"Google Play Music" App Starts on it's own...stoppit!

[Tootallll]

I have a TMobile Galaxy Note II Android 4.1.2 with current baseband. The "Google Play Music" app recently started launching on it's own. I noticed it in my applications window. The app starts when I reboot my phone and when I open certain applications. I'm trying to troubleshoot a gaming application problem that started about the same time the "Play Music" app started appearing randomly. I'm thinking the music app might be causing the lag in my gaming application...I dunno. I forced it to stop and cleared the cache but that seemed to adversely effect phone functions...the program seems to be very integrated into phone functions. Is there another way to disable this app since I don't use it?
Thanks!
MikeY

 

[SkyJackpot]

I have a TMobile Galaxy Note II Android 4.1.2 with current baseband. The "Google Play Music" app recently started launching on it's own. I noticed it in my applications window. The app starts when I reboot my phone and when I open certain applications. I'm trying to troubleshoot a gaming application problem that started about the same time the "Play Music" app started appearing randomly. I'm thinking the music app might be causing the lag in my gaming application...I dunno. I forced it to stop and cleared the cache but that seemed to adversely effect phone functions...the program seems to be very integrated into phone functions. Is there another way to disable this app since I don't use it?
Thanks!
MikeY

Go into your phone settings and click on Application Manager and move to the All category at the top. Then scroll down and look for Google Play Music and choose Force Stop or Uninstall

 

[Tootallll]

Thanks for your reply. I forced stop but when reboot phone app starts again...I really don't want to force stop every time I reboot phone if possible. Checked other forums and seems to be an issue others are having with the Note II recently.

 

[SkyJackpot]

Thanks for your reply. I forced stop but when reboot phone app starts again...I really don't want to force stop every time I reboot phone if possible. Checked other forums and seems to be an issue others are having with the Note II recently.

Unfortunately they feel that you should have that program open every reboot, even if you don't use it and haven't actually pressed the icon to open it manually. It opens a service to set all music to play with Google Play Music by default. I rooted my phone to stop or uninstall programs that I don't use.

Is the option to uninstall it available on your phone?

 

[RazzMaTazz]

I used to have that same problem with every music player that I tried (like Android's old Music, the newer Play Music, WinAmp, et al) on my LG Optimus S when it was running Android 2.1 Froyo-based ROMs (stock or custom). I thought it was a hardware problem, but the problem went away when I upgraded to Gingerbread and never occurred again. I realize that doesn't necessarily help you since you can't go to Gingerbread, but perhaps you could solve the problem by going to another Android version (possibly even a custom ROM).

 

[Tormentis]

I have been haviung the same issue since yesterday , when my Sprint Galaxy S3 got the 4.1.2 MD4 build. I uninstalled the updates for Google Play Music , took that program back to factory. No problems so far.

 

[funkylogik]

Do yo have the option to Disable in application manager after tapping Uninstall Updates?

 

[lexluthor]

Wait, why do you care if it starts up? If it didn't get loaded in memory, something else would. It's not like y are getting anything out of unused memory.

 

[funkylogik]

Yup ^^ thats true mate. I dont have play music installed but as long as it isnt syncing or anything, its doin no harm :thumbup:
Unless it just isnt playing nicely with the gaming app. Force closing it will soon let you find out

 

[simonb99]

Stuff launching by itself is bloody annoying !!

 

[MasterCylinder]

Stuff launching by itself is bloody annoying !!

This all started with the 5/17 update, after the Google I/O conference and all the hoopla about this new and improved app.

It's true that it doesn't seem to be using any CPU cycles and only used about 8.5mb of RAM, but it's not like Verizon bloatware that sits in Cache whether you want it to or not. It's in Task Manager>Active Applications - forever! I've never even opened the bloody thing! And, I'm not so sure it doesn't start itself without a reboot, since I rarely reboot yet there it is the next time I look after a Force Stop. I suppose Uninstalling the update would fix this, yet one would have to go to the Play Store to disable updating?

Everybody wants to own your phone life, don't they? It seems rooting is the only way to defeat these self interested attempts at slavery.

:secruity:

 

[funkylogik]

I take it it doesnt give the "disable" option once you uninstall updates mate?

 

[MasterCylinder]

I take it it doesnt give the "disable" option once you uninstall updates mate?

I haven't tried it because uninstalling the update itself would stop this I believe. But now, I just got another update, after only 5 days?! I'm waiting to see what happens.

Also, it was starting up on its own without rebooting. We'll see what this new update does...

 

[jim64]

I take it it doesnt give the "disable" option once you uninstall updates mate?

Just done it. There's a disable option once updates are removed. (N.B. If you restart device before disabling it'll just update again).

 

[Stuntman]

I have a TMobile Galaxy Note II Android 4.1.2 with current baseband. The "Google Play Music" app recently started launching on it's own. I noticed it in my applications window. The app starts when I reboot my phone and when I open certain applications. I'm trying to troubleshoot a gaming application problem that started about the same time the "Play Music" app started appearing randomly. I'm thinking the music app might be causing the lag in my gaming application...I dunno. I forced it to stop and cleared the cache but that seemed to adversely effect phone functions...the program seems to be very integrated into phone functions. Is there another way to disable this app since I don't use it?
Thanks!
MikeY

This is just the way that Android manages system resources. If there is free RAM available, Android tries to predict which apps you are likely going to need in the near future and loads them in. That way, when you decide to use those apps, they will start faster.

As far as I know, there isn't really any way to explicitly tell Android which apps you are or are not likely to use often. If you manually try to kill the app, it will not necessarily have the desired effect. Accessing the app to kill it often may make Android think that you are using that app often and Android will always think that you will need it and load it into available RAM.

