How can I stop unwanted refreshing?

[MoodyBlues]

This is driving me nuts! At seemingly random intervals, my display refreshes, and when it does it causes problems with apps I'm using.

For example, file managers that are opened to various locations, both local [device] and remote [networked drives], reset to their start-up locations when this refresh happens.

There's no way to know when it will happen next; it could be five minutes or five hours or 25 hours.

I've tried adjusting/disabling/tweaking all sorts of settings--everything from Bluetooth scanning to apps running in background, from battery optimization to memory usage...but I can't stop this damned refreshing. On Linux proper, I could probably control this, but Android's settings are much more limited.

Will be very grateful for any ideas that lead to a solution. If more info's needed, just ask.

Moto Z² Force Edition, Oreo 8.0.0, not rooted.

ETA: Now happening too on a brand-spanking new Motorola One Hyper, Android 10, not rooted, tons of free space and memory [though those were never the issue on the other phone].

 

[tommo47]

This is driving me nuts! At seemingly random intervals, my display refreshes, and when it does it causes problems with apps I'm using.

Hi @MoodyBlues, this might be a silly question and may not make much sense, but when you say "refreshes", what does it refresh to?

Or put another way, does whatever you have on the screen at the time change?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Hi @MoodyBlues, this might be a silly question and may not make much sense, but when you say "refreshes", what does it refresh to?

Or put another way, does whatever you have on the screen at the time change?

Nothing silly about it! It's like...how can I describe it?

Say I'm typing on AF, and I want to duck out to another app; I press 'recents.' Picture the recents list of apps. Picture the file manager I want, displaying all its locations as I left them. In recents, I press the FM; the entire screen dims/darkens VERY briefly, refreshes, the FM comes up--and all of its locations have reverted to their startup locations.

In other words, a tab that was situated numerous subdirectories deep in one of my computers, reverts back to its startup location of that computer's root directory. Or a tab that was several subdirectories deep in Google Drive, reverts back to Drive's root.

Replace 'file manager' with 'gallery app'--same thing. Or Chrome--if I left it while typing here, after it refreshes, my text is either gone or dimmed [the part auto-backed up by AF].

This is extremely frustrating!

 

[lunatic59]

Moody, is sounds like it's tied to your other problem of "recents" and I stand by my observation that your application caches are getting cleared much too frequently. Motorola didn't sneak in a phone "optimizer" on you, did they?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Moody, is sounds like it's tied to your other problem of "recents" and I stand by my observation that your application caches are getting cleared much too frequently. Motorola didn't sneak in a phone "optimizer" on you, did they?

Not to my knowledge, luna!

Yesterday, I reset all my apps' preferences then, one by one, scoured each app's settings as I re-enabled/reauthorized permissions and other settings. This included every single thing starting with 'Moto.'

I have to admit I had not even thought about my 'invisible recents' problem being tied in with this. Great observation! Whether it is or isn't, do you have any ideas on what I can try to make the refresh issue stop? Comparatively speaking, this is 100x worse than the other!

 

[lunatic59]

It sounds just like I'd expect a phone optimizer/cache cleaner (aka. task killer ) to behave. You toggle between apps and anything that gets wiped from the app cache resets to default views, and gets removed from recents. The easy way to confirm this is after one of these refreshes happens, look at recents and check if any apps listed have had their views reset. If so, then the apps are getting dumped from memory.

It could be a memory (hardware) problem, but 'd expect the phone to behave unpredictably and crash frequently if the RAM was faulty. If you run a memory hog app like Chrome all the time, I could see it booting a LOT of apps out of ram, or there's some kind of "optimizer" running in the background ... maybe as part of a utility suite or named something innocuous like "motophonemesserupper". (I was temped to use a different term for "messer" there. )

 

[MoodyBlues]

You toggle between apps and anything that gets wiped from the app cache resets to default views, and gets removed from recents.

If you revisit my 'invisible recents' issue, recall that, yes, they're removed from recents, but they're not closed. The split second I press their icon in my app drawer, they reappear, EXACTLY as I left them. So, like right now, if I stop typing...

...and go do other things, and then lose Chrome from recents, the millisecond I press its icon, it reappears, with my cursor right where I was typing. All Chrome's other tabs are likewise as I left them.

