Develop Bugs

Why you don’t need a task killer app with Android.

http://androidspin.com/2010/05/25/why-you-dont-need-a-task-killer-app-with-android/
Why you don’t need a task killer app with Android.
Posted Posted by Cody Banks on 25th May 2010 Comments 5 comments
A lot of people have asked us what the best app is for killing tasks? Well, the answer is none of them. Sure there are some nice apps out there for killing tasks, but the fact is you just don’t need one with Android. In fact, most developers
won’t even look at your logcat file if they see you running a task killer app on your Android-based phone.
To clear things up about this, Google’s Android developers blog has finally put this debate to rest about why a task killer is unnecessary, as well as why there are certain services that run in the background all the time, I’m sure at one time or another you’ve seen them and asked yourself “Why do those services keep starting after I kill them?”. Below you can read about when applications stop.......
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Click to collapse

I've found no matter how many times it's said, someone will have an anecdote about how their phone became amazingly fast or they doubled battery life using one of these apps. People who want to use them will continue to do so. Don't trouble yourself.

It's nice to have one to kill the odd app that is messing up, but other than that I don't use one.

Aitese said:
I've found no matter how many times it's said, someone will have an anecdote about how their phone became amazingly fast or they doubled battery life using one of these apps. People who want to use them will continue to do so. Don't trouble yourself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the reason people say this is because it's actually true.
that's just the truth, maybe you should try using one and notice the difference.
I uninstalled mine for the first time yesterday to test the theory and today, my battery lasted a grand total of 4.5 hours. that's a whole 3 hours less than before.
and at the end of the day, when it's laggy and then use the TK, it really does clear things up.
still wish there was a way to make the battery last longer, it really does suck

samac92 said:
It's nice to have one to kill the odd app that is messing up, but other than that I don't use one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can do this from android... no need for an app.

Barff1984 said:
I uninstalled mine for the first time yesterday to test the theory and today, my battery lasted a grand total of 4.5 hours. that's a whole 3 hours less than before.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'd say if you're only getting between 4.5 and 7.5 hours battery life, I'd say you've probably got a rogue app installed anyway.
Regards,
Dave

foxmeister said:
I'd say if you're only getting between 4.5 and 7.5 hours battery life, I'd say you've probably got a rogue app installed anyway.
Regards,
Dave
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I agree, taskkillers aren't battery savers they are drainers...
Have had my desire for a couple of days now (comming from a htc hero) and since I removed my taskmanager my desire has juice for about 1,5 days.
With taskpanel I hardly reached 24 hours... And I haven't noticed the device becoming slower...
I don't miss it and if I don't get any strange apps I won't ever install a taskmanager again...

well there are some apps which don't work properly.
Take the xda android app as example. it would sometimes just freeze, and there was no way to restart the app, no option for force close was provided by Android OS either.
In this case Android isn't doing anything, so you have to kill the process manually using
1. the default android feature
2. using a task killer.
I like the quick access to the advanced task killer over the notification area, therefore i use it.
People can tell me whole day long how ingenius Android is, and that it will do everything automatically. But i made very different experiences with some 3rd party apps, which needed some killing every now and then. The xda app is only ONE example of many.

Barff1984 said:
the reason people say this is because it's actually true.
that's just the truth, maybe you should try using one and notice the difference.
I uninstalled mine for the first time yesterday to test the theory and today, my battery lasted a grand total of 4.5 hours. that's a whole 3 hours less than before.
and at the end of the day, when it's laggy and then use the TK, it really does clear things up.
still wish there was a way to make the battery last longer, it really does suck
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The thing is I HAVE used them. Advanced Task Killer was the first app I installed on receiving my Desire...the phone became glitchy and buggy and laggy and it was horrible. I uninstalled ATK and all that stopped. It now NEVER slows down, and I'm getting well over 8hrs of use a day.
I suspect you have a buggy app, and THAT is what you need to find.
We need to stop giving bad app developers a feww ride by ignoring their bad code and just killing the process. Uninstall their app, give it a bad review and insist on using a rival app.

