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Should You Use a Task Killer?

EmperorKabir said:
2 questions then.

1: Why is it that some games I play are jerky but then run fine when I task kill?
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Pretty similar to me, I play 7 same type games from a company called Storm 8, I go from game to game and after a while they get incredibly laggy, when I force stop normally (no task killer yet) the game I may be on is nice and fast again.

I like many others am confused by wether task killers are good or bad, so I finally bit the bullet last night and installed system panel, I like the way I can kill individual games but then when I double checked in the default Android OS of force stop they were still running?? Now I'm really confused.
 
Eris Ed said:
You exit an app using the Back button or by selecting the app Exit option.
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My games still have to be forced closed when I use back button, it's also a cumbersome way to stop games as I go from game to game, I end up using far more battery that way. :(
 
So those games have some issues. Force Stop is the way to go (you can also use System Panel as the article says). I'd be inclined to complain to the game writer so they're aware of the problem.

The thing NOT to do is install ATK and start force-stopping apps automatically - that's simply hiding the issue and can cause more problems than it solves.
 
Janer64 said:
My games still have to be forced closed when I use back button, it's also a cumbersome way to stop games as I go from game to game, I end up using far more battery that way. :(
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No games have to be force closed unless they are faulty or not installed properly. Force close is a last resort option to be used when the phone or app crashes. Task Killers use FC on everything, and if your phone works better after using a TK then it's highly likely that it's the apps themselves that are at fault.

Using FC to close apps is like putting air in your car tyre every hour because you have a puncture - it gets you from A to B but the root problem is still there.
 
I've uninstalled the TaskKiller to see how it goes. I have noticed that even using the back button to exit some apps (those without an exit option) the OS still shows them as running in the Manage Applications section.

I think a TaskKiller can be useful in some situations. I just found it convenient to have in the top panel rather than going into Applications > Manage Applications. I didn't use Auto-kill and most of the apps / services I had set to ignore anyway.
 
Eris Ed said:
No games have to be force closed unless they are faulty or not installed properly. Force close is a last resort option to be used when the phone or app crashes.
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aaahhh now it makes sense on why force close stays open after sys panel has stopped them, force close is as for what u say. mini emergencies etc , so basically the system panel app is doing its job as I can quickly stop one of my games with it and I've not had the lag on another one since I've been doing it this way.

as for the games they were def optimized for the iphone as I used to have one and they ran far better.
 
There is a difference between a RUNNING app and an app that's LOADED INTO THE MEMORY.

The main source of battery drain on Android phones is the CPU. If an app is loaded into the memory, it's just there. But as long as it's not using the CPU, it's not draining the battery.

If you kill it, sure, you have some free memory. Free memory that would become available anyway if Android needed space for some other app.
 
robogo said:
There is a difference between a RUNNING app and an app that's LOADED INTO THE MEMORY.

The main source of battery drain on Android phones is the CPU. If an app is loaded into the memory, it's just there. But as long as it's not using the CPU, it's not draining the battery.

If you kill it, sure, you have some free memory. Free memory that would become available anyway if Android needed space for some other app.
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Excellent analogy.
 
IDK... I like my task killer, it works just fine. I haven't downloaded a "bad app" before and I'm sure that if task killers are vital then Google would of baked them into the OS, like the Galaxy S line having a task manager app baked in.
 
Well my Galaxy Tab with the task manager has gotten my battery life on it up to a week and a half, something that seemed impossible with Froyo but my tab has done it everytime, I only wish I could have it on my Desire but I will settle for my advanced task killer that has streached my battery life to five days now!!!! All personal preference and yes I have tried it with and without and it works better with it installed!!!
 
i've used a task killer from day 1 but since i tried going without it my battery life has increased no end and i no longer use it.

i use Watchdog now and this highlights what actually does need killing, which isnt very often.
 
To be fair xperia is backwards anyway.


(Ancient android + poor Sony implementation) = ( - surprise + argument void)
 
The samsung galaxy line of phones and the tab have a task killer built in. But it is very limited. The reason samsung had to do this is because people don't realise how android works. They either use once for no reason, our because they have a bad app and don't realise it.The samsung implementation gives them a sort of safe option, although personally I'd prefer samsung to just explain why it's not needed. To be fair, they do actually go this to a point on the tab.
moe3754 said:
Well my Galaxy Tab with the task manager has gotten my battery life on it up to a week and a half, something that seemed impossible with Froyo but my tab has done it everytime, I only wish I could have it on my Desire but I will settle for my advanced task killer that has streached my battery life to five days now!!!! All personal preference and yes I have tried it with and without and it works better with it installed!!!
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You must not use your phone or tab at all to get that kind if battery life, honestly. To get that battery life, then there is no point in having a smartphone because you are not using it at all...
 
My mates think I'm a complete geeks these days. A mate of mine mentioned he had a Task Killer on his phone and I told him he didn't need one!

He asked how I was so sure etc, I almost blurted out "Lekky and plenty of others on Android Forums and other websites have advised against it and said it isn't necessary." I stopped myself, so I ended up saying that I'd read it on a few Android websites when I'd been researching phones etc.

