• After 15+ years, we've made a big change: Android Forums is now Early Bird Club. Learn more here.

Help Apps List - does it really work or help to free resources?

bardiferous

bardiferous

Newbie
I've noticed that, after rebooting my phone, the Apps List is still populated with all apps that were running before I shut down. Doesn't that defeat (one of) the purpose(s) of rebooting?

I see from Task Manager that those apps in Apps List are not running.

So I recently cleared each one from the Apps List, then rebooted my phone. I've started 5 different apps. I go into Apps List and choose Task Manager. It says there are only 2 running apps. I'm confused. Why those two, why not the other 3?

I see the Clear all option. Clearing the apps seems to stop them, as now nothing is "running" per Task Manager, but the memory used does not seem to clear; I had more memory available while I had 2 applications running. Is Task Manager reliable for closing tasks/apps completely?

Where I first saw the Apps List described: http://www.androidpolice.com/2014/1...recent-apps-list-now-persists-through-reboot/

My phone:
LG G2 D800 (AT&T version)
Lollipop 5.0.2
 
Task managers, including the built-in one, tend to lie.

http://androidforums.com/threads/pu...k-killers-ram-optimizers-and-the-like.896663/

Auto killers absolutely lie, built in task managers don't mean to lie - but from a user point of view, they do.

Check out "RAM Truth"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sa.ramtruth

Check out "SystemPanelLite Task Manager"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.systempanel

Cached apps are not running, are not consuming power or CPU resources and may be helpfully loaded in to Available RAM to run faster if asked for.

Look also at the fun youtube near the end of the linked thread.

All you're seeing now on Lollipop after a reboot are the cached apps in storage that have always existed in Android.

Only now you can get to them.

Hope this helps. :)
 
All you're seeing now on Lollipop after a reboot are the cached apps in storage that have always existed in Android.

Only now you can get to them.
Click to expand...

Actually, I see all the apps that were in the Apps List before the phone rebooted. E.g., Gmail, Waze, Weatherbug - none of those were built into this "version" - or should I say flavor, nyuk! - of Lollipop (from ATT).

Still, I appreciate the resources you point my way. Gracias!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
bardiferous said:
Actually, I see all the apps that were in the Apps List before the phone rebooted. E.g., Gmail, Waze, Weatherbug - none of those were built into this "version" - or should I say flavor, nyuk! - of Lollipop (from ATT).
Click to expand...

And that's correct - the apps cached to storage will include all that you've run, up to the cache storage limit.

Whether built-in or not is immaterial. :)

It's that *cached set* that has always been built in and stored in Android. Always.

Only now, you can see all of it - not just to a limit of 8 or something arbitrary while running, and yes, after reboot.

The view is new.

The caching mechanism is not.

How else do you think that Android has been preloading your cached apps for rapid launch after reboot for all of these years? ;)

Still, I appreciate the resources you point my way. Gracias!
Click to expand...

De nada! :)
 
I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow what you've shared in your last reply.

I believe that the Apps list is stored (cached?) so that what was on the list when the phone reboots show up again when the phone has restarted.

So Apps List showed 10 items and Task Manager showed 4 currently running; reboot; now Apps List shows 10 items and Task Manager shows 0 currently running.​

Sure, I have no idea what Android pre-loads. I don't mind shutting things down if what I want to work still works. For example, I prefer Weatherbug, Chrome and the Google calendar to the versions that came with this flavor of Android. If there is (a) a way to see, please provide steps and (b) a way to control what pre-loads, please share that as well.

I believe I've already disabled some of the AT&T apps that I have no intention of using. I'm not sure that they have been removed.
 
The apps list just lists the apps recently opened. It doesnt matter if they're running or not. Closest analogy I can probably make is your browser history. As long as it is within limits (say, for your browser it's 30 days), the last pages you've browsed are listed there even after a PC reboot. Same thing. As long as it's within whatever the limit is for your particular phone, then it's in the App List. Would have probably been less confusing if they called it Apps History instead of 'List', but it is after all RECENT Apps List.
 
bardiferous said:
I'm sorry, but I don't quite follow what you've shared in your last reply.

I believe that the Apps list is stored (cached?) so that what was on the list when the phone reboots show up again when the phone has restarted.

So Apps List showed 10 items and Task Manager showed 4 currently running; reboot; now Apps List shows 10 items and Task Manager shows 0 currently running.​

Sure, I have no idea what Android pre-loads. I don't mind shutting things down if what I want to work still works. For example, I prefer Weatherbug, Chrome and the Google calendar to the versions that came with this flavor of Android. If there is (a) a way to see, please provide steps and (b) a way to control what pre-loads, please share that as well.

