Openly Hostile Rant to Android Developers on Apps that Won't Shut Off or Stay Shut Off

[jeetakoyay]

You! That's right, You! The Android app developers.... I have a bone to pick with you......

What possible reason could there be for you to code your apps so that they switch on in the background when the phone is turned on and use up precious battery life?

Or, why would you code your apps to stay on after I, the user, have hit the back button because I no longer want your app to run?

I mean, REALLY!!! Yes, I own up to being a newbie Android user, and what I don't know could fill the Library of Congress. Still, this is common sense we're talking about here. I've done some industrial app development and Enter/Exit, On/Off are basic pieces of logic in the main loop of an program in any language.

The only reason that we phone users need task killer apps is because you developers insist on creating apps that don't know when the f**k to turn themselves off.

And, it seems to me like you, the app developers, are one of the main reason why these phones have such crappy battery life. I mean, my Samsung Instinct, as bad as it was, got 18 to 24 hours of life off of one charge. With the Hero, I'm lucky if I can get 10 hours, and that's even with configuring my email download to only three times per day!

This is not hard, people. You code the app to stay off until, I, the user, manually turn it on. AND, you also code it to turn off when I, the user, hit the back button.

Yes, I understand that there are certain apps that it is advantageous to keep running in the background. So, fine, make it so those keep running. BUT, there is no possible reason for apps like Flashlight, or BBC News, or Camera, or SprintTV to have to run all the time in the background!!

I am so tempted to just trash the lot of you. If I did, maybe I might not have as much functionality, but my teenager would be able to reach me late in the day because my phone battery would still have juice.

 

[ikon]

Maybe you should read up on how Android actually works before you post a worthless rant.

 

[grainysand]

Maybe you should read up on how Android actually works before you post a worthless rant.

Quoted for truth. OP, stop getting hysterical. That's not how processes running in the background of Android works. Yes, there are badly coded apps that can drain your battery by either keeping your screen on or constantly syncing. No, most don't do that. No, running processes don't "drain that precious battery life."

The only reason that we phone users need task killer apps is because you developers insist on creating apps that don't know when the f**k to turn themselves off.

You don't "need" task killers.

I mean, my Samsung Instinct, as bad as it was, got 18 to 24 hours of life off of one charge. With the Hero, I'm lucky if I can get 10 hours, and that's even with configuring my email download to only three times per day!

That's nice. My N1, which has a screen and processor and GPU that consume battery faster than your Hero, can go on for 12 hours with 50% battery left.

I also hear that being condescending and insulting is a great way to get people to do what you're asking them to. Score!

 

[lexluthor]

Maybe you should read up on how Android actually works before you post a worthless rant.

+1

Android Developers Blog: Multitasking the Android Way

 

[takeshi]

What possible reason could there be for you to code your apps so that they switch on in the background when the phone is turned on and use up precious battery life?

Not this dead horse again. Is there even anything left to beat?

Yes, I own up to being a newbie Android user

That was obvious well before you stated it. Apps in the background do not use battery. Auto-killing apps that want to remain in the background, however, will.

Still, this is common sense we're talking about here.

No, it's not. This is Android we're talking about. How it manages things is not "common sense" as demonstrated by countless n00bs.

 

[skryer]

not going to lie, sounds like he wants an iphone , you know something that cant do true multi-tasking; but still gets awful battery life (unless you turn off 3g)

 

[Howie]

I'd like to add to this rant -- carriers that add crap extras like City ID. Don't pre-install trialware. That's just stupid.

 

[beckx020]

Well, there are some apps that keep turning on in my Moto Droid. Frankly, some of them I want off forever. There is no reason for them to be using the memory in my phone. Such as that stupid gallery. Or the corporate calendar. They don't need to be there at all. With all the stupid things using memory that turn them selves on, it slows my phone down when I use the apps I want to use. If I want the things running, I can turn them on.

And for preinstalled apps, if I could remove many of them that just are useless or I don't want, then I could put on apps I do want.

 

[Chillout]

the amazon MP3 store is the one that bugs me the most...I downloaded a startup program to make sure it doesn't run at boot and/or turn off if it does start running. I don't use a task killer though, but that one does just bug me cuz I never use it nor do I want it on my phone to begin with.

