Should You Use a Task Killer?

[yenrod]

so then why if task killers are such a bad idea on andriod is ATK the first app on the list in the market? I guess its to do with popularity but is the market not moderated by android developers?

the battery life debate rages on!! i once read that the best way to get your smartphone battery to last longer is to charge it more often (oh!?).

@widehead, people dont seem to dig you so much dude, i think your comments are generally well informed and usually quite helpful, but if you say good things about iphones here youre gonna be as popular as a pork chop in a synagogue

Give the man a break - each to their own; the fact that WH may like an iPhone is his perog'.

Says alot about Android in some ways...

Their are things about an iphone...

Just as their are things about an Android that're a bit irritating...

But I/We know whats better





































































ANDROID

 

[alackman]

The open nature of Android is one of its primary distinguishing features, what sets it apart from the competition. However, it's not ideal for everyone; some people want things to 'just work'.

I get it, but as far as Ive read - one of those primary distinguishing features is that android manages its own memory in a very different way to windows - I did do i lot of research into the handset but admitedly not so much into android itself - of course you could say that was my fault - but I feel that for somehting as fundamental as this I believe the information should be there for the user rather than having to find it in a forum.

The Android market has a review system where people can vote apps up or down. The fact that task killers rate so highly would imply that, however misguided, some people must evidently like them.

like them? or do they just go with the flow and do as they are told. Do a search for "top ten andorid apps" and id be surprised if many came out without a task killer in them - I was new to Andoid with my Desire and so knew very little about it - This very same elitist attitude of "if you dont want to find out about how your phone works then get an iphone" is exactly the same as the other end of the spectrum that suggestes that iphone is the only smart phone unless of course you cant afford one...etc" and an attitude that pushes me away from apple in the 1st place - its hipocrisy at best. Just makes the argument for Android just as redundant as the one for iphone.

The alternative you appear to be suggesting is that Google veto Market apps; this is diametrically opposite to the ethos of how Android works. If you really really want that, you can have it, but you bought the wrong phone for it.

That said, I take your point. Essentially 'rogue' apps should be highlighted as such. However, I'd disagree strongly that vetting by Google is a good idea.

At no point have I suggested that Google should veto apps on the market - its not about blocking, its about providing information - I, like you also believe that the openess of android should be celebrated but again, my point being that I believe for something as rudimentary as Andorid doesnt require a task killer - by download stats alone - there are a lot of people who may well have a different opinion if the information was offered at purchase or soon after in oposition to "top ten must have apps" reviews etc.

An iphone fan boy is no more or less smug and full of **** than an andorid fanboy.

 

[kartnite]

I don't use a task killer. But I use this app called SystemPanel - And I use it to monitor what activities are running. Never had to use it as a "killer". But it did give me an idea as to which apps were 'culprits' of not closing despite exiting them. Cases in point include games like "Fruit Ninja", "Pirates & Traders", etc.

 

[EddyOS]

The way android works, if an app is coded correctly, then CPU cycles are not wasted by apps in the background, because they simply are not using the CPU

This is all you need to know

Find the app killing the battery and remove it until fixed by the developer - even let the dev know there's an issue if it's an app you use a lot

Best analogy I've heard:

'If you have a flat tyre you don't use that 'run-flat' spray each time it goes down - you change the tyre'

 

[Cougar]

At no point have I suggested that Google should veto apps on the market - its not about blocking, its about providing information

I'll be honest, I'm not wholly sure what you are suggesting then. That Google should review apps? That you should have got a little piece of paper in with your phone saying "by the way, don't install a task killer"?

I take your point, of course I do. I'm just at a loss as to what the solution would be.

No-one reads the manual supplied with the phone anyway, they switch it on and start poking it and go "ooh, shiny." They discover the market, they install every last piece of crap they can lay their hands on, all the custom homepages, animated interfaces, torches, fart generators etc etc, then write big long shitograms on Internet forums about how rubbish their phone is when it grinds to a halt.

Similarly, I don't see it as such a big issue that it requires a slip in every box with a warning in foot-high letters of fire, or everyone instructed at point of sale to tell you not to feed them after midnight - ah, install a task-killer, I mean. If we're compiling a list of pointless apps that drain the battery, we're going to be here for a while.

Incidentally, I'm not sure where your 'elitist' and 'fanboy' comments come from, but I hope they're not directed at me. I tend to write in a fairly, uh, irreverent style, so please don't start taking me too seriously now, eh? There's a Desire and an iPhone 4 in this household, so I'm reasonably familiar, and happy, with both platforms.

