

Anyway, if I am way off base, let me know, don't flame me.

 

[valorian]

Seriously? Uninstall App Manager and just enjoy the phone. There is nothing happening that you should worry about.

Simply put, these apps are just recognized by Android OS as the most used by users regularly, and since the phone is still new, it still does not know what apps you use the most. Eventually it will load only the apps you use the most + background running services.

Bottom line is, uninstall App Manager, you dont need any app manager or task killer on your phone and just use it.

I could not agree more. You are stressing over nothing.

Are you seeing performance issues? Is your phone slow or laggy? If not, take Chanchan05's advise. Uninstall the app manager and enjoy the phone.

 

[brunces]

Seriously? Uninstall App Manager and just enjoy the phone. There is nothing happening that you should worry about.

chanchan05, I see your point. Thanks for your answer.

Simply put, these apps are just recognized by Android OS as the most used by users regularly, and since the phone is still new, it still does not know what apps you use the most. Eventually it will load only the apps you use the most + background running services.

Well, this is my first Android phone, so everything is new to me, I confess. Before Android, the only OSes I had been used to were Windows 7 and Ubuntu/Kubuntu. The point is...

Imagine you are offline (because you're not home and there's no internet access where you are). You are working on an Excel spreadsheet and that's all. Then you decide to stop for a moment to grab a bite to eat. Twenty minutes later, you come back and then you notice that, besides Excel, you have 10 more programs open: Firefox, Thunderbird, Windows Media Player, Windows Explorer, Photoshop, Paint, Google Earth, uTorrent, Windows Live Messenger, Digsby and Google Picasa. Remember, before that, you had only Excel open. Nobody touched your PC while you were out, so Windows launched those programs automatically by itself because it knows that those are the ones you use the most. Tell me, what would you think? Would you think Windows knows what it does and what's best for you? Well, I wouldn't. As a matter of fact, I would most likely think of a virus or something.

I'm not comparing Android to Windows. I'm just saying that if that situation doesn't make sense on Windows, why would it make sense on another operating system? You mentioned "background" apps. I agree this is something interesting. Apps can be launched quicker, so it can save time. But it doesn't save memory (RAM), right? So, what's the point? IMHO, Android should give me an option to choose which apps I want to run in background. It's not really up to it to decide what's best for me. "I" decide what's best for me (when it comes to apps running in background for quicker launching.)

Bottom line is, uninstall App Manager, you dont need any app manager or task killer on your phone and just use it.

Although I'm still not comfortable with that idea, I think I can consider it.

Android takes care of itself pretty well. Those are the apps you use the most, so they're loaded into your RAM before you even use them, so they will come up instantly when you open them. The're in frozen state, thus usnog 0% processor and consequently power.

Kicksilver, thanks for your answer.

Well, that's what I don't understand... First of all, those apps are NOT the ones I use the most. As I said before, I don't even have a Facebook account set up, for example. Second, I don't want apps I don't use loaded into my RAM. Mainly apps which need internet access when I'm offline. Why? Because it does NOT make any sense. (Well, not to me. And I guess no one will ever convince me of the opposite. lol)

Android can be confusing and frustrating for users coming from windows. I know I was frustrated by the same thing you are. After having Android phones for two years, I can tell you that it does work. I grabbed a quote I used in another thread the tries to explain how it works without getting to technical. I hope this helps.

pupkact, thanks for your answer.

Yes, it seems that's something I'll have to get used to.

I could not agree more. You are stressing over nothing. Are you seeing performance issues? Is your phone slow or laggy? If not, take Chanchan05's advise. Uninstall the app manager and enjoy the phone.

Valorian, thanks for your answer.

As a matter of fact, sometimes I see performance issues. For example, I have 5 screens. The one in the middle has no icons or widgets (because I like it that way, showing only the wallpaper). In other words, I have icons only on screens 1, 2, 4 and 5. Screen 3 has no icons. Sometimes I unlock the phone and roll the screen to the left or right to reach an icon and no icons are shown. It seems like a delay, I don't know how to explain that. So I touch the main menu and go back, then it seems to refresh the screens and the icons are shown again. And, when this happens, most of the times, there are many apps running (the task manager shows so). That's why I "think" those apps are causing me problems. I "think" they are comsuming a lot of RAM for nothing and causing issues related to memory. I "think". Maybe I'm wrong. What's your opinion on that?