I was Christmas shopping with the missus this afternoon and whilst sat outside a shop waiting for her, I saw a young lad playing with his Android phone - to my dismay he had a task killer and was killing tasks - I wanted to grab the phone from his hand and uninstall it! :D
 
lekky said:
The samsung galaxy line of phones and the tab have a task killer built in. But it is very limited. The reason samsung had to do this is because people don't realise how android works. They either use once for no reason, our because they have a bad app and don't realise it.The samsung implementation gives them a sort of safe option, although personally I'd prefer samsung to just explain why it's not needed. To be fair, they do actually go this to a point on the tab.You must not use your phone or tab at all to get that kind if battery life, honestly. To get that battery life, then there is no point in having a smartphone because you are not using it at all...
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I am so glad that you know how much I use my phone and tab every day, what would I have done without your great insite in to my personal life, maybe you should keep your assumptions to yourself unless you know more about my uses of MY personal devices!!!!:rolleyes: As for my battery use I stated what I get and that is it nothing else, you see I need not explain myself to anyone on this forum!!!!

Up until now I thought that this was a rather well behaved forum, guess it is getting as bad as that CRAP howard forum with all the know it all advisors that really know nothing!!!!

As for the quip about the task killer I probably FORGOT more about the knowledge of phones than you ever have known, being a mod does not make you a expert in any way!!!!!!
 
moe3754 said:
I am so glad that you know how much I use my phone and tab every day, what would I have done without your great insite in to my personal life, maybe you should keep your assumptions to yourself unless you know more about my uses of MY personal devices!!!!:rolleyes: As for my battery use I stated what I get and that is it nothing else, you see I need not explain myself to anyone on this forum!!!!

Up until now I thought that this was a rather well behaved forum, guess it is getting as bad as that CRAP howard forum with all the know it all advisors that really know nothing!!!!

As for the quip about the task killer I probably FORGOT more about the knowledge of phones than you ever have known, being a mod does not make you a expert in any way!!!!!!
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Dude, five day battery life on a desire running ATK is only achievable if you don't use your phone in any meaningful way. Sorry, but your credibility has evaporated with that claim.
 
I was using a task killer in the beginning then decided not too!

I was in T-Mobile store one day, as I had a little issue with phone, and met a very nice HTC guy, who actually advised me to install one...he too owned a Desire!

I'm in two minds whether its a good or bad thing!
 
moe3754 said:
:rolleyes: As for my battery use I stated what I get and that is it nothing else, you see I need not explain myself to anyone on this forum!!!!
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But that's NOT it, because there are so many different ways to use a phone and drain (or not drain) the battery. So, if you make a claim that you get battery life far above what anyone else has achieved, and don't give us any information whatsoever about how you use the phone, you should expect people to be skeptical.

If you want to share battery extending secrets and add to the discourse, then post some information to back up your claim. Otherwise, don't be shocked when people call you on it.
 
moe3754 said:
I am so glad that you know how much I use my phone and tab every day, what would I have done without your great insite in to my personal life, maybe you should keep your assumptions to yourself unless you know more about my uses of MY personal devices!!!!:rolleyes: As for my battery use I stated what I get and that is it nothing else, you see I need not explain myself to anyone on this forum!!!!

Up until now I thought that this was a rather well behaved forum, guess it is getting as bad as that CRAP howard forum with all the know it all advisors that really know nothing!!!!

As for the quip about the task killer I probably FORGOT more about the knowledge of phones than you ever have known, being a mod does not make you a expert in any way!!!!!!
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Duuude, i have a tab. If you get a week and a half battery then you are not using it. Or you do things like turn it off at night and disable 3G during the day, but that is included in my not really using it statement!

Or you have a special one of a kind ultimate battery edition! ;)

Michelle666 said:
I was using a task killer in the beginning then decided not too!

I was in T-Mobile store one day, as I had a little issue with phone, and met a very nice HTC guy, who actually advised me to install one...he too owned a Desire!

I'm in two minds whether its a good or bad thing!
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Phone shop people, generally speaking, don't know that much about android, regardless if they have an android phone or not.

For instance when i went into my local phone shop to buy my tab, i was chatting with the manager of the store (it was a big one too). He actually owned a Desire and a Galaxy S. He also used a task killer, mainly because the lag* on his galaxy s was so bad. I had to kindly let him know that the lag wasn't caused by low ram (was caused by internal file system), and a task killer wouldn't help at all.

So take everything they say with a pinch of salt :P
 
So I have been reading on here and alot of you dislike Advanced Task Killer.... Why? My US Cellular guy was to one that put it on my phone said it was great. So I have used it no question asked....

Now I read all the dislikes from YOU the actual users..

Is this jsut an app that wastes time? Does it truley help my battery?

I literally only keep Twitter and 2 others running at any given time. Everything else I kill right after I use it...

Is this an app I should just remove? My phone WILL die around 1 pm everyday after being pulled off the charger at 7am...

Imput helps. Thanks Guys.
 
It's fairly common knowledge that a lot of US retailers actually tell new customers that a task killer is required, and some even offer to install it for you before walking out of the store. This is a worry because either (a) the sales staff have completely failed to understand Android and how it works, or (b) the store has been given some kind of incentive to promote the TK. Either way it's very worrying.
 
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