Shahpur.Azizpour said:
well there are some apps which don't work properly.
Take the xda android app as example. it would sometimes just freeze, and there was no way to restart the app, no option for force close was provided by Android OS either.
In this case Android isn't doing anything, so you have to kill the process manually using
1. the default android feature
2. using a task killer.
I like the quick access to the advanced task killer over the notification area, therefore i use it.
People can tell me whole day long how ingenius Android is, and that it will do everything automatically. But i made very different experiences with some 3rd party apps, which needed some killing every now and then. The xda app is only ONE example of many.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can force close an app from Android. Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Locate the app > open it and force stop.
Create a shortcut to manage applications short cut on your home screen if you like, then you'll only need to do this:
Open Manage Applictions short cut > Locate the app > open it and force stop. - This is just as simple as using a task manager shortcut.

TheOriginalKi said:
You can force close an app from Android. Menu > Settings > Applications > Manage Applications > Locate the app > open it and force stop.
Create a shortcut to manage applications short cut on your home screen if you like, then you'll only need to do this:
Open Manage Applictions short cut > Locate the app > open it and force stop. - This is just as simple as using a task manager shortcut.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
actually using the notification drawer is more comfortable for me. But this is just personal preference.

Yes-They might be useful to kill the occasional rogue app. but apart from that they are pretty pointless. Android does a good job of killing tasks itself.
Despite all the evidence to the contrary people many will continue to use them and use them indiscriminately. Still if they want generally poorer performance and reduced battery life surely that is their choice.

Shahpur.Azizpour said:
actually using the notification drawer is more comfortable for me. But this is just personal preference.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How does that work. the notification draw is pretty much blank most of the time save for new message/downloads etc ?

has anyone actually tried to load up so many apps, so there's almost no memory left, so android kills other apps by himself? It's all excellent in theory, but never witnessed it in real life.

guys I had advanced task manager installed in my phone and my phone was laggy, and my battery was always down to 40-50% at the end of the day, but yesterday on someone's advice I removed ATM, and instantly i noticed the difference, there was no lag in the menus and everything was smooth, and today my battery was an astonishing 85 % remaining when i came back home, and I intentionaly used my phone more than usual. so at least one thing is sure that I will not be using any task manager.

matthoy said:
How does that work. the notification draw is pretty much blank most of the time save for new message/downloads etc ?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
with advanced task manager you can see a small icon at the notification area (at all times). When pulling down the drawer you'll see an entry which says "advanced task manager".
just touch it and a list with current running apps will show up.

kamidadevil said:
guys I had advanced task manager installed in my phone and my phone was laggy, and my battery was always down to 40-50% at the end of the day, but yesterday on someone's advice I removed ATM, and instantly i noticed the difference, there was no lag in the menus and everything was smooth, and today my battery was an astonishing 85 % remaining when i came back home, and I intentionaly used my phone more than usual. so at least one thing is sure that I will not be using any task manager.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
there are way too many variables in this equation, as to just claim that ATM is responsible for hogging 30-40% battery power per day.
Of course it will have some kind of impact, just like other apps too. But i don't think that it will have a much bigger impact.

no, I dont think there are any variables involved in my case except ATM, I never use internet on mine phone during the day coz i always have internet access on my laptop, instead today I used wifi intentionaly just for testing battery and played asphalt which I normaly dont play during the work hours,

Here's a video from the Developer site that explains very well how Android manages Apps:
http://developer.android.com/videos/index.html#v=fL6gSd4ugSI
And if I really need to kill something (very rare!) then I use Task Tray Beta:
http://www.appbrain.com/app/com.stonedonkey.tasktray or find it in the Market.
This app is also great for seeing what 's actually running and what 's not anymore. And for switching to some App that you know is running, but in the default Android task switcher you can see only 6 apps.... and this will show all.

I tried out a few task killer but all they did was stop my alarm going off in the morning! I'm sure that's something I could have changed though.
I find the best way to keep my desire running nice and quick is to give it a reboot every morning on my way to work. Only takes a couple of minutes....give it a try...

LauncherPro

I must be a complete noob. But i've been trying to figure out how to use this program, but i don't know how to turn it on? Not listed under widget or apps or... how in the world do i try this out??!

You won't want to use it unless you are rooted and remove HTC Sense.

tmac said:
You won't want to use it unless you are rooted and remove HTC Sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not exactly...the new update blocks you from using other launchers.
If you don't have the update it'll work without root and you don't need to remove sense.
On the other hand, if you have the update you will need to root your phone first.