 

[alackman]

I'll be honest, I'm not wholly sure what you are suggesting then. That Google should review apps? That you should have got a little piece of paper in with your phone saying "by the way, don't install a task killer"?

I take your point, of course I do. I'm just at a loss as to what the solution would be.

No-one reads the manual supplied with the phone anyway, they switch it on and start poking it and go "ooh, shiny." They discover the market, they install every last piece of crap they can lay their hands on, all the custom homepages, animated interfaces, torches, fart generators etc etc, then write big long shitograms on Internet forums about how rubbish their phone is when it grinds to a halt.

Similarly, I don't see it as such a big issue that it requires a slip in every box with a warning in foot-high letters of fire, or everyone instructed at point of sale to tell you not to feed them after midnight - ah, install a task-killer, I mean. If we're compiling a list of pointless apps that drain the battery, we're going to be here for a while.

Incidentally, I'm not sure where your 'elitist' and 'fanboy' comments come from, but I hope they're not directed at me. I tend to write in a fairly, uh, irreverent style, so please don't start taking me too seriously now, eh? There's a Desire and an iPhone 4 in this household, so I'm reasonably familiar, and happy, with both platforms.

to be fair, I'm not sure what I'm suggesting either. I've had a read through last few posts and I guess i need to flick the king Edward of my shoulder. I agree with you that it is far fetched to expect all this, I'm just confused as to why the misconception about task killers is so rife.
on a note about fan boyism, I apologise, I was taking you too seriously and I suppose the target of my comment was a combination of past threads and comments by others made as well as your message I jumped on. So my frustration at how some people look down at people making honest enquiries no matter how simple or obvious should not have been directed at you.

Can we put it down to bad timing. Friends?

 

[mikey_mike]

System Panel seems to work well and doesnt kill the battery

 

[Tyseyh]

There is an app to show programs that Auto running programs, although i couldnt not tell you if it works as i aint needed one. usually something like Bootup manager or startup manager

 

[Cougar]

"Can we put it down to bad timing. Friends?"

Buy me a pint and we'll call it straight. (-:

No worries dude. It's difficult in text sometimes cos you lose a large chunk of 'non-verbal' communication.

 

[phamster]

There is no way the Desire comes close to the battery-life of the E71. NO WAY.

agreed.. i came from the E71 to the Desire.. the battery of the E71 is just incredible. nearly tripled the physical size and has functions of that ratio 3 to 1 ( 1 being the Desire)

but i do love my desire.. just the battery life is well known..

 

[SUroot]

agreed.. i came from the E71 to the Desire.. the battery of the E71 is just incredible. nearly tripled the physical size and has functions of that ratio 3 to 1 ( 1 being the Desire)

but i do love my desire.. just the battery life is well known..

Well the e71 has 1/3 of the processor speed and 2/3 of the screen size, so I'd say that's about even... The Nokia battery was only 100mAh bigger


Not to mention how "Fisher price - my first smart phone" the OS looks

 

[strategy]

I don't use a task killer. But I use this app called SystemPanel - And I use it to monitor what activities are running. Never had to use it as a "killer". But it did give me an idea as to which apps were 'culprits' of not closing despite exiting them. Cases in point include games like "Fruit Ninja", "Pirates & Traders", etc.

Read this again about how Android works with foreground and background processes. Or read this for the official word of Google on how the application lifecycle works.

Pirates & Traders does not run in the background when you exit it. There is nothing that can be "running": the ad module is by Google, so I'm pretty certain that works as intended, and the map drawing thread is killed anytime you leave or pause the map view. Technically, this is a trivially simple game - and I'm pretty sure I can speak with authority on that issue somewhat better than anyone else here.

 

[alackman]

Read this again about how Android works with foreground and background processes.

now this is what I would have loved to have read when 1st got my desire. On further reflection on my past posts, it would be crazy for Google/HTC/phone operators to alert all new customers to the unecessary perils of using a task manager but I do think that the people who write the "10 must have apps for your andorid device" absolutely need to be encouraged to have a greater understanding of how this platform works which would in turn help people like me who want to find out more to make best use to their new phone without getting misinformed so dramatically. When I uninstalled the task killer I noticed a massive improvement in battery life.

 

[thorgoth]

got rid of task killers about 1 month ago....
last time i saw the red light flashing for "low battery" and i checked "battery usage" got 2d 12h 5m etc...i am a moderate user...wi-fi is like half the day on for 15-20 mins to check news and FB updates also play some games(let's gold , angry birds)....bottom line..
hell yeahh...no task killers FTW!!!!