 

[thepinkc]

Well, there are some apps that keep turning on in my Moto Droid. Frankly, some of them I want off forever. There is no reason for them to be using the memory in my phone. Such as that stupid gallery. Or the corporate calendar. They don't need to be there at all. With all the stupid things using memory that turn them selves on, it slows my phone down when I use the apps I want to use. If I want the things running, I can turn them on.

And for preinstalled apps, if I could remove many of them that just are useless or I don't want, then I could put on apps I do want.

Try Startup Auditor in the Market; it is very helpful for stopping some apps from starting.

 

[thepinkc]

It's not about wanting an iPhone - it's about wanting decent battery life without having to track down a PC and voiding your warranty to root.

 

[hrbib21]

I've had my phone since November and not once have I read anything anywhere that said I HAVE to download an app. Not once.

I happen to use a task killer (System Panel) and I kill everything running that I don't need and guess what? I regularly get 18-24 hours with moderate use. Your mileage may vary.

 

[grainysand]

It's not about wanting an iPhone - it's about wanting decent battery life without having to track down a PC and voiding your warranty to root.

Most running processes don't use up battery life. They don't use CPU cycles. Good god, people are thick.

 

[thepinkc]

Most running processes don't use up battery life. They don't use CPU cycles. Good god, people are thick.

Most don't - some do. Using Startup Auditor, for example, I got my battery life from 4 hours to 10 hours. I don't have Moxier Mail, Sprint Navigation, etc. starting when I don't even use them or want them running.

You should be able to choose what apps are running on your phone. Saved state is nice and all, but sometimes you want to exit out of an app completely. I don't run apps on my computer if I know I won't need them for 2 or 3 days (or ever), so why should my phone be any different?

 

[fytos]

Quoted for truth. OP, stop getting hysterical. That's not how processes running in the background of Android works. Yes, there are badly coded apps that can drain your battery by either keeping your screen on or constantly syncing. No, most don't do that. No, running processes don't "drain that precious battery life."



You don't "need" task killers.



That's nice. My N1, which has a screen and processor and GPU that consume battery faster than your Hero, can go on for 12 hours with 50% battery left.

I also hear that being condescending and insulting is a great way to get people to do what you're asking them to. Score!

I will answer that now.
I've read few prints about the subject.
Others say you need a task killer to save battery and others say that if you knew how it works you would realize that you are mistaken.
And what's that? That the apps will open but when you need power the not so needed apps will automatically closed?
What a lot of rubbish.

PROVE: I run a little game and after a while it froze.
And I knew why!
Because of the apps opening for no reason.
So I run the killer, killed all the shit and the game continued for few more minutes until it froze again. Run the killer again and continued the game.

So for those who say that you don't need the task killers I disagree!!!!

You DO need the killers and the apps creators are idiots who expect the users to pay money for an app that won't leave the battery alone!!

If the apps stayed closed like in windows then this OS would be the best!
Unfortunately as I see it that's the only but BIG problem with android!!

 

[AngryHatter]

Most don't - some do. Using Startup Auditor, for example, I got my battery life from 4 hours to 10 hours. I don't have Moxier Mail, Sprint Navigation, etc. starting when I don't even use them or want them running.

You should be able to choose what apps are running on your phone. Saved state is nice and all, but sometimes you want to exit out of an app completely. I don't run apps on my computer if I know I won't need them for 2 or 3 days (or ever), so why should my phone be any different?

Do you run linux on your PC?
You are comparing windows memory management with linux...apples to oranges.

 

[EarlyMon]

Killing a runaway task is sometimes needed - that's why the ability is built-in to Android Application management, you get to it via settings or a shortcut you can set.

Android is not like other operating systems. The apps are small and compact, and run in what we call the Dalvik Virtual Machine.

The apps do their heavy lifting by calling known, stable Linux services.

When you run a task killer, it's like a drug for the operating system - the more you do it, the more it needs it.

It severs the connection between the app and the services, confuses the Dalvik VM, and causes it to work harder.

Do it enough and your phone will end up needing a factory reset to untangle the Dalvik area.

Once apps are exited, they ought stop completely - if they don't it's the game's fault, not Android's - advise the game dev and request a fix for the problem.