Davwf26 said:
I must be a complete noob. But i've been trying to figure out how to use this program, but i don't know how to turn it on? Not listed under widget or apps or... how in the world do i try this out??!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is because it is not technically an app, at least not the type that you are accustomed to using. Do this to get it to work.
1. Go to Settings ---> Applications ---> Manage Applications
2. After the list loads scroll down to HTC Sense, tap "Clear Defaults" and "Force Stop"
Touch the home button and it should give you an option on which launcher you would like to load.
Hope this helps!

michaelvibe said:
That is because it is not technically an app, at least not the type that you are accustomed to using. Do this to get it to work.
1. Go to Settings ---> Applications ---> Manage Applications
2. After the list loads scroll down to HTC Sense, tap "Clear Defaults" and "Force Stop"
Touch the home button and it should give you an option on which launcher you would like to load.
Hope this helps!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Already rooted and running fresh. And apparently this came with the most recent fresh update, but had no idea out to try it out! So thanks! This is exactly what i needed.

disabling sense and using the stock launcher was the only way to get my computer to see my phone. i tried launcher pro but my comp will not see my phone now, very very frustrating.

Neotelos_com said:
Not exactly...the new update blocks you from using other launchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Really?
I've been in root land so I haven't used it and I'm not positive, but I'm pretty sure it doesn't BLOCK other launchers, I think it just doesn't include the 2.1 AOSP launcher "Launcher 2."
As far as the system cares, your home screen is just an app like a browser or music app, it is just a matter of disabling which one is set as default. This can be done in the applications menu via the method described above, or you may find the application "Home Switcher" useful if you like to try out different home screen launchers?
I certainly could be wrong, but I would be surprised if they blocked the ability to turn off sense as the default.

You do not need to be rooted to use either ADW.Launcher nor LauncherPro.
I highly doubt the launcher is causing your computer to not see the device.

tmac said:
You won't want to use it unless you are rooted and remove HTC Sense.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Why? What does rooting, or removing Sense, have to do with using an alternative launcher? Take your time, be specific.

Neotelos_com said:
Not exactly...the new update blocks you from using other launchers.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No, the new OTA removes the stock Launcher2. It doesn't block anything.
If you don't have the update it'll work without root and you don't need to remove sense.
On the other hand, if you have the update you will need to root your phone first.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong. You can either use the Force Close trick to get Sense to close, or you can just grab Home Switcher from the Market and use that to close Sense.

DraginMagik said:
You do not need to be rooted to use either ADW.Launcher nor LauncherPro.
I highly doubt the launcher is causing your computer to not see the device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I doubt it either, but wit the stock launcher as default my comp saw my phone n that was the only way, wouldnt work wit sense. Wit the new update, they removed the launcher so i tried launcher pro as default n it didnt work. But the weird thing is that my computer at work sees my phone wit no problem, so it must be something within my comp that i cant seem to figure out. n my comp is fully updated n drivers are all up to date so its weird.

I just loaded launcher pro last night. Took me a while to figure it out too as it is NOT in the apps and there are NO instructions.
Is it just me...or is there some conspiracy in Android land to NEVER HAVE ANY INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!!!!
grrrr
Anyway...somehow one time I tapped the home button on phone and it popped up with a window that asked which one I wanted to use. No idea how I got it, but there it was. It had stock android, launcher, and sense listed. (I am still pre-ota). I have played around with all three.
However...honestly...I found launcher to be a complete slow tortoise! Seriously. Everyone hatin on Sense and Launcher was the slowest thing I have ever seen. And I hadn't even added any apps to it. Not sure I like it at all.
Only cool bit is the home screen rotation...which is what I was looking for. I should go leave comments on this....

LauncherPro is a speed demon and is great to use (been doing so since I found out about it).
I have no idea why it would be slow for you at all.

Cuz he has sense still running I would think
Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk

Be sure to clean slate your HTC Sense Launcher. I am running EVOlution V9 now, so can't remember exactly where the option is; but it's there somewhere. I installed Launcher Pro on my Stock ROM yesterday before rooting and loved it. Everything worked great once I deleted everything off of my HTC Sense Launcher and set Launcher Pro to default. Running it on Froyo now as well.

thorpe24 said:
Cuz he has sense still running I would think
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You think? I heard so many great things about it, but it is nasty slow on my machine. So if I choose it from that pop up window...then you think sense is still trying to run but with that launcher??
So...how is this done? You have to actually get rid of sense or can you turn it off without root?
(ps...i do plan to root, but not until i make a decision in my 30 day period...yes, i have commitment issues!)

sablesurfer said:
You think? I heard so many great things about it, but it is nasty slow on my machine. So if I choose it from that pop up window...then you think sense is still trying to run but with that launcher??
So...how is this done? You have to actually get rid of sense or can you turn it off without root?
(ps...i do plan to root, but not until i make a decision in my 30 day period...yes, i have commitment issues!)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Open Sense again. I think if you hit menu, something like "Scenes" or similar will appear. Select that and select "Clean Slate." That should clear your Sense homescreen.
Then try Launcher Pro again.