I believe I've already disabled some of the AT&T apps that I have no intention of using. I'm not sure that they have been removed.
Click to expand...
First, if your task manager is showing 0 running tasks after reboot, then it's lying to you and the proof for that is trivial and simple - your launcher had to be running in order to run the "task manager" (and as Android has a built-in task manager and what you saw isn't it, that's another lie).

Then add in all of your communication apps and related services.

And don't forget essential system services, such as making storage available to other apps.

After all of that comes the ram cache preload of the stored cache - and that's going to be biased towards the apps you used last and use the most.

Launching a cached app preloaded into ram simply involves transfer from inactive to active ram - that's lightning quick - and resuming execution. If you're on Lollipop then the app is already compiled - on a sufficiently fast phone you can't tell a difference in the transfer to the last running state after a reboot vs time to switch to it if you launched it yourself because there's simply no lag. That's another key advantage of Lollipop btw.

If you disable bloatware (such as that generously provided by AT&T) then it doesn't matter if you remove it or not. It's removed from the execution stack and it lies dormant (and unable to run unless you enable it) in a spare portion of the system storage space that has no effect on the space budget set aside for you to load apps.

In other words, you could remove all of the built-in apps you like (provided they're nonessential and you don't crash your phone) and you would get back zero extra storage to load apps directly from the Play Store, Amazon, or any other credible, legal app source.

The only way to get bloatware storage returned is to uninstall updates and clear data before disabling. And that only matters if it updated or ran and created a data footprint.

You never want to actually remove system apps - even if they're bloatware - or your next OTA update will likely fail. Without getting into specifics, it's perfectly ok if you think of it as like having an inventory check in the OTA update and let it go at that.

As for managing apps beyond what's built-in once you get rid of running bloatware (by disabling it) - you probably don't need to at all.

Android will learn your habits and cater to them if you let it.

As given to me by ckvisme @ XDA, a video by rirozizo and lifted from the linked task manager thread - this pretty much sums it right up!


If you have a phone with truly limited resources compared to the size of apps you normally run, then there are other strategies to deal with them - task killing isn't one of them.

I would agree that some sort of expert mode where you can specify what preloads sounds very attractive.

But that mechanism doesn't properly exist and for normal users would be at odds with Android automation in this area.

Let me know if this answers your questions. :)
 
"First, if your task manager is showing 0 running tasks after reboot, then it's lying to you and the proof for that is trivial and simple - your launcher had to be running in order to run the "task manager" (and as Android has a built-in task manager and what you saw isn't it, that's another lie)."

Here is the Task Manager from the Apps List. Is there a different Android Task Manager? I feel like you're saying, "Stay the F* away from the Task Manager." Is this the Android Task Manager? If not, how do I get to it?
(more message below this pic)
Screenshot_2015-05-16-18-01-29.png


So with some explicit examples, how do you disable/stop running apps that you feel are not necessary?
 
That's a task manager app - it is not the Android task manager.

I covered that example app in detail in the thread I linked, and how to see more of the truth, and finally how to see as much task running truth as possible in a single post in that thread, with pictures ok. :)

I along with others covered various other strategies, if necessary, for root and non root hibernation, and root access to disable even more apps and to actually get to the built-in task manager control parameters - because you can't do it without rooting.

For an incomplete but as user-accessible as possible running task list, separated by active, inactive, and system processes you need to use System Panel, linked in the second post above, or equivalent.

If I sound like a broken record, I am - you have yet to see the truth of what's actually running on your phone, the tools you're using are lying to you, and based on your misunderstanding of things not true, you're asking for help.

I know that you're sure that you're asking how to stop apps you don't want - and until you know the truth, I'm disinclined to hand out steps that could cause you harm. For all I know, those apps are running - but for all you know using the built-in stuff, they're already not.

So, reviewing the thread and giving System Panel a go - both are your friends.

I see you have an AT&T LG G2, and I very much appreciate that info up front. :)

What performance issues are you trying to solve? (Yes, it matters, there's no telling if you need a root solution or not.)

What apps, or sorts of apps, do you want silenced? Always silenced or under specific conditions?

If you want the truth instead of a canned Internet answer, help those of us reading to properly help. ;) :)
 
That's a task manager app - it is not the Android task manager.
It is the task manager that came with this flavor of Lollipop.

I covered that example app in detail in the thread I linked, and how to see more of the truth, and finally how to see as much task running truth as possible in a single post in that thread, with pictures ok. :)
I could not find what you are referring to (underlined). What I read between the lines is that you are saying something like, "If you're just a casual user, you can't get to the *real* Android Task Manager, so don't bother. And none of the 'Task Managers' will do what you think it will do."