The easy way to confirm this is after one of these refreshes happens, look at recents and check if any apps listed have had their views reset..

Yes, that's exactly what's happening--but kind of, sort of, only with certain apps. File managers, including gallery apps, reset to their default startup locations. Chrome does and doesn't refresh. As described earlier, when the dreaded refresh happens, if I was in the middle of typing on AF, my text has either disappeared completely or dimmed, i.e., the text input box is not active until I re-enter it; all that's left is whatever AF had backed up prior to the refresh. I hope that makes sense.

It could be a memory (hardware) problem, but 'd expect the phone to behave unpredictably and crash frequently if the RAM was faulty.

No, there's nothing like that at all; the device runs smooth as silk, fast, and does not crash.

If you run a memory hog app like Chrome all the time, I could see it booting a LOT of apps out of ram

It runs continuously.

or there's some kind of "optimizer" running in the background ... maybe as part of a utility suite or named something innocuous like "motophonemesserupper". (I was temped to use a different term for "messer" there. )

Ha ha, I hear you!

As far as I can tell, there's nothing idiotic like that running in the background. I've gone over running processes with a fine-tooth comb, and I'm not seeing anything likely or suspicious.

Do you glean anything from the differences in Chrome's and FMs' reactions to the refreshing? Chrome never resets to its startup state; FMs do.

Also note the lack of any [noticeable] pattern; the refresh strikes in a seemingly random manner.

 

[lunatic59]

Don't use AF's behavior in this case as an indicator. While you're typing, Xenforo saves draft copies (hence the greyed type). As for the rest of it, I am beginning to think it's something like a messed up set of permissions on a common temp folder. I think I'm going to take the chicken route and suggest a factory reset.

 

[MoodyBlues]

I think I'm going to take the chicken route and suggest a factory reset.

Well, believe it or not, I started thinking about that yesterday. My finger skimmed over the 'reset' option several times while perusing/tweaking system settings. But I thought, nah, not that, not now...

Maybe now?

 

[steiny180]

Something is messing with your cached memory, OR you may be running low on RAM.

Destroy or disable any cache menagement apps you've installed and see what happens.

If it's a RAM issue, try running fewer simultaneous apps.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Something is messing with your cached memory

Quite possible.

OR you may be running low on RAM.

Definitely not.

Destroy or disable any cache menagement apps you've installed and see what happens.

You don't know me very well! *ME* use a silly [fill-in-the-blank] management app on Android? Never!

If it's a RAM issue, try running fewer simultaneous apps.

I can have 20 apps open and actively being used, no problem. Another time, I can have just two [of those same] apps open, and the damned refresh thing happens.

There's just no rhyme or reason to it--that I can finger.

 

[lunatic59]

Moody is her own management app. but DON'T DESTROY THAT!!!

 

[Dannydet]

Do you have in developer options, Don't keep activities checked? Under apps section?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Moody is her own management app. but DON'T DESTROY THAT!!!

Thank you!

I'm apparently indestructible, though, so we should be okay.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Do you have in developer options, Don't keep activities checked? Under apps section?

Not now, and not usually. The other day I turned it on--while mucking with everything I could think of--just to see what would happen. The problem got worse. Off it went!

Likewise with 'background process limit,' normally set to 'standard;' I tried all of its choices...and it made things worse.

I've gone so far as to change ALL apps from battery 'not optimized' and back again, and every combination [for the apps I use daily]. No difference.

I'm stumped. That factory reset @lunatic59 suggested, and I had considered, is starting to look mighty attractive. Well, you know, except for all the hassles involved. And I'll be really pissed off if I do it...and the problem remains.

 

[puppykickr]

I assume that you have already tried a simple restart?

Yes, I decided to poke the bear with that one, lol.

Anyway, what you describe is standard fair from my experience with cheap devices.

I know that this is no help to you whatsoever, but perhaps you can feel me comiserate with you.

At least I am not alone in this experience, and that I now know that it is not necessarily because of my toilet biscuit devices!

hahahaha

But I really do notice this most often on my two 1GB devices, and much less so with my 2GB devices.

