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

Any phone can be lost or stolen - it's danged sure happened to me! - and we used to need an app for that. And you can still find the good ones, including the mack daddy, Where's my Droid.

But now, you can let Google services handle it and it works like a champ.

https://www.google.com/android/devicemanager

As for malware, I think that's everyone's business - whether Android is susceptible or not, we all forward email with attachments - and plus, Android is a big target.

One of the few non-sensational anti-malware apps in the Windows world is available for us in the Play Store - MalwareBytes.

Most of the anti-virus apps out there are garbage, including a big one by the famous snake oil salesvolk, who are now scare-mongering that a *potential* vulnerability just recently found is somehow malware (when it's not even close).

Avoid sideloading apps from unknown sources, take a good look at the parallel thread here by alostpacket on permissions and knowing what you install - and trust anti-malware apps no more than you would on your laptop.

Android is not perfect, it has vulnerabilities.

Just like your pc.

Be proactive protecting yourself.

Just like on your pc.

The same dorks selling you task killers are ready, willing, and able to sell you anti-virus software.
 
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@EarlyMon is that a partial wakelock I spy in your battery stats?? :p
Nope, it's a controlled wakeup by my mail client to poll my pop mail accounts for new mail on a set schedule.

It wakes up, strobes the servers, gets what is there if anything, and goes right back to sleep.

Had I turned on persistent notifications and the LED, you would have seen more of those pulsing out after the initial one - if and only if new mail arrived.

Instead, when I turn on my screen and if I have time and care at that moment, I just check my email by hand.

I have an integrated inbox so it's easy to check one place and see everything I missed.

:)

PS - good eye compadre!
 
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I just checked out "SD Maid - System Cleaning Tool"

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=eu.thedarken.sdm

I'm not sure what to call this.

It only claims to clean junk files, and will clean caches (yeah, proceed with caution) and duplicates (proceed with so much caution that you change your mind).

It's not snake oil but it's not terribly useful for a well-behaved, well-maintained phone either.

It does carry the potential to go overboard but I can see where some of its functions could be attractive on a smaller phone or where there's been more chaos.

I'm surprised, I expected far worse. I'm not sure that I'd endorse it but it's not for everyone.

It will identify files in your backups as duplicates and provide the opportunity to delete them in the Pro version - so it's obviously not something that you'd want to run monkey see / monkey do.

To its credit, I gave it permission to clean up a database that it identified as a problem, that I knew would completely hose the app's performance, and it surprised me by coming back, changing its mind, and leaving it alone.

Still not sure what to make of this. Wouldn't recommend testing without a nandroid backup and complete image backups of all sd storage.

Warning - it will request root, not mentioned in the Play Store. I gave it no root permission myself.
 
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I use a script file to clean caches on my phone. I have it automatically run when my backup runs for my device. This way all my backups are cache free. As far as the rest I let Android do its thing and I in turn use the device responsibly and make sure of the apps and their origins before I install. I keep the device regularly backed up and have a fresh Nandroid on standby. Simple things can stop Major Catastrophes before they happen.
 
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Outside of what BD said - how do you know those things were actually running?


How did your apps and processes become "offenders?"

You can try System Panel (thanks crashdamage, I have it and forgot about it lol) or Quick System Info Pro.

I have before me my phone, just idling and showing me Quick System Info Pro data.

I have over 40 apps and processes - right now - consuming 0% (meaning, less than 1%) according to Quick System Info Pro. According to System Panel, many of those are around 0.2% cpu consumption historically. I have eight processes consuming between 1 and 2%. The total of all background processes and the kernel is going between 35 to 42%

Quick System Info Pro itself - needed 9% cpu for quite a while to sort all of that out - then dropped to 6, and now it's down to 1 or 2%.

Power consumption for memory is constant - doesn't matter if you're using 1% or 99% - ram requires constant power.

The only variables for power consumption are the processor(s), the radios and the screen - and basically, the only power variable for apps is cpu consumption.