 

[zuben el genub]

They don't always turn off. Especially the social ones. Doubletwist was forever turning itself on. If I want music, I'll buy it elsewhere and load it on the card. Since the carriers do make money if you use the app, are they just assuming that everyone wants movies or Facetwit?
Since you can't delete these apps, and they are really non-essential to communication like voice and text, could a carrier persuade a developer to have the app turn on randomly?

 

[takeshi]

Others say you need a task killer to save battery and others say that if you knew how it works you would realize that you are mistaken.
And what's that? That the apps will open but when you need power the not so needed apps will automatically closed?
What a lot of rubbish.

You've either misread or read faulty information. Background apps are not closed "when you need power". Power has nothing to do with it. Background apps do not use resources unless they're active in the background. That said, it is certainly possible to have active background apps that are using up resources that could be made available for foreground apps.

If the apps stayed closed like in windows then this OS would be the best

You clearly have no understanding of how Android works. Read again and rely on reputable resources such as the Google devs themselves. It's pointless to carry out discussions like this and it's precisely why there are endless task killer threads.

Mobile devices are not desktop devices and they should be designed to operate differently.

You DO need the killers and the apps creators are idiots who expect the users to pay money for an app that won't leave the battery alone!!

As always: tasker killers address symptoms, not problems. If you "need" a task killer then you're relying on a poorly coded app.

Battery life is an entirely separate topic. If you're relying on task killers to improve battery life then you're taking the wrong approach. It's not germane to this thread so refer to a battery life thread.

 

[Nodders]

Have to say the OP has a point. All the reactions going on about learning how Android works and the subsequent (rather juvenile) "+1"s miss the point utterly. Users shouldn't have to understand how the system works - it just should. These are the sort of reactiins that mean that Android will suffer to truly hit mainstream.

 

[reggjoo]

I may use every app on my phone in the course of a day, I have golauncher, it has a task killer setting, there are so many references to apps that I ran, that I have to scroll up just to see them all! There has to be a better way to do things. In any case, task killers can screw up the phone, I use CPU tuner to configure my system to save the battery, and only use the task killer when I have to scroll.

 

[reggjoo]

Even holding a reference to an app, is too much, if you continually switch between apps, you will have a lot of them. The apps don't have to be actually running to eat up resources, if you use a lot of them. The developers should find a way to turn off their apps, just to give people a misguided peace of mind, even if it's not really needed, do it for the users!

 

[EarlyMon]

Even holding a reference to an app, is too much, if you continually switch between apps, you will have a lot of them. The apps don't have to be actually running to eat up resources, if you use a lot of them. The developers should find a way to turn off their apps, just to give people a misguided peace of mind, even if it's not really needed, do it for the users!

Some do - some will give a dialog to quit the app, or it'll be under the Menu - there's quite a few of them, actually.

As you hit a memory limit, Android will close apps and ship them out of memory.

When you start managing Android like that, you're causing it to re-do its job control - and that will result in unnecessary processing.

If you use all of your apps all of the time, leaving the references parked the way Android allows and the devs foresaw will result in faster app starting and better overall efficiency.

BTW - duplicate post deleted, one's enough.

 

[AngryHatter]

Have to say the OP has a point. All the reactions going on about learning how Android works and the subsequent (rather juvenile) "+1"s miss the point utterly. Users shouldn't have to understand how the system works - it just should. These are the sort of reactiins that mean that Android will suffer to truly hit mainstream.

It does.
The OP is expecting a lot from a pocket PC that runs on a tiny little battery.
The phone works fine and the OP has no understanding of how it does so.

By the way, android phones have been slowly outselling iPhones for the last several months.

You point is moot.

When you have a chance, look at the battery and marvel that this tiny little nothing powers your portable computer.
And then read in the manual where it suggests leaving the phone plugged in whenever possible.

 

[EarlyMon]

They don't always turn off. Especially the social ones. Doubletwist was forever turning itself on. If I want music, I'll buy it elsewhere and load it on the card. Since the carriers do make money if you use the app, are they just assuming that everyone wants movies or Facetwit?
Since you can't delete these apps, and they are really non-essential to communication like voice and text, could a carrier persuade a developer to have the app turn on randomly?

Yes.

That's why we root - to get rid of carrier apps, they're evil.

I say that because they are simply user apps that are tagged as system apps, meaning, you can't modify or delete them - unless you're rooted.