The only way to guarantee that the app doesn't load into RAM is to delete it. If you are doing some testing on your phone, you may just have to delete those apps and then load them in afterwards when you are done.

 

[funkylogik]

Yeah if youre rooted you can white/black-list apps but on stock, i think the OS has to learn what apps you use most. I agree though that it shouldnt just launch a non-essential app at boot :thumbup:

 

[MasterCylinder]

This is just the way that Android manages system resources. If there is free RAM available, Android tries to predict which apps you are likely going to need in the near future and loads them in. That way, when you decide to use those apps, they will start faster.

As far as I know, there isn't really any way to explicitly tell Android which apps you are or are not likely to use often. If you manually try to kill the app, it will not necessarily have the desired effect. Accessing the app to kill it often may make Android think that you are using that app often and Android will always think that you will need it and load it into available RAM.

The only way to guarantee that the app doesn't load into RAM is to delete it. If you are doing some testing on your phone, you may just have to delete those apps and then load them in afterwards when you are done.

Okay, BUT, there's no reason that Google Play Music should be thought of as an app that I would want to use by my operating system since I've never ever started the thing! This started immediately after an upgrade on 5/17. Now it restarts itself every few hours if I stop it.

Google play Music is being marketed up front at the moment on the Play website. It was hyped at I/O. They're trying to start a new revenue stream. Am I being cynical?

 

[funkylogik]

Im not the conspiracy theorist type mate but i dont think youre just bein cynical :thumbup:

 

[Rxpert83]

Okay, BUT, there's no reason that Google Play Music should be thought of as an app that I would want to use by my operating system since I've never ever started the thing! This started immediately after an upgrade on 5/17. Now it restarts itself every few hours if I stop it.

Google play Music is being marketed up front at the moment on the Play website. It was hyped at I/O. They're trying to start a new revenue stream. Am I being cynical?

Do you have it set to sync? Its got to be running to sync


Honestly, constantly checking what apps are running and killing it is doing way more harm than good

 

[MasterCylinder]

Do you have it set to sync? Its got to be running to sync


Honestly, constantly checking what apps are running and killing it is doing way more harm than good

I don't do that. I just started checking after I saw it started, by accident, and I'd never seen that before.

Well, I rooted last night, so I should be able to find a way to deal with it, though uninstalling would be the quickest.

 

[Slug]

I rooted last night, so I should be able to find a way to deal with it, though uninstalling would be the quickest.

As you're rooted just delete the APK from /system/app. I'd still check to see if it's inadvertently configured to sync though. 99 times out of 100 that's the reason for something seemingly starting by itself.

 

[MasterCylinder]

As you're rooted just delete the APK from /system/app. I'd still check to see if it's inadvertently configured to sync though. 99 times out of 100 that's the reason for something seemingly starting by itself.

I had frozen it with Titanium Backup. I brought it up again to see if there was a setting for syncing but there wasn't, unless there are more settings if you log into your account. I don't have an account with them.

It's not free, except for a 30 day trial. If this trial is begun before 6/30 then the cost is $7.99/month. They're probably shooting for $10.

 

[funkylogik]

Isnt it just their Spotify-type service that isnt free mate?

 

[Rxpert83]

I had frozen it with Titanium Backup. I brought it up again to see if there was a setting for syncing but there wasn't, unless there are more settings if you log into your account. I don't have an account with them.

It's not free, except for a 30 day trial. If this trial is begun before 6/30 then the cost is $7.99/month. They're probably shooting for $10.

If youre logged onto the play store, you have a play music account, its all the same.

You have to uncheck play music sync in your Google sync settings

 

[MasterCylinder]

If youre logged onto the play store, you have a play music account, its all the same.

You have to uncheck play music sync in your Google sync settings

Rxpert83,

Thanks for your suggestions!

As to your 1st point: I figured that, but I had never configured my Google Play Music app to login to my account! When I open it, it is presenting my Gmail address and asking if I want to use that account or some other. Without logging it in, I have only a couple of options under Menu>Settings.

And, to your 2nd point, I did not have a Sync Google Play Music option under my Google account that I can remember before the 5/17 update, though I might be wrong about that. With GPM frozen, the option is not there . I've got others, like Google Play Books, Magazines, TV, etc ... and 10 others, including an enigmatic "Sync App Data."

However, to continue the experiment, I decided to unfreeze and login the player. After that, I had a dozen or more options under Menu>Settings within the player, the usual you would expect with an online music player, and I NOW had a Sync Google Play Music option in my Settings>Accounts>Google, and it was checked.

I unchecked it and I'm going to continue the experiment, to see if it restarts itself again.

Update 12 hours later: There it is again even with the Sync unchecked. Back to the freezer for now. Titanium Backup does give the option to "Convert to User App" which might do it, or "Force Remove (By Recovery Exploit.) Or I'll just follow Slugs advice.

And just for the record, I've only been following this inquiry just to solve the mystery since I don't plan to use it - I'm using MOG for now.

Isnt it just their Spotify-type service that isnt free mate?

I got that information from Google Play Store, and the info is also duplicated from within the player itself a number of different ways, presenting opportunities to sign up. It's called "All Access." That's the new direction touted at I/O recently, to compete with MOG, etc .... There is also "Standard" which is free "Locker and Store." All of this is brand new as announced at I/O and coordinated with the update of 5/17 that I received. They are launching into the streaming music business - for money!$

Are you saying Google owns Spotify? I can't find any evidence of that.