Well, thanks guys. I appreciate your time.

brunces

 

[Mostly Harmless]

Read this:
Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them

Uninstall you app manager, stop looking at what's running and enjoy your phone. Time and time again people make themselves crazy over this. Out of the list you posted:

1. Gmail (Why? Internet access was off.)
2. Email (Why? Since the beginning, I've never set up any account for this App.)
3. Facebook (Really? I don't even have an account set up.)
4. Gallery (Gee! What for?)
5. YouTube (How so?)
6. Maps (Come on!!!)
7. Search (?)
8. Voice Search (WTH???)
9. Market (Market? Why?)
10. Messaging (I guess this is "normal". OK.)
11. LinkedIn (Why?)

I don't see anything out of the norm.

 

[chanchan05]

Well, this is my first Android phone, so everything is new to me, I confess. Before Android, the only OSes I had been used to were Windows 7 and Ubuntu/Kubuntu. The point is...

Imagine you are offline (because you're not home and there's no internet access where you are). You are working on an Excel spreadsheet and that's all. Then you decide to stop for a moment to grab a bite to eat. Twenty minutes later, you come back and then you notice that, besides Excel, you have 10 more programs open: Firefox, Thunderbird, Windows Media Player, Windows Explorer, Photoshop, Paint, Google Earth, uTorrent, Windows Live Messenger, Digsby and Google Picasa. Remember, before that, you had only Excel open. Nobody touched your PC while you were out, so Windows launched those programs automatically by itself because it knows that those are the ones you use the most. Tell me, what would you think? Would you think Windows knows what it does and what's best for you? Well, I wouldn't. As a matter of fact, I would most likely think of a virus or something.

Actually Windows is doing the same thing. Open the Windows Task Manager and you will see a couple of hundred processes there that are running, processes that you did not even open yourself. Even as I am writing this, Windows Task Manager is fluctuating between 140 and 150 running processes, the same as with Android.

The difference in Android is that apart from running processes you have cached apps. additional. Android is designed to only have about 100 RAM available at any given moment unless the device has an overkill RAM amount for the number of apps it loads to cache.

I'm not comparing Android to Windows. I'm just saying that if that situation doesn't make sense on Windows, why would it make sense on another operating system? You mentioned "background" apps. I agree this is something interesting. Apps can be launched quicker, so it can save time. But it doesn't save memory (RAM), right? So, what's the point? IMHO, Android should give me an option to choose which apps I want to run in background. It's not really up to it to decide what's best for me. "I" decide what's best for me (when it comes to apps running in background for quicker launching.)

Actually, YOU ARE COMPARING, and you're comparing apples and oranges. If something doesn't make sense in Windows, does not mean it doesn't make sense in Android because it was designed to tally the times you use a certain app and load it to RAM cache. Windows is designed to not use RAM, Android is designed to use the RAM. Saying that "if something does not make sense on Windows means it would not make sense on Android" is essentially equivalent to saying "My car does not fly so it makes sense that your airplane can't fly too", or "I can't peel my apple with just my hands, so you can't peel your orange with that as well".

Truth is, it makes perfect sense. Android is designed to count which apps you open the most often and load those to the cache so that it opens faster. On Windows, it only loads the programs to RAM when you open them. Android is a mobile OS, so it should be designed to use as low battery as possible. The developers know that the loading of an app from scratch uses up more battery than to keep the app in cache but not using CPU cycles, so they designed Android to do that.

If you want a mobile phone that works like Windows, you should have bought a Windows Phone.