I along with others covered various other strategies, if necessary, for root and non root hibernation, and root access to disable even more apps and to actually get to the built-in task manager control parameters - because you can't do it without rooting.
Not sure if you could tell, but I am not interested in rooting my phone or anyone else's. That voids warranties, or so I'm led to believe.

For an incomplete but as user-accessible as possible running task list, separated by active, inactive, and system processes you need to use System Panel, linked in the second post above, or equivalent.
I am not interested in adding another 3d party app to my phone that I really don't need.

As a long-time Windows user (as an analogy), I know there are many more processes running under the hood than what shows up on the Desktop. And some of those things are best left alone.

And no need to compare Windows to Android. I'm merely making an analogy that operating systems do much more than most users and even subject (databases, graphics, e.g.) experts understand or are aware of. I'm included in that group.

If I sound like a broken record, I am - you have yet to see the truth of what's actually running on your phone, the tools you're using are lying to you, and based on your misunderstanding of things not true, you're asking for help.

I know that you're sure that you're asking how to stop apps you don't want - and until you know the truth, I'm disinclined to hand out steps that could cause you harm. For all I know, those apps are running - but for all you know using the built-in stuff, they're already not.
I thought I was asking how the Apps List and Task Manager that came with my phone worked.

So, reviewing the thread and giving System Panel a go - both are your friends.
If there is something the System Panel Lite (your link) can do for me, please enlighten me. If there is a System Panel that is built into my phone already, please direct me there.

I see you have an AT&T LG G2, and I very much appreciate that info up front. :)

What performance issues are you trying to solve? (Yes, it matters, there's no telling if you need a root solution or not.)
When I first got this phone, I would go into Contacts and this "AT&T Address Book screen would always pop up first. What a PITA! I could not find an app anywhere for it. Fortunately one of the Android help forums had the answer.

I'm merely trying to remove as much bloatware as I can without adversely affecting what I do use.

What apps, or sorts of apps, do you want silenced? Always silenced or under specific conditions?
I know my phone is not the fastest one. I don't need the latest and greatest. Most things - even apps I've installed - I don't want running, so that when I open up an app that I do want to run, it will go speedily enough.

Example: I have Tunein Radio. Every so often, I get a notification from that app even though I have not run it in weeks. And I generally power down the phone every time I go to the gym or play soccer - about 3-5 times a week. Does that mean Tunein is running in the background all the time? If so, can I disable it without uninstalling it? And if I disable it, will just starting the app make it work? Will I have to disable it when I'm done using it? (my Windows analogy are those startup programs that often chew up resources yet offer few if any benefits if the actual program isn't run).

If you want the truth instead of a canned Internet answer, help those of us reading to properly help. ;) :)
A co-worker once told me something. She said, "Sure, Albert Einstein was a genius. But if he could not talk with lesser mortals, what good would his knowledge & brilliance be?"

And not to sound like a broken record, but I only see that you dismissed my original question.

So let me attach two screenshots, both from Main Settings/General tab/Apps/Running - is this useful information? My gut says you'll say, "Lies, more lies!"
QuickMemo+_2015-05-17-16-27-42.png


The 2nd one lists the AT&T Hot Spots app. Somehow I see this as useless for me, and so I'd want to disable it. Should I disable it? If so, how should I disable it?
QuickMemo+_2015-05-17-16-28-24.png


My apologies for that oversized screenshot earlier.
 
You keep showing an app that came with your phone named Task Manager and you're not listening.

That is not the Android task manager.

It and every app included like it lies.

I can't be more clear than that.

And you keep repeating the following, and I'll paraphrase -

"This came with my phone, it's called Task Manager, despite what you say, I believe it, so how do I stop what it says is running?"

I don't have an answer.

Sorry.
 
The app is a task manager app that always come installed with LG Phones, it's pretty useless and I'd leave it alone. It's pretty much those Task Killers from Google Play but installed into LG Bloatware. You can root and uninstall it with no problems.
 
Let me try to wrap up this as simply as I can. It's not complicated. Early Mon and others have said it, but to summarize...

Your phone does not have effective, informative built-in utilities. It just doesn't.

To get accurate RAM usage information install RAM Truth as suggested. It gives true info not available from any other app and in simple terms. Here's the link again:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=sa.ramtruth

To get a far better breakdown than the Task Manager is showing you of what is actually running, just cached, CPU load, etc etc install System Panel, it's excellent:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nextapp.systempanel

Uninstall bloatware if possible. Do it correctly:

Settings > Apps > Select app > Clear cache > Clear data > Uninstall

If you can't uninstall it, disable it, it's effectively the same thing:

Settings > Select app > Disable

Don't worry about bloatware you can't uninstall or disable. Just ignore it, don't ever use it.

