Help Task Killers! Must read for new Android Users

[SirSlayer]

I wanted to post an article that I think will help allot of new android users. This information will make life with Android allot smoother and you will have a better time with your phone if you decide not to use task killers.

I have been using Android OS sense January and would like to share my experience. I came from using Windows mobile OS and everyone knows if you used even a windows computer that processes running can bog a system down. This just isn't the case with Android. The first week I used Android I was killing apps right and left thinking that it needed to be done. Within 2 weeks my phone and apps were force closing and the phone would even reboot on me. Then I caught wind of the fact that I shouldn't be killing apps. It was hard to change my thought process about it but after reading this article and then following it my phone never lagged and I could go weeks without even having to reboot the OS. So here is the link. I did post this in another thread but after reading that thread I wanted everyone to get a chance to read this. Make up your own mind about it, but just be warned that killing tasks can hurt the OS.

FAQ: Why You Shouldn’t Be Using a Task Killer with Android Geek For Me – Android CDMA Sprint Hero

http://androidboss.com/android-and-task-killers-dont/

http://www.androidspin.com/2010/05/25/why-you-dont-need-a-task-killer-app-with-android/

http://www.androidcentral.com/how-properly-set-and-use-task-killer-oh-yes-i-went-there <----Thank to keatre for this one.


Another Users experience
http://www.geardiary.com/2009/12/29/is-a-task-killer-necessary-for-android/

http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/18334-task-killer-apps-truth.html

http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/android/thread?tid=378312e87bb09cba&hl=en

 

[freeza]

Very interesting read. I won't be using task killers now.

 

[SprintFun]

Task Killers are quite the hot button issues on Android phones. Personally I'm going to conduct my own tests revolving around battery life, with and without task killers, and doing what's best for me.

 

[SirSlayer]

Task Killers are quite the hot button issues on Android phones. Personally I'm going to conduct my own tests revolving around battery life, with and without task killers, and doing what's best for me.

I hear ya. You can Google this topic and you will find allot of users that have had problems with the phone even with it just installed. I added another link of one such issue.

 

[apollooff320]

Well leave the NBA Game time app running and watch that bitch drain your battery dead. I forgot I had it on on my Hero and it sucked almost dry. I'll be installing it since it has it's use. Also reset your phone and watch all those apps load up and don't kill them and you'll see your battery die quicker.

 

[adseguy]

It's true tasks that run in the background don't do much most of the time, the problem is that it's all up to the programmer. Coded correctly they will use broadcast receivers to do what they need to when they need to, but some people don't code for battery life and do things like they would on a computer. Hopefully you can see the battery drain in the "manage applications" part of settings. If you really need the app once in a while and don't want to just throw it away then that's when task killer is useful. Use the app and kill it when you're done.

For 95% of the time you don't want to use a task killer.

 

[MyFishWagon]

Great post, and great read. New to Android, so Ill have to get on my appbrain.com list, and remove the task killer app before I get my Evo.

 

[hopalee]

Can any other Android users comment on this? I would like to hear more about it from people with experience before I decide what I'm going to do! TIA

 

[SirSlayer]

It's true tasks that run in the background don't do much most of the time, the problem is that it's all up to the programmer. Coded correctly they will use broadcast receivers to do what they need to when they need to, but some people don't code for battery life and do things like they would on a computer. Hopefully you can see the battery drain in the "manage applications" part of settings. If you really need the app once in a while and don't want to just throw it away then that's when task killer is useful. Use the app and kill it when you're done.

For 95% of the time you don't want to use a task killer.

Yes I do Agree with this. One program I found that you can use in situations like this is Astro File Manager. I does contain a process and app killer but its hidden and doesn't take over like some of the others out there. Plus you get full access to your SD Card.

 

[nyijedi]

Can any other Android users comment on this? I would like to hear more about it from people with experience before I decide what I'm going to do! TIA

I have been an Android user from the beginning (I got a G1 when it launched, and switched to the Moto Droid when that launched).

Respectfully, I have to disagree with the the article. I'm not saying that the article is WRONG, but I am saying that task killers, when used properly, serve a useful purpose (btw, the usefulness of task killers has been heavily debated for a while in the Android community).

One of the posters before me mentioned that ideally, apps running in the background will not adversely affect performance and battery life, but it is up to the developers to make sure this is the case. I completely agree with this.

I've had my fair share of apps that took a strangle hold on my RAM and ate my battery, even when I wasn't using the app. Killing unused tasks definitely helped my phone when it would slow down (which, admittedly, shouldn't be a huge issue on the EVO since it has 512 MB of RAM versus my 256 MB of RAM in my Droid).

My recommendation is to use a task killer, but don't get carried away with it, and don't kill tasks that need to be running in the background to function correctly (i.e., widgets, the POP/IMAP e-mail application, etc.). I use "Advanced Task Manager," which allows you to have an "exclude" list and have a widget that kills all tasks NOT excluded with a simple tap. This has worked great for me for a long time now.

 

[Bek]

From my experiences so far, I think I'm going to let Android handle memory management.

HOWEVER, that does not mean I will not be using Advanced Task Killer. As the original article points out, it does have its uses. If I have a 3rd party app that hammers my network in the background, and I know I don't want it doing that after I'm done with it, I can kill it. It's good for testing, debugging, and analysis purposes as well.

I think one of the "challenges" is that a normal user doesn't necessarily know which processes to also flag as "ignore/exclude." In that second article you posted, the OP discusses how notifications weren't coming in properly. I'm willing to speculate that ATK killed his e-mail app instead of leaving that alone.

In either case, I just won't be using it for active memory management (which is all configurable). I might experiment with it later, and heavily customize it by flagging various system/core apps to ignore. But if you're a general run & gun kind of user, you're probably better off letting Android do its thing.

 

[MyFishWagon]

My recommendation is to use a task killer, but don't get carried away with it, and don't kill tasks that need to be running in the background to function correctly (i.e., widgets, the POP/IMAP e-mail application, etc.). I use "Advanced Task Manager," which allows you to have an "exclude" list and have a widget that kills all tasks NOT excluded with a simple tap. This has worked great for me for a long time now.

Good stuff here.....

 

[mrvirginia]

uh, Froyo 2.2 is gonna have it's own native task killer. there must be some reason why google wants it native now
Grenade Tech: May 2010

 

[nyijedi]

I think one of the "challenges" is that a normal user doesn't necessarily know which processes to also flag as "ignore/exclude." In that second article you posted, the OP discusses how notifications weren't coming in properly. I'm willing to speculate that ATK killed his e-mail app instead of leaving that alone.

This is a good point. If you're a normal user who doesn't know what to flag as "ignore/exclude," but you still want to use a task killer, I'd suggest:

1) Only kill apps that you've downloaded - don't kill anything else.
2) Only kill downloaded apps that don't strike you as apps that need a constant, always-on connection. For example, a sports score app can be killed, but if you're using a sports score widget that updates scores for you, don't kill it.
3) Don't set your task killer