So I still have to think that it is memory related.

Is there any new app, most likely from Play Store, that would have analytics or other junk running unseen in the background?

New launcher, or anything like that that never really gets turned off?

I think you might have already heard my story about Apex Launcher?

As it turns out, it was a great deal of the reason that my first phone ran hot and crashed all the time.

Anyway, apps like that can cause what you describe, and worse.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Thanks, @puppykickr, but no, there's just nothing like that going on.

This isn't a low-end device, and its memory simply isn't the issue. As noted, I can have 20 apps open [all day and/or overnight] and the stupid refresh doesn't happen, but another day, I'll have only 2 of those same apps running and it happens after 5 minutes. *SMH*

My 5-year-old Moto X 2nd Generation doesn't do this! My Z² Force puts its specs to shame--but it's the one with this ultra-annoying problem...

 

[MoodyBlues]

It's too soon to mark this thread solved...but it may be.

Once I'm convinced, I'll post an update/explanation.

 

[MoodyBlues]

Never mind.

But here's why it looked resolved. I'd already stopped KDE Connect, but uninstalled it two days ago: ZERO refreshes!

Until right now... *sigh*

 

[tommo47]

Until right now... *sigh*

Don't be downhearted just yet. Isn't it possible KDE Connect could have been contributory but not necessarily the only culprit?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Don't be downhearted just yet. Isn't it possible KDE Connect could have been contributory but not necessarily the only culprit?

Sure, that's a possibility.

I keep thinking there's something I'm just missing, something maybe running in the background or scanning for a connection. That seemed to be the issue, some weeks ago, before I ever posted about this.

I had initially paired KDE Connect with a laptop by enabling both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connections. On a hunch, I turned off BT completely--and the damned refreshing stopped dead in its tracks! I mean for weeks. Then, without adding any new apps, without re-enabling BT, without any changes I could put my finger on, it came roaring back.

I have the feeling that once it's figured out...I'm going to feel like a moron! It'll be that obvious.

 

[MoodyBlues]

So my shiny new phone, a Motorola One Hyper, does it, too.

I started by only installing MiXplorer and a handful of other apps. I deliberately omitted anything that could possibly...remotely...have anything to do with it. So I didn't install KDE Connect, Tasker, or virtually anything else...and it still happens.

To reiterate the issue, the device randomly refreshes; when it does, it resets all the tabs in any open file manager back to their default locations. If I was 8 subdirectories deep in a computer's hard drive, that tab resets to its startup location of that computer's root.

This cannot be a memory or space issue. It can happen when all I have open is a file manager and any one other app. In recents, I can plainly see the FM sitting 8 deep, then I touch it [to use it] and, bam!, the damned refresh happens, and the location resets. Ugh!

 

[puppykickr]

Well, now that you have another device, perhaps the time is now to start with NONE kf your apps, and see if it does the same thing with only the stock apps included.

I know it sucks when you have some beloved apps that work like magic, but now is a goid time- before you get too setted in with your new device.

 

[lunatic59]

As Sherlock said, once you eliminate the impossible, whatever's left, however improbable, must be what's f*ing up Moody's phone ... or something like that. What could cause screen refreshes (it's not random, we just haven't figured out the trigger yet). Maybe it's not even your phone that's doing it? If your router is setup to renew it's IP every 30 minutes it could ... possibly ... maybe. If you're neighbor has a ham radio and broadcasts a strong enough signal to disrupt your WiFi ... or maybe your file manager is detecting file changes an it auto-refreshes?

 

[MoodyBlues]

Thanks, guys. I just don't know... *sigh*

I agree that it's not actually random--it just appears to be, since I don't know its trigger(s). What I do know is that it's REALLY ANNOYING!

I can pick up the phone in the morning, and the FM's tabs are exactly as they were 12+ hours ago. I use it for 5 seconds, 5 minutes, or 5 hours, and...bam!, it refreshes, losing its place in each of its tabs.

No, my router definitely isn't involved. To the best of my knowledge, there are no ham radio operators nearby.

It happens any time of the day, with any number of apps running.

I've turned off Bluetooth, turned off Wi-Fi scanning, pared my running apps down to the bare minimum...but it continues...