Putting to rest the myths about Task Killers/RAM Optimizers and the like

[MikeSmith0902]

<snip...moderator remove duplicate text from initial post>...Just don't send me links to other websites with the same BS as on here.g as you claim all you've done is downloaded a useless app

Welcome to Android Forums.

I like you thought Clean Master was great. Every time I ran it they patted me on the head and told me all the space I hag freed up.

I ran it three days in a row and did NOTHING else during that period. Each time I ran it it reported that I had freed up 1+GB. It was always exactly the same number. I had done NOTHING.

The bottom line is that they lie to you and make up the numbers they report.

If you run ANYTHING from Cheetah Mobile you are asking for pain.

Why it is still distributed on Play Store and pre installed on some phones is beyond me.

... Thom

The post was in response to the many comments saying Cheetah apps steal your information and are basically malware. Even if the apps are crap and do nothing, as you suggest, it won't harm your phone to have them installed, they'll just use up memory and you can uninstall them at any time you want. I know that CM Security works as it's warned me of malicious websites so if it's saved my phone from getting infected with a virus even once then it's worth keeping it rather than deleting it. Everyone makes these claims but has nothing to back it up with hard facts.

 

[Thom]

I know that CM Security works as it's warned me of malicious websites so if it's saved my phone from getting infected with a virus even once then it's worth keeping it rather than deleting it.

You can of course do whatever you please.

I documented proof that Clean Master had lied to me. If someone lies to you once ... why would you ever believe anything they had to say about anything?

Saving you from a malicious website ... how do you know it was malicious?

Running Clean Master every day was almost a religious experience for me. I thought I had the answer and was doing great. Every single day Clean Master told me how great I was. Oops ... repeating myself.

... Thom

 

[mikedt]

<snip...moderator remove duplicate text from initial post>...Just don't send me links to other websites with the same BS as on here.g as you claim all you've done is downloaded a useless app



The post was in response to the many comments saying Cheetah apps steal your information and are basically malware. Even if the apps are crap and do nothing, as you suggest, it won't harm your phone to have them installed, they'll just use up memory and you can uninstall them at any time you want. I know that CM Security works as it's warned me of malicious websites so if it's saved my phone from getting infected with a virus even once then it's worth keeping it rather than deleting it. Everyone makes these claims but has nothing to back it up with hard facts.

I'll just quote this from Ad Exchanger.

'If you ask Cheetah CMO Xinhua Liu what Cheetah is, Liu – who quips that the “M” in his CMO title also stands for “monetization” – will say, “We are a data company.”'

Yeh, that's data mining all your stuff to servers in China, and selling it to whatever third-parties. That's how CM apps can be "free" of course. So if your privacy is of a concern....Good luck!

And if that wasn't hard facts, I believe Ad Exchanger would be sued for defamation and libel probably.

adexchanger.com/mobile/cheetah-mobile-hunts-its-next-prey-mobile-monetization/

 

[codesplice]

Everyone makes these claims but has nothing to back it up with hard facts.

Hi, and welcome to Android Forums

You may have missed the 400+ other posts in this thread full of hard facts, personal experiences, and references to other reputable sites. So here's the summary:

• FACT: Android doesn't need any third-party task/memory management software. It's perfectly capable of managing memory on its own.
• FACT: Interfering with the application lifecycle (and thus fighting with Android's built-in memory and process management) causes more harm than good, and may even increase battery usage as Android constantly tries to restart processes that you just terminated for no good reason.
• CONCLUSION: task killers, memory optimizers, battery extenders, etc. don't do anything helpful at best and possibly can cause real harm.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is either uninformed or trying to sell you something.

And that's not even getting to concerns about data mining, privacy, malware, etc - which I specifically avoided lest you think I just have a personal vendetta against Cheetah Mobile. The above statements apply universally, across the board. Even without privacy concerns, such applications should be avoided.

You previously asked why Samsung would include Clean Master on their phones if it wasn't really any good. There are a few factors:

• It seems like a lot of users are misinformed and mistakenly believe the propaganda that your Android phone won't work unless you have a task killer. That's the first application that a lot of people will install on their brand new device - often even at the (again, misinformed) recommendation of the shmuck who sold them the phone at a carrier store.
• Cheetah Mobile offers manufacturers like Samsung a lot of money to include their software on new devices.
• Samsung figures the users will install CM anyway, why not make a few bucks in the process?

If you think Samsung includes apps like that out of the goodness of their heart, you're sorely mistaken. They're not doing you any favors.

Ultimately, though, it's your phone; do what you want with it. While we at Android Forums like to educate people about how to get the most out of their devices, we certainly can't force understanding upon you.

We are however happy to answer any further questions or concerns you may have.

 

[Akid Danial]

**Mod Note**:

Spoiler

What started out as a discussion for DU Speed Booster (available in the PlayStore) evolved into a very informative discussion about Task Killers, Ram discussion, killing apps and the like.
As a result, the thread is now stuck here, as this is a very good thread about them
So in a roundabout way, thanks to @AppleUser for starting this thread
We also have another thread about Android Task killers here (a few years old, but still excellent nonetheless).
Also, some shortcuts to helpful posts in this thread:
http://androidforums.com/threads/pu...-optimizers-and-the-like.896663/#post-6858083
http://androidforums.com/threads/pu...-optimizers-and-the-like.896663/#post-6859379
http://androidforums.com/threads/pu...izers-and-the-like.896663/page-2#post-6860024

Of all the apps which kill background apps, stop auto-starts, and empty caches, DU Speed Booster seems to be the best. Nice interface, works quickly, on repeat use during the same power up it documents improvement, and other apps rarely find issues after just one run of DUSB. However, Battery Doctor (or some other app) put up a flag indicating that DU Speed Booster (DUSB) has used 50% of the power in the antecedent hour. So is DUSB not worth using ? Did it only consume such power during the "cleaning" ?

I think you were right. DU Battery Saver's Smart Charging is purely putrid, because it slows and screws up my OS, making my K3 Note runs retardedly. My keyboard always kills itself when that runs. Thanks to mikedt, My phone will never be the same again, and my keyboard won't kill itself again.