Well, that's what I don't understand... First of all, those apps are NOT the ones I use the most. As I said before, I don't even have a Facebook account set up, for example. Second, I don't want apps I don't use loaded into my RAM. Mainly apps which need internet access when I'm offline. Why? Because it does NOT make any sense. (Well, not to me. And I guess no one will ever convince me of the opposite. lol)

Because the phone is new and it still does not know which apps you use the most. And Facebook well is a background service because once its in your phone its tied into the Gallery and People/Contacts and Sync services, so it will be sitting there eating up 5mb of your RAM.

As a matter of fact, sometimes I see performance issues. For example, I have 5 screens. The one in the middle has no icons or widgets (because I like it that way, showing only the wallpaper). In other words, I have icons only on screens 1, 2, 4 and 5. Screen 3 has no icons. Sometimes I unlock the phone and roll the screen to the left or right to reach an icon and no icons are shown. It seems like a delay, I don't know how to explain that. So I touch the main menu and go back, then it seems to refresh the screens and the icons are shown again. And, when this happens, most of the times, there are many apps running (the task manager shows so). That's why I "think" those apps are causing me problems. I "think" they are comsuming a lot of RAM for nothing and causing issues related to memory. I "think". Maybe I'm wrong. What's your opinion on that?

It depends on what apps are those that are open. For example, a widget will always be considered a running app even if you don't actively use it or open the app.

TO summarize, you are ranting about how Android works like how it was designed to work.

 

[pool_shark]

I disagree that Android launches these apps by determining what is used most.
This is my 3rd Android device.
It launches apps I NEVER use, like backup assistant, verizon mobile, seesmic, poweramp, etc.

I do agree that automatic task killers are not needed, but I don't agree that tasks shouldn't be killed or that Android is being as efficient as so many of you seem to think.
It would be more efficient to simply keep the apps I DID launch in memory instead of apps I didn't.

 

[Rico ANDROID]

Just a note to add to background apps running. There was a reported bug with Enhanced Email in December (Log on to Quantumsolutions.us and read their recent log of fixes)

The Enhanced App, for some reason when executed, would start literally every app on your device up in the background, draining the battery within minutes. This has since been resolved when feedback was fed to the develpers of its happening.


EE wasnt a malware or there wasnt some sort of virus, just some sort of conflict with the code in the app that triggered events for every app installed. Once it was fixed (Jan 2012), my device battery life is back to normal and theres no longer all the apps running in the background.

Basically saying, if you are still having a similar issue, might want to check your apps one at a time.... this could be happening with other apps as well as EE..

 

[chanchan05]

I disagree that Android launches these apps by determining what is used most.
This is my 3rd Android device.
It launches apps I NEVER use, like backup assistant, verizon mobile, seesmic, poweramp, etc.

I do agree that automatic task killers are not needed, but I don't agree that tasks shouldn't be killed or that Android is being as efficient as so many of you seem to think.
It would be more efficient to simply keep the apps I DID launch in memory instead of apps I didn't.

1. Verizon Mobile and Seesmic are considered background processes, so they don't cache and are actually running. Not so sure about PowerAmp and Backup assistant (never used these apps extensively anyway).

2. My phone's running services shows only background processes and running/cached apps using a task manager also only shows apps that I do actually use often, and not apps that I don't so I would argue that based on my experience Android works as I said. However I must contend though that I am using an international version of the phone with stock samsung firmware. You're using a carrier modified firmware on your phone as proven by the Verizon Mobile app, and in my experience as well dating from back to the Symbian days, carrier edited firmware has more bugs and problems than "vanilla" firmware (not referring to vanilla android, I mean the firmware that carriers have not touched).

 

[mplevy]

I also disagree with Android "pre-caching" the frequently used apps. My T-bolt has a tendency to load Blockbuster, Rhapsody, VCast and My Verizon Mobile. The only reason I've opened ANY of those, was to see if I could turn off the background sync for them. I have no interest in the first 2 and the second 2 are useless to me (on a company plan). Slacker and TuneWiki seem to load periodically also. Maybe it's time to root, only so I can use an app to "freeze" those so they won't start.

chanchan, "hundreds of processes" in Windows? HA! You've got a messed up system then. My work Win 7 box has 88 processes and 88 services running (2 programs, one IE tab, using a Mac for most things these days so I COULD have more), unless you're a REALLY busy bee, and can multitask REALLY well, hundreds of PROCESSES is stretching it a bit, even ONE hundred processes is a chore to reach, though each IE tab counts as its own process.