Sense Roms/battery drain phenomenon. please explain

I've been trying to sort through some threads but I am not seeing a real definitive answer to this.
I recently switched over to the series III rom to give it a go from CM7 and last night at full charge I unplugged it just to wake this morning at 14% batter left. This is the identical issue I had with Myn's Roms. Myns I had a wake issue, this one showed 8 hours unplugged 1 hour wake which I played some Rio before sleeping lol. Still both same end result.
My question isn't so much how to fix it or improve it because that question HAS been beaten to death. I am just curious as to what makes the Sense Roms do this specifically. CM7 I was getting really good battery life leaving everything on.
Also, is there an app that actually monitors usage? I don't feel Spare Parts or the stock system reading is telling me everything I want to know about what's using my battery.

blizzard1017 said:
I've been trying to sort through some threads but I am not seeing a real definitive answer to this.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll see if I can be definitive for you....
I recently switched over to the series III rom to give it a go from CM7 and last night at full charge I unplugged it just to wake this morning at 14% batter left.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My guess is that you have a wakelock issue and if you are using baseband 2.15.00.11.19 in conjunction with PRI 1.90_003 I'm willing to bet that is the culprit. Downgrading the PRI to 1.77_003 takes care of it, by the way.
This is the identical issue I had with Myn's Roms. Myns I had a wake issue, this one showed 8 hours unplugged 1 hour wake which I played some Rio before sleeping lol. Still both same end result.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
See the above response
My question isn't so much how to fix it or improve it because that question HAS been beaten to death. I am just curious as to what makes the Sense Roms do this specifically.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I wish I had an answer for you as to why that is. I can only assume that synchronizing with email, weather, social networks, etcetera could be major factors.
CM7 I was getting really good battery life leaving everything on.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had bad battery life with CM7
Also, is there an app that actually monitors usage? I don't feel Spare Parts or the stock system reading is telling me everything I want to know about what's using my battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
SystemPanel Lite & aLogcat are very helpful. With aLogcat, there is realtime monitoring and you should pay attention to anything displayed in RED repeatedly.

hahaha thanks for the definitive break down.
I have downgraded to 1.77 and it's still pretty bad. Again, not really looking for solutions but more of a reason as to WHY the difference.
thanks for the app suggestions.

blizzard1017 said:
I've been trying to sort through some threads but I am not seeing a real definitive answer to this.
I recently switched over to the series III rom to give it a go from CM7 and last night at full charge I unplugged it just to wake this morning at 14% batter left. This is the identical issue I had with Myn's Roms. Myns I had a wake issue, this one showed 8 hours unplugged 1 hour wake which I played some Rio before sleeping lol. Still both same end result.
My question isn't so much how to fix it or improve it because that question HAS been beaten to death. I am just curious as to what makes the Sense Roms do this specifically. CM7 I was getting really good battery life leaving everything on.
Also, is there an app that actually monitors usage? I don't feel Spare Parts or the stock system reading is telling me everything I want to know about what's using my battery.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
blizzard1017 said:
hahaha thanks for the definitive break down.
I have downgraded to 1.77 and it's still pretty bad. Again, not really looking for solutions but more of a reason as to WHY the difference.
thanks for the app suggestions.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're very welcome and I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful. Enjoy your weekend, my friend...