 

[MonsterLancer]

From day one ive had a task killer on my phone then a week or 2 ago i started getting into the specifics of what my phone can do (rooting, a2sd, custom widgets, etc.) now that ive read your article im going to remove it and hope for better battery life. thanks

 

[strategy]

Not my article - the first one is the same as one of those posted earlier; the second is just the Android developer docs.

But as mentioned earlier, in terms of Android apps, the best way is really to think of them as web pages. Active while you are browsing them, and kept in your cache when you move elsewhere (so that you can always return to where you left with "Back"). The only exception to this are Services - e.g., mail apps, weather widgets, and similar that are designed to run in the background.

It is unfortunate that to understand how Android works, you pretty much have to read through their developer documentation. Google doesn't really treat Android OS as if it is a system they have customers for - it's more like a regular open-source project, which means "customers" are pretty much on their own, unless they feel like navigating the mailing lists. I doubt that will change anytime soon - Google is probably too hacker-centric a company.

 

[robogo]

I've been meddling around with some task killers, and all they've caused are problems.

 

[Man-droid]

Wow, this topic has really exploded since my last post!

I've done quite a bit of reading on the subject of task killers, and have used my Desire both with and without, and have used the auto kill feature too.

My verdict is that battery life wasn't really affected without, and neither was performance, however since I stopped using a task killer, my phone has been a good deal more stable i.e. less reboots needed, doesn't do 'odd things'.

The bottom line is though, that I am converted, and I won't use a task killer any more, since my phone behaves much better without.

Personal choice, but I just no longer believe they are necessary after reading up on the subject.

 

[SUroot]

Bounce

 

[SUroot]

*Bump even


Would you task kill your lungs or your liver?

 

[Pancake]

I did use one, but then i was reading around and saw that it doesnt really make a difference of battery, and android does it for you. Since then i stopped using it. No difference for me.

So my answer is: NO

 

[BurnCK]

I'm a Desire noob, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but without TaskKiller how the hell do I close apps ? TaskKiller always seems to show a big long list of apps that I've been using recently...since those apps don't actually have an 'exit' or 'close' option, how are you meant to close them ?

I know people have said that the OS manages apps, memory, etc, but why is that I can be playing a game and it's laggy as hell, but then I run TaskKiller and return to it and it's as smooth as anything ??

 

[Abdur]

I'm a Desire noob, so forgive me if this is a stupid question, but without TaskKiller how the hell do I close apps ? TaskKiller always seems to show a big long list of apps that I've been using recently...since those apps don't actually have an 'exit' or 'close' option, how are you meant to close them ?

I know people have said that the OS manages apps, memory, etc, but why is that I can be playing a game and it's laggy as hell, but then I run TaskKiller and return to it and it's as smooth as anything ??

If an App is causing you problems you can force close it through the application settings.

 

[BurnCK]

If an App is causing you problems you can force close it through the application settings.

But isn't that just the same as using a TaskKiller ??
Also, what determines how a program closes ? Sometimes I can return to an app/game that I've recently used and it is still running at the point I left it....other times it opens afresh.

I've been using TaskKiller simply because I can't figure out how to exit and app normally. Obviously I know that it's better if you can do a controlled shutdown of an application rather than just killing the task / process, but how do I do that ?

 

[Eris Ed]

But isn't that just the same as using a TaskKiller ??
Also, what determines how a program closes ? Sometimes I can return to an app/game that I've recently used and it is still running at the point I left it....other times it opens afresh.

I've been using TaskKiller simply because I can't figure out how to exit and app normally. Obviously I know that it's better if you can do a controlled shutdown of an application rather than just killing the task / process, but how do I do that ?

No, it's not the same. You close an app that's causing problems using Force Close. Apps in memory are not causing problems. Android is not like a computer where free memory is important - in Android you need your memory FULL of stuff waiting to be used.

You exit an app using the Back button or by selecting the app Exit option.

Pressing the Home button closes it but leaves it available for you to return to later.

Android keeps stuff in memory - it's not using battery, it's not running, they are idle. It's waiting for you to use it again, and opening it from the memory is faster and uses less battery that opening it from storage.

Task killers close apps in the memory, whether they are running or idle. Closing an idle app often results in the app reloading to memory, wasting battery.

Read the linked post in the first post of this topic.