System monitors tend to consume more power than most of the apps.

Automatic task killers need to monitor the system - so let's try an experiment.

I've installed Battery Doctor.

And it's telling me that I have 39 problems that it needs to optimize.

I find this very interesting because the 39 apps that it's identified are ALTOGETHER using less than 15% of my battery - and that's only in RARE spurts, if ever. For the majority of the time, those apps are using ZERO PERCENT of my processor when I'm not using them.

And right now, when Battery Doctor said they needed to go - they were using - 0.0% of my cpu.

So, let me go and instrument my running processes - what do I find?

That Battery Doctor is using 5% of my cpu resources to identify the 39 apps and processes that are right now using ZERO PERCENT that it wants to kill.

If I let it "optimize" - it's going to use more cpu power for the "clean up" - and then the operating system is going to get quite confused thinking an error occurred with 39 hibernating apps that it was doing just dandy managing all on its own - so it's going to get busy trying to sort out its management tables - all at a higher cpu cost than normal.

So - using Battery Doctor to find apps using zero resources is going to take 5% cpu.

But its proportional now isn't it?

My total CPU load is below 50% - and 5% on 50% is actually a 10% increase in CPU power consumption.

Now - add another 5% - at least and I'm joking that it's that low - for the system to sort out what Battery Doctor "optimized."

Same math again - and what did I just demonstrate?

Battery Doctor just hit my processor with a 20% power increase at each optimization cycle -

All to kill apps that were quietly using NO power resources.

(Note - kill. What does it mean to kill something not actually running? What did Battery Doctor actually do? Think about it.)


You can try this yourself, repeat my steps - I promise you'll get the same results (more or less, depending on your phone's processor and what you have it configured to do).

Now - you tell me - who's the real offender here?

Android?

Apps quietly being managed and minding their own business?

Or Battery Doctor?

See why we all keep calling it snake oil now? ;) :)

PS - I've uninstalled Battery Doctor.

They ought to call it Battery Doctor Moreau because that thing is its own horror show.



Freaking nicely said. Major props. I wish I could send you my phone for a bit, let you kick its guts out and sender back home for some smooth operating.
 
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BTW i know this is late but EM mentioned 'Facebook Lite' but that got killed like in 2011 or something. i hated that move--lite was really good. in the end they said 'we are no longer supporting it' and two days later, it now redirects to normal crap Facebook. i can understand not supporting it, but at least let us USE it! Probably the only usable form of that crap site. gone.
 
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I have one more question here. Does running quick boot drain battery? It's under power settings. I assume that is does when the phones off Cuz its keeping the memory so I boots up quicker. Im required to turn my phone off at work so its off most the time. I do t want to have quick boot running and it drain my battery when the phone is "off".
 
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I have one more question here. Does running quick boot drain battery? It's under power settings. I assume that is does when the phones off Cuz its keeping the memory so I boots up quicker. Im required to turn my phone off at work so its off most the time. I do t want to have quick boot running and it drain my battery when the phone is "off".
Battery drain from quick boot (Fast boot on an HTC) forces the phone into hibernation - including the radios.

It uses a little power - not much. And it's convenient.

The real problem with it is that a lot of apps aren't compatible with it and you'll suffer random or persistent force closes, etc etc.

If you really need the fast turn on time and it's working for you, great. Otherwise, turn it off.

If you ever decide to root your phone, turn it off before you begin. Power/boot transitions required for rooting don't get along with it.
 
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Battery drain from quick boot (Fast boot on an HTC) forces the phone into hibernation - including the radios.

It uses a little power - not much. And it's convenient.

The real problem with it is that a lot of apps aren't compatible with it and you'll suffer random or persistent force closes, etc etc.

If you really need the fast turn on time and it's working for you, great. Otherwise, turn it off.

If you ever decide to root your phone, turn it off before you begin. Power/boot transitions required for rooting don't get along with it.
My phones already rooted and I haven't had it turned on since I got the phone....
 
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