Disable launch at startup

[nasht00]

Hi guys,
Sorry if this has been asked before. I couldn't find my answer, and maybe things changed since.

I have plenty of applications that I only use like once a month or even less. Yet, many are always on, for no reason.

What are my options to make it so that they ONLY run when I need them?

I saw that they are apps that constantly watch the processes and kill them every time they appear. That doesn't seem like a great approach, not very efficient. And What if I want to use the app?

I also read some saying I need to root my phone - is that still the only solution?

 

[w_bovine]

Hi guys,
Sorry if this has been asked before. I couldn't find my answer, and maybe things changed since.

I have plenty of applications that I only use like once a month or even less. Yet, many are always on, for no reason.

What are my options to make it so that they ONLY run when I need them?

I saw that they are apps that constantly watch the processes and kill them every time they appear. That doesn't seem like a great approach, not very efficient. And What if I want to use the app?

I also read some saying I need to root my phone - is that still the only solution?

For the most part, you really don't need to be concerned. In Android, just because an app appears to be running in the background doesn't mean it's actually using any resources. If Android does need more resources it will simply kill anything that's been unused for a time and go about its business. The OS takes care of itself, with little intervention needed from outside influences (like a task killer).

If you really feel the need, you can root your phone and use something like Autostarts to control what apps start when the phone is booted.

Autostarts - Android app on AppBrain

But really, it's not something to worry about, especially on a phone like the Droid.