Don't worry about what starts up. Don't worry about closing apps. Android is very good at handling processes, memory and automatically closing apps for you as necessary. DO NOT use any task killers, RAM memory optimizers/boosters, battery savers/repairers, cache cleaners, etc etc. None of that stuff is necessary. Such apps are actually counterproductive and some are just plain evil. They actually waste power, disrupt critical system processes and degrade performance. Not to mention the nag ads many throw up.

IOW, don't try to micromanage the system. Android can take care of business better than you can if you just let it. It will maximize performance by itself. Don't worry, be happy and enjoy your phone.
 
Last edited:
Look, if you cannot read what I wrote and respond to it, then don't bother.

I am not looking to install additional apps. I am not interested in rooting my phone. I'm happy to work within its confines. If that is too pedestrian for you, then simply do not reply. But your "responses" have not been helpful.
 
bardiferous said:
Look, if you cannot read what I wrote and respond to it, then don't bother.

I am not looking to install additional apps. I am not interested in rooting my phone. I'm happy to work within its confines. If that is too pedestrian for you, then simply do not reply. But your "responses" have not been helpful.
Click to expand...
I am not sure how else we could put it more simply.

The built in task manager you keep on referencing is not the Android task manager, nor is it actually built into Android. It's just something LG added on to Android. To actually control Android the way we you want and access the real Android task manager, you need to get system level permissions. Since Android is Linux based, it's using Linux terms, in this case 'root permissions'. Basically, if you want to actually get to the Android Task Manager, you need root. You also need a third party app because Android does not have an interface for this task manager since it's fully automated. The threads we are linking to you all just basically say, that whatever it is you are asking may not likely improve your performance anyway.
 
bardiferous said:
Apparently I am not asking what you want me to ask as you are ignoring my very detailed replies to your comments.
Click to expand...

I haven't ignored them, I simply chose to not re-answer the same question asked a different way.

And included in my non-responses according to you is the link to the post you couldn't find. That didn't post itself.

I've answered your question, repeatedly.

You ignore the answer and ask again.

Now that's my fault?

Wrong.
EarlyMon said:
Use this.

It doesn't require root and it is your best bet.

Check out "Greenify"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.oasisfeng.greenify

As seen in the thread linked originally.
Click to expand...

If you want to suppress the apps you've identified, you have to install an app that didn't come with your phone.

Notice that I didn't say 3rd party - most of the apps that came with your phone are 3rd party already.

As stated again, this time by chanchan05, the Android task manager does not have some built-in interface that you can access on any stock device.
You want a non-root solution - I've linked it.

You don't want to use it?

Fine, it's your phone, do whatever you want, you paid for it.

You don't like that your phone doesn't come with the tools you're convinced just have to be there, and the Einsteins won't show you?

Your complaint is with LG and AT&T. Not Android, not me, not Edison, Einstein or anyone else - LG and AT&T.

They're the ones that got together, loaded up an Android with bloatware and locked you out of doing anything about it using standard Android methods with the mix of changes and apps they provided.

Under the constraints that you won't root (yeah, it breaks the LG warranty) and want to stop apps in a way that's not a placebo and not going to degrade the battery and add lag, you have precisely one option available.

It's linked above, it's called Greenify, and it didn't come with your phone.

I don't use it. I have a phone from a different manufacturer and a different carrier, neither of which saddled me with bloatware that I couldn't suppress right out of the gate.

AT&T and Verizon specialize in modified phones like yours, and insist contractually that Android manufacturers go along if they want to sell on their networks.

I've done my best to arm you to make an informed decision.

It's not the answers to all of the questions that you want.

But I and others have given the information that you need - to understand your phone and what it's really doing, and the best possible workaround to your problem whether you understand it or not.

Unlike AT&T and LG, no one here lied to you.

Bottom line -

You don't want to root and you don't want to install an app to help you.

There's no third way, except placebos.
 
Last edited:
bardiferous said:
Look, if you cannot read what I wrote and respond to it, then don't bother.

I am not looking to install additional apps. I am not interested in rooting my phone. I'm happy to work within its confines. If that is too pedestrian for you, then simply do not reply. But your "responses" have not been helpful.
Click to expand...
Sorry if I ticked you off.

I merely suggested (again) just 2 small simple apps to give you better information about your phone, which you apparently want to know.

A very few simple steps to deal with bloatware.

And advice to leave the phone alone to take care of business and just enjoy it.

Nothing about rooting and the absolute minimum of installing apps or mucking around to achieve what you seem to be asking for. I can't reduce it further.

Sorry.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom