here is why I use a task killer

[makewayhomer]

And "backing out" of the browser will stop that from happening.
... though I'd think a webpage would have to do an awful lot of refreshing to to drain the battery. How often is the refresh on that site? And is the page large?

I see, hitting the left arrow button does seem to do that. however, I have to hit that button A LOT...I just went to the cbs fantasy baseball live scoring for 30 seconds, and had to "left arrow" 4 times to completely exit the browser. I would imagine if I am on there for 30/45 minutes or so I would have to hit left arrow so much that it's an unreasonable solution, and just using a task killer is a better solution

 

[Humpa]

I see, hitting the left arrow button does seem to do that. however, I have to hit that button A LOT...I just went to the cbs fantasy baseball live scoring for 30 seconds, and had to "left arrow" 4 times to completely exit the browser. I would imagine if I am on there for 30/45 minutes or so I would have to hit left arrow so much that it's an unreasonable solution, and just using a task killer is a better solution

Hitting "back" goes thru the refreshes? That sucks ... lol
I'd suggest first seeing if that refreshing page is actually the culprit or not. If it isn't, then I'd get Spare Parts like was mentioned (get it anyway) and see what's draining the battery. If that page does drain the battery, I'd probably just use the task killer to just kill the browser.

 

[callmeox]

I see, hitting the left arrow button does seem to do that. however, I have to hit that button A LOT...I just went to the cbs fantasy baseball live scoring for 30 seconds, and had to "left arrow" 4 times to completely exit the browser. I would imagine if I am on there for 30/45 minutes or so I would have to hit left arrow so much that it's an unreasonable solution, and just using a task killer is a better solution

Instead of backing all the way out, just load a site that doesn't include any heavy lifting for the phone (like Google's mobile site) before hitting the home key.

 

[euph_22]

Instead of backing all the way out, just load a site that doesn't include any heavy lifting for the phone (like Google's mobile site) before hitting the home key.

or close the tab. The (default) browser will open a new tab on the homepage.

 

[jakeh0]

so why is my FM radio always opening?

 

[callmeox]

so why is my FM radio always opening?

According to System Panel on my phone, the FM Radio process is using 10.9 megs of memory and has used 0 seconds of CPU since it was started. If I never launch the FM Radio app, the cost of maintaining that process in memory is zero.

Why does it start? That's how the app is designed. Killing it and having it restart comes at a higher CPU/battery cost than just leaving it be. If the OS detects that the phone running low on memory, idle/empty processes like that are prime candidates to be terminated to free up resources.

People here are not feeding you a line of BS with this. Trying to apply Windows concepts to a Linux based OS is a losing battle.

I posted this elsewhere, so forgive me if you have seen it before but here's a decent primer on Android memory management.

Memory Management in Android Welcome to Mobile World !!!

 

[Outatime]

Any positive effect you perceive a task killer is having on your Android device is placebo. Linux simply does not work the same way Windows does.

 

[danielevans83]

Any positive effect you perceive a task killer is having on your Android device is placebo. Linux simply does not work the same way Windows does.

Nobody claimed it works like Windows. I know that many apps regularly update from the internet, and I simply don't need all of them open at once. Less updating = more battery for me = I'm happy.

 

[euph_22]

Nobody claimed it works like Windows. I know that many apps regularly update from the internet, and I simply don't need all of them open at once. Less updating = more battery for me = I'm happy.

Most apps that update in the background will restart themselves to update.
Apps restarting=less battery for you=you're sad

 

[Quintessence]

Alot of the time you are killing applications that run in the background. You kill them and they reboot instantly. Wasting more battery life.

 

[makewayhomer]

Any positive effect you perceive a task killer is having on your Android device is placebo. Linux simply does not work the same way Windows does.

I assume you haven't read the thread, but any blanket statement like this is dead wrong.

it is a fact that some websites refresh themselves, killing the battery super fast

is it a fact bad apps exists that run constantly and drain the battery

in these instances, using a task killer is certainly a net positive

 

[x0x]

Instead of ATK to kill 'em all, get System Panel and figure out which app is not going to sleep. ATK is just masking the real problem, especially if up time and awake time are the same.

Not to pick on the OP, but I really think that this falls on deaf ears mostly. VZW support is still recommending ATK as a solution to any battery complaints.