 

[pool_shark]

1. Verizon Mobile and Seesmic are considered background processes, so they don't cache and are actually running. Not so sure about PowerAmp and Backup assistant (never used these apps extensively anyway).

2. My phone's running services shows only background processes and running/cached apps using a task manager also only shows apps that I do actually use often, and not apps that I don't so I would argue that based on my experience Android works as I said. However I must contend though that I am using an international version of the phone with stock samsung firmware. You're using a carrier modified firmware on your phone as proven by the Verizon Mobile app, and in my experience as well dating from back to the Symbian days, carrier edited firmware has more bugs and problems than "vanilla" firmware (not referring to vanilla android, I mean the firmware that carriers have not touched).

The point is I don't use seesmic or poweramp, and the OS is starting them.
It has also started npr, iheartradio, and others which I rarely use.

 

[Gmash]

The point is I don't use seesmic or poweramp, and the OS is starting them.
It has also started npr, iheartradio, and others which I rarely use.

Do you use a task killer to kill those apps? The one thing people don't realize is when you "kill" an app, Android counts that as a "use" so it thinks you use that app, therefore starting it more, you kill it more, leading to a vicious cycle. Ignore anything that's not causing problems and your phone will adjust to your use over time.

 

[Crashdamage]

Everyone needs to just leave things up to Android, relax and enjoy using their phone. Seriously.

For example, I've had the phone I'm typing this on in heavy use for over a year. Never use a task killer or empty a cache, never worry about RAM or processes. It's as fast now as the day I got it. Everyone else I know using Android does the same - ignore it all - with the same excellent results.

Relax.

 

[Rico ANDROID]

true. Also sometimes a good old fashioned down-home factory reset just might clear up some of your issues with sluggishness or odd app processing.

I used to get Facebook, Twitter, Voice Caller and several other junk process going all the time. task killer couldnt resolve, neither could stock app mgr. when I finally broke down and did a factory reset , "one swipe - a clean wipe" was all it needed.

Now its more responsive, faster, there's no more fb or twit (neither do I use) are running in the background


As Crashdamage sez:

Akoonah-Matatah!

 

[chanchan05]

I also disagree with Android "pre-caching" the frequently used apps. My T-bolt has a tendency to load Blockbuster, Rhapsody, VCast and My Verizon Mobile. The only reason I've opened ANY of those, was to see if I could turn off the background sync for them. I have no interest in the first 2 and the second 2 are useless to me (on a company plan). Slacker and TuneWiki seem to load periodically also. Maybe it's time to root, only so I can use an app to "freeze" those so they won't start.

chanchan, "hundreds of processes" in Windows? HA! You've got a messed up system then. My work Win 7 box has 88 processes and 88 services running (2 programs, one IE tab, using a Mac for most things these days so I COULD have more), unless you're a REALLY busy bee, and can multitask REALLY well, hundreds of PROCESSES is stretching it a bit, even ONE hundred processes is a chore to reach, though each IE tab counts as its own process.

I actually do have a lot running at bootup and at the same time, like Outlook, Dropbox, SugarSync, Internet download manager, objectdock, rainmeter etc. And Google Chrome alone on me takes around 20 processes with 10 tabs and some running apps and extensions. But the point still stands that Windows are running processes you did not start yourself. And as I said, there is a difference between background processes and precached apps. In most cases anything that syncs has a background process.

 

[pool_shark]

Do you use a task killer to kill those apps? The one thing people don't realize is when you "kill" an app, Android counts that as a "use" so it thinks you use that app, therefore starting it more, you kill it more, leading to a vicious cycle. Ignore anything that's not causing problems and your phone will adjust to your use over time.

That doesn't make any sense. If I don't use the app, the OS shouldn't start the app and therefore I wouldn't have to kill it.

I'm a Unix admin. My OS starts normal OS processes, it doesn't start any apps unless they are in inittab or rc scripts.