One more app suggestion for ya--
Watchdog
It monitors apps and processes and alerts you if one goes rogue on you eating up your battery. I have found that in conjunction with system panel to be a great monitoring system.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA App

If you can do it, because I don't know how yo use your phone, turn all your data off unless you actually need it.
I do this now, since I found out I can go 2-3 days without a recharge, if I don't need one. I don't use data much, anyhow, except my weather widgets and the times I go on my browser

My usage consists of call text and facebook lol. The clock widget has weather so that too I suppose. Never use 4g. Maps on rare occurrence.
Is there a simple button for data? Without going to settings every time?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

If you never us 4 g try miui. I consistently get 20 hours of use regardless of what I have turned on. Good luck!
blizzard1017 said:
My usage consists of call text and facebook lol. The clock widget has weather so that too I suppose. Never use 4g. Maps on rare occurrence.
Is there a simple button for data? Without going to settings every time?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

I like miui standalone apps but the whole iphone-esque layout I cannot stand.
I like sense. If it was an issue with I NEED battery I would go back to cm7. I would rather go beyond adjust your pri, and disable half your phone and see if there is a specific reason sense roms go all Monica lowinski on your battery. Haha
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

blizzard1017 said:
My usage consists of call text and facebook lol. The clock widget has weather so that too I suppose. Never use 4g. Maps on rare occurrence.
Is there a simple button for data? Without going to settings every time?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're on koni's elite III? Does that come with come with '4g' as one of the toggle widgets in the notification pulldown? If so, you can modify that so that 'mobile data' (3g) toggle will replace the 4g toggle. (if you don't want to do that, you can put a widget on your homescreen by going to add a widget, then scrolling down to 'settings'. Once you hit settings, you'll be presented with more options, 'mobile network' will toggle your 3g on and off at will)
If you do want to modify the pull down toggle, and you have Root Explorer, or another root level file explorer, it can easily be done. I don't think koni's III comes with a widget.txt file already, so you'll need to make one. I'll upload the one I use, which toggles GPS, Brightness, airplane mode, mobile data, flashlight, and sound, so you can use that as a reference, or modify it to you're liking. Once you have widget.txt made how you want it, you need to put it in /system/customize. You can do that using root explorer, or
adb remount
adb push widget.txt /system/customize
adb reboot
here's a list of what you can add to the notification pulldown toggles (6 at a time) And here's a link to the original thread, by JsChiSurf. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=836721&highlight=notification+toggles
(don't forget to pipe delimit them): Spelling must be exact, capitals matter. No spaces, and use | to separate them.
Code:
toggleAirplane
toggleAutoRotate
toggleBluetooth
toggleBrightness
toggleFlashlight
toggleGPS
toggleLockScreen
toggleMobileData
toggleScreenTimeout
toggleSleepMode
toggleSound
toggleSync
toggleWifi

HipKat said:
If you can do it, because I don't know how yo use your phone, turn all your data off unless you actually need it.
I do this now, since I found out I can go 2-3 days without a recharge, if I don't need one. I don't use data much, anyhow, except my weather widgets and the times I go on my browser
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Disabling "Always On Mobile Data" is helpful. When you're not actually surfing the net or using data, it'll sleep saving you battery usage.

THere is a widget for data on Koni's three. Long press your screen/widgets/settings/mobile network and you'll get the data widget.

@k2buckly that's some great info, I appreciate it. Will hit the thanks button when I get on my pc. Gives me a new tinker project lol.
As well as others.
So my question still stands but I think we have established the culprit. Mobile data. Now what makes the sense roms so prone to mobile data usage vs other roms causing accelerated drain?
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

Go search in the Mik rom thread about IQAgent and IQRD. Google them as well. IQAgent is a nasty app Sprint uses to log information about you that they shouldn't be doing.
People are deleting them wirh root explorer or freezing them with TB and having some luck. I deleted them and it really helped my battery life. At least check in to it.

Batman58 said:
Go search in the Mik rom thread about IQAgent and IQRD. Google them as well. IQAgent is a nasty app Sprint uses to log information about you that they shouldn't be doing.
People are deleting them wirh root explorer or freezing them with TB and having some luck. I deleted them and it really helped my battery life. At least check in to it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This app makes it a pain but I will. Essentially I would like to get enough tweaks and info to make one thread possibly a sticky for this issue.
This seems like the similar issue of the vibrant. We had to freeze all the drm, functions because they were always talking to samsung for verification. Regardless of having licensed products or not.
I would like to get to a point where we can get these wonderful sense roms to be basically fully functional with respectable battery life. Maybe just my own opinion but I don't think its right we have to essentially disable our phones down to being no better than an old flip phone.
I don't mind doing the research and leg work either. Im a year late on the evo so I need something to do haha.
Sent from my PC36100 using XDA Premium App