^This! Find the app or widget causing the issue and fix it. ATK is only going to temporarily fix your issue and your treating the symptom and not getting to the real problem.

For instance, I had my phone in airplane mode (in a building with no service so enabled it to save battery) and noticed battery dropping quickly which didn't make sense. Had recently installed and enabled the Engadget widget which I was able to track down as the culprit. Pulled it and battery stablized immediately.

 

[Drow-NIN]

I agree with everyone so far. I use both ATK and System Panel. I use ATK on the Initial startup of my phone and I use System Panel if my phone refuses to sleep. However, sometimes I do not understand why my phone ACTS the way it does and I use ATK (perhaps out of laziness). ATK has never slowed my phone down or caused any problems that I am aware of. System Panel is definately the better choice as it shows you what is actually running and what is inactive or cached. System Panel is actually a good teaching tool. It explains how the system works in that it shows whether or not the program is actually using CPU and or memory. I learned quite a bit about my android phone by using this application (System Panel).

 

[Outatime]

FAQ: Why You Shouldn’t Be Using a Task Killer with Android Geek For Me – Sprint Evo 4g & CDMA Hero

That is a great article on task killers that sources the developers.

 

[adidas1124]

FAQ: Why You Shouldn

 

[10splaya22]

I assume you haven't read the thread, but any blanket statement like this is dead wrong.

it is a fact that some websites refresh themselves, killing the battery super fast

is it a fact bad apps exists that run constantly and drain the battery

in these instances, using a task killer is certainly a net positive

I agree with what you said about the bad apps but running a task killer won't solve the problem. Maybe in the short term it will but its really covering up the real problem of the bad app. A solution would be to find the bad app and take it off your phone so it can go to sleep.

I only use a task killer when my phone lags a little so it will clear the memory and my phone is back to normal.

For most situations though, a task killer is not needed.

 

[Piiman]

So, which app was the culprit?

Another solution is to not use the offending app.

BINGO

There is most likely something preventing your phone from going to sleep properly. I have found a couple of apps that suck juice from the phone even while it's supposed to be asleep. They are now banned from my phone. Ironically one of them was JuiceDefender an app that was suppose to save battery but ate it up in short order instead. The phone never went to sleep I'd take it off at 100% at 11m go to sleep and it would be almost dead by 5:00am until I uninstalled it

 

[Piiman]

I don't know, but if I had to guess - and it'd strictly a guess - it's a webpage that constantly refreshes itself.

is there a way to stop this without using a task killer?

yes you have to hit the back button until it closes don't hit the home button.

 

[mahsan88]

I use the task killer option from Quick System Info Pro and automatic killer.
I have ignored the programs i need running, such as Calender, Clock, iheartradio, maps (navigation), Music, Pintail, Weather and Where's My Droid. And of course Sense.

Before i put my phone to sleep i just hit the X from the QSIP widget and it tells me how many tasks it killed. Then i put my phone to sleep, when i wake up the phone, the automatic task killer kills anything again that i do not want running, and it also tells me the amount of free RAM, which always ranges between 265-285 MB.

This has DRASTICALLY improved my battery, as well as mt performance. Hope this helps a few people out there having battery problems.

 

[NightAngel79]

I personally only close apps that i know i opened in the first place or ones that i know won't start back up all by themselves(trial and error w/ that). However yesterday i decided to not kill ANY apps at all to see what it does to battery. I was constantly using cpu to kill apps that for the most part weren't hurting anything. So will test out and see. btw didn't use phone much cause i was busy and got 25 hours awake with only 2 1/2 up time as of right now, just saying

posted this on different thread but applies here as well. Systempanels partial wake usage metric should show you what the offending app is, uninstall said app and i bet your battery is much improved, without TK

 

[Skorpios1027]

Here is my .02. I installed ATK the day I got my phone and used it often I was getting poor battery life but I was also heavily using my phone (new toy - gotta play). I do have extensive Linux experience so I know about the memory management involved with the OS. After reading about the "evils" of using a task killer, I continued to use ATK to kill apps that I did not want running (CityID being the main one). Many of those would respawn by themselves, thus defeating the purpose. I've since stopped using ATK to kill apps, but I do use it to quickly switch back and forth between apps. I'm currently at 22:46:30 up time and 1:53:00 awake time with 50% battery left (on a stock battery). I have GPS and Mobile Network always on and am never on Wifi. My syncs are generally set to the hour. My battery life is adequate for what I am doing and I have a spare battery (just in case) and plenty of charging options. I see no real need to use a task killer. The apps I have installed are generally well behaved.

 

[DroidRocker]

Currently I use the Settings/Running Services to see what is on. I close any app that I've added that I'm not using. That said, are there apps you shouldn't close, such as the ones that run constantly: ObexService, Touch Input, GTalkService, SyncService, TransactionService, UploadMessageService. These were the only ones running since buying the Dinc. Are they necessary to keep on?

Also, does anyone know exactly what the bottom banner of Running Services means? IE: Avail: 200MB+200MB in 39 Other: 100MB in 4
Huh?

 

[NightAngel79]

That said, are there apps you shouldn't close, such as the ones that run constantly: ObexService, Touch Input, GTalkService, SyncService, TransactionService, UploadMessageService. These were the only ones running since buying the Dinc. Are they necessary to keep on?

Deff necessary, was messing with the one at big v before i got my phone, killing apps to see what it did, i killed all the apps you listed above and then you couldn't use/view messaging service, touch screen was unresponsive, and generally phone didn't work at all, had to power it off and restart cause phone wouldn't let me do anything. Just one example of what a TK COULD mess up if your not careful

 

[tcope]

Killing it and having it restart comes at a higher CPU/battery cost than just leaving it be. If the OS detects that the phone running low on memory, idle/empty processes like that are prime candidates to be terminated to free up resources.

Not exactly....

It loads and is not needed... wasted CPU/battery... and memory. It loads and that memory is needed by another program... more wasted CPU/battery.

Truth is... we are almost always talking about programs that your phone provider has load automatically. Yes, some programs load others but _most_ load because the phone provider wants them to load... not because it makes anything faster (I never bought anything from the Amazon MP3 store and never will... so it does not need to load).

Again, when programs like this load, it uses CPU/battery. When the system needs to recover this memory, it uses CPU/battery.

The other issue is that these programs _don't_ reload right when they are shut down. I can go most of the day, if not days before certain programs are loaded again.

You then also have many programs that continue to run even after they are exited. There can be no blanket statement that these programs don't use CPU/battery... each program is different. As others have mentioned, my phone has been slow... I shut some programs down in memory and it runs much faster. This is just a fact.

In a perfect world the OS would handle all of this and do it perfectly. Its a good thought and most of the time... it works. But not always. As such _TASK KILLERS ARE NOT POINTLESS_.... and you _cannot_ say that they use more battery then they save.

 

[callmeox]

Not exactly....

It loads and is not needed... wasted CPU/battery... and memory. It loads and that memory is needed by another program... more wasted CPU/battery.

Truth is... we are almost always talking about programs that your phone provider has load automatically. Yes, some programs load others but _most_ load because the phone provider wants them to load... not because it makes anything faster (I never bought anything from the Amazon MP3 store and never will... so it does not need to load).

Again, when programs like this load, it uses CPU/battery. When the system needs to recover this memory, it uses CPU/battery.

The other issue is that these programs _don't_ reload right when they are shut down. I can go most of the day, if not days before certain programs are loaded again.

You then also have many programs that continue to run even after they are exited. There can be no blanket statement that these programs don't use CPU/battery... each program is different. As others have mentioned, my phone has been slow... I shut some programs down in memory and it runs much faster. This is just a fact.

In a perfect world the OS would handle all of this and do it perfectly. Its a good thought and most of the time... it works. But not always. As such _TASK KILLERS ARE NOT POINTLESS_.... and you _cannot_ say that they use more battery then they save.

First off, you built a wonderful strawman with the "task killers are not pointless" line. I don't recall anyone making that assertion here.

Since you can't control which installed software loads and doesn't load on boot nor can you control the re-spawn time of a process or program, your premise is faulty from the get go.

What it comes down to is this: Do I believe the people who designed and maintain the OS or do I believe a faceless pseudonym on an internet message board? I realize that this is approaching the "appeal to authority" logical fallacy, but that is where we are.