To go along with all the other handy advice. Here are some simple steps and explanations on how to help battery drain.
http://androidforums.com/1383478-post1.html
Read up and take some or all of it and try it out...

madflasher said:
To go along with all the other handy advice. Here are some simple steps and explanations on how to help battery drain.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Nice, some pretty good info in there,.

madflasher said:
To go along with all the other handy advice. Here are some simple steps and explanations on how to help battery drain.
http://androidforums.com/1383478-post1.html
Read up and take some or all of it and try it out...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is the holy grail of what i was looking for. I am sure it was in the 1000+ page thread somewhere but I never found anything that explained the CDMA radio usage. I always found "turn off data". No offense to those who posted, the help was appreciated but I was just looking further into it then most do. I am more of a "why" person then a "i don't care just fix it" person.
As I said I am about a year behind on having an Evo so some of this info is DEEP into some searches.
Excellent read, I am going to try these out and have watchdog and system panel going. Before this read I have my phone pretty close to the 1% idle, I doubt I'll maintain that but it's close to satisfactory.

The best advice I could give is this...If you want a "Sense" based rom, I would recommend MikFroyo. The community has gotten so big, that he now has his own site themikmik.com. The reason I feel this is the best rom, is because everything is repacked, cleaned, optimized, and tweaked to the max...which makes for basically, the fastest Sense rom experience you could possibly have. There are also plenty of theme's, if your not one for the stock look (I actually am).
If you don't already use a custom Kernel, I would recommend netarchy-toastmod. His Kernel's have always been great for me, and with SBC charging too. I just ignore the SBC scare tactics. I've been using SBC since it came out, and have not had one single issue.
But the best answer to the "Why?" I could give you, is...USAGE. Unless there is and actual software/hardware issue your having, then all that's left to blame is your usage. Radios that are on, the signal strengths of them, monitoring software in use, and just simply...how much you use it. Which brings me to another point...it's cool to use stuff like Watchdog, or System Panel to see if there are issues, but after that I would recommend getting rid of them, as they themselves eat battery. I'm not saying the destroy your battery...just that they use it. And the more you have running...the more it gets used. The only "active" monitoring software I use is Battery Monitor Widget. It is probably the best app to monitor your battery/usage that exists.
I have never "downgraded" anything on my phone, always update my PRL & Profile, and have not ever had a software/hardware related issue. Then again, I don't flash much...I just stick with the things that work great.

You better try Azrael X v.40 rom, it give you a long battery live and also after you unplug your phone it takes a long time to start seeing any change on you battery status icon. I tried different roms and this one has everything working,my make concern about roms is "battery life" and speed. Also with this rom I always have wifi on, use wireless network as location, Background data on, auto sync on,exchange push mail on, weather sync on, and live wallpaper on. so far that's my setting and I can go through the day with a single charge. (I'm not doing advertising on this rom, I just want to let other know about how good is in Battery life.

"Don't keep activities" - anybody use it?

Love the phone but a few times the launcher has redrawn after exiting an app because of most likely memory issues. Anybody using this option? Assuming over time this would keep more memory free and reduce this issue. Any thoughts?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

mobilehavoc said:
Love the phone but a few times the launcher has redrawn after exiting an app because of most likely memory issues. Anybody using this option? Assuming over time this would keep more memory free and reduce this issue. Any thoughts?
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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This is one of the reasons why I don't like that Google included these developer options pre-installed on this phone. They're developer options for a reason, we can install them if we need to.
This feature is designed so that developers can test their app to be sure that data is properly saved when is no longer in the foreground. For example, if a user receives a phone call or jumps to another app, the app needs to do what is necessary to save it's data. At times, Android can kill a process in the background. If the user plans to go back (perhaps they finished the phone call), they want to see what it is they were working on last. The developer is supposed to handle this case by rebuilding everything as it was before (to provide that seamless experience for the user when switching between apps).
This debug feature helps us test that it works.
For the average user, all you're really more likely to do is slow down your apps. As they will have to rebuild themselves when you resume them, and you may even open yourself to more quirky bugs (for those apps that didn't properly test the above scenario).
So please don't enable it unless you're doing it for development purposes. My 2 cents.
*EDIT* Here's a page from the Android Dev Guide justifying my explanation:
http://developer.android.com/guide/developing/debugging/debugging-devtools.html
Immediately destroy activities
Tells the system to destroy an activity as soon as it is stopped (as if Android had to reclaim memory). This is very useful for testing the onSaveInstanceState(Bundle) / onCreate(android.os.Bundle) code path, which would otherwise be difficult to force. Choosing this option will probably reveal a number of problems in your application due to not saving state. For more information about saving an activity's state, see the Activities document.
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(and yes, they used to call it "Immediately destroy activities")

Thanks. I turned it off. Did notice some bugs while on. I just wish with 1GB of RAM the launcher wouldnt have to reload. Hopefully things get better. Might just be my apps but it happens quite often when leaving the browser.
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mobilehavoc said:
Thanks. I turned it off. Did notice some bugs while on. I just wish with 1GB of RAM the launcher wouldnt have to reload. Hopefully things get better. Might just be my apps but it happens quite often when leaving the browser.
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weird.. how many widgets do you have on your launcher? the more widgets you have, the slower the launcher is.
Have you tried another launcher? The stock launcher has never been known for being fast and efficient, although I haven't had any issues with it (whereas I'm a LauncherPro fan on my other devices).

kwazi said:
weird.. how many widgets do you have on your launcher? the more widgets you have, the slower the launcher is.
Have you tried another launcher? The stock launcher has never been known for being fast and efficient, although I haven't had any issues with it (whereas I'm a LauncherPro fan on my other devices).
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Click to collapse
I have quite a few Widgets but nothing too crazy I don't think. I use LauncherPro on my other devices as well but I love this new launcher so I'm going to stick it out. Like I said the most common task that causes the issue is when I'm using the web browser and then come out of it. Otherwise its been stable. I've noticed the same thing with Honeycomb on my Xoom so it might just be one of those things I have to put up with.
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

i'm also noticing some redraw and occasional lag when hitting the home button.
I'm hoping that CM9's custom launcher will have an option to lock it in memory- that may increase the performance by a lot.
also when replacement launchers like go launcher start optimizing more for ICS those might be good options.

Have you tried converting your launcher into a system app? You'll need to use Titanium Backup Pro or something similar to do it for you, or simple copy the APK into your system/app folder... Really sped up my launcher!

shawnshine said:
Have you tried converting your launcher into a system app? You'll need to use Titanium Backup Pro or something similar to do it for you, or simple copy the APK into your system/app folder... Really sped up my launcher!
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Did you see the date on this thread, almost 8 months old
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium

95Z28 said:
Did you see the date on this thread, almost 8 months old
Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using xda premium
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... and yet people still continue to discover the thread and benefit from it.
Thanks for clarifying the meaning of "Don't keep activities"

my razr xt910 cannot be counted upon to run smoothly with all the apps simultaneously running and forcing itself to go into reboot. i then fancied an iPhone single styled system (as compared to Android multi-talks) cuz iPhone looks robust and responsive. all the killer that claimed to do the job looked more of a farce and then when i stumbled upon the destroy activity i was like OMG. srsly b4 using it I've only got just inner 100mb of ram, after using it i have a whooping 400mb ram. UI appears faster and all. regarding the relaunching of apps and battery life being used up. i think I'll start to worry about it on a later date. what say any body. ooh yes to add on, even after i deleted 40 apps on my phone it still hanged like fcuked. i guess i can reinstall them back again and not have to worry about it. btw i can't seem to root my xt910 for nuts so i can't custom ROM it along with all other fanciful mods that i hear about what others did to their phones.

Killing/uninstalling apps to save battery life on the Galaxy Nexus

Hello,
I'd like to go over the running apps on my phone to see what your recommendations would be killing or uninstalling if possible certain apps.
My new phone went through the battery insanely fast compared to my ET4G so I'd like to tweak it with your help.
BIP - is to allow LTE? I currently am not using LTE but I see BIP running.
Bluetooth share - I want BT always on (had it that way on the last 5 phones I've had so I know about battery use on it) But I see it is running as BT share, my BT settings on the phone are -set to only visible to shared devices - is the BT share normal or is there another place I should turn off a BT service as the only thing I use BT is for my headset - no tethering, external keyboards or anything else.
Google services - not sure what that is
Media - I almost never ever play any music or videos - is that necessary?
I have GPS/location services off I believe but I see google maps runing
VZ Backup assistant - I don't think I have any use at all for this
Android live wallpaper - does that drain much?

Don't worry about those. Unless you want to hide them in the app menu, I strongly suggest you leave them all alone. A Nexus with only those preinstalled apps on it will drain less than half of a percent per hour on standby. That's ~8 days of standby time.
The screen on this phone is, by far, the biggest battery drain. Inc comparison to the above number, the screen will kill your battery in 3 hours. Everything else pales in comparison.

boe said:
Hello,
I'd like to go over the running apps on my phone to see what your recommendations would be killing or uninstalling if possible certain apps.
My new phone went through the battery insanely fast compared to my ET4G so I'd like to tweak it with your help.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Welcome to LTE, really.
BIP - is to allow LTE? I currently am not using LTE but I see BIP running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
don't know.
Bluetooth share - I want BT always on (had it that way on the last 5 phones I've had so I know about battery use on it) But I see it is running as BT share, my BT settings on the phone are -set to only visible to shared devices - is the BT share normal or is there another place I should turn off a BT service as the only thing I use BT is for my headset - no tethering, external keyboards or anything else.
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The process has to be running to be ready to transfer files.
Google services - not sure what that is
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Click to collapse
Think you can figure that one out....
Media - I almost never ever play any music or videos - is that necessary?
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Media scanner is running (for things like Gallery esp) for when you take pictures or need to access pictures for other apps.
I have GPS/location services off I believe but I see google maps running
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Just how it is. You can try signing out of Latitude or fully disabling Maps. In my tests, disabling it doesn't help or hurt battery, but causes issues because you have to re-enable it and update it just to use it again. What a burden, just let it be IMHO.
VZ Backup assistant - I don't think I have any use at all for this
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then disable it.
Android live wallpaper - does that drain much?
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It actually drains a lot. One of the first things to do to save battery is turn down screen brightness and turn off live wallpapers.

martonikaj said:
turn off live wallpapers.
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Unless you've got some crazy 3D wallpaper (which would probably run like #### on this phone using the default launcher anyway), they might be 2% of your total drain. Unless you're being super anal, I'd leave it alone unless you prefer a static wallpaper aesthetically.

martonikaj said:
The process has to be running to be ready to transfer files.
Media scanner is running (for things like Gallery esp) for when you take pictures or need to access pictures for other apps.
Then disable it.
It actually drains a lot. One of the first things to do to save battery is turn down screen brightness and turn off live wallpapers.
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Thanks for the info!
If I don't use BT for file transfers - is there a way to make sure that doesn't ever run?
I use the camera about once every 3 months however I do browse IMDB at least once a week - so can I leave it off and turn it one when I need it or does IMDB need it for pictures?
Is there a proper way to disable VZ backup?
Thanks - good to know. I didn't really find any wallpapers I liked - is it easy to just set it for a plain black or dark blue background?

ATnTdude said:
Unless you've got some crazy 3D wallpaper (which would probably run like #### on this phone using the default launcher anyway), they might be 2% of your total drain. Unless you're being super anal, I'd leave it alone unless you prefer a static wallpaper aesthetically.
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Click to collapse
I said if you're trying to save battery turn off live wallpapers. Doesn't mean theyre a huge drain but they absolutely do drain more than a static wallpaper. OP is obviously paranoid about power so he shouldn't be using a LWP.
boe said:
Thanks for the info!
If I don't use BT for file transfers - is there a way to make sure that doesn't ever run?
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Click to collapse
No. Just let it run.
I use the camera about once every 3 months however I do browse IMDB at least once a week - so can I leave it off and turn it one when I need it or does IMDB need it for pictures?
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Click to collapse
Again, just let it be.
Is there a proper way to disable VZ backup?
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From the app drawer, press and hold the app, drag it to the top of the screen for "app info" then hit "disable".
Thanks - good to know. I didn't really find any wallpapers I liked - is it easy to just set it for a plain black or dark blue background?
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Click to collapse
Just find a wallpaper and put it on the phone, then select it from the gallery after long-pressing on the homescreen.
The basic theme here is to just let things run. You're not giving Android enough credit for managing tasks. It does this for you. When a process is just sitting in RAM it's not actually using any power. Its just waiting to be used. You will absolutely kill more battery (and cripple your user experience) trying to manage these things manually then just letting them run. This is why the idea of auto task-killers is completely backwards. Just let Android manage things and stop worrying about it. As above poster said, the screen will easily be 50%+ of your drain over a day of usage. The best thing you can do if you want to lengthen battery is lower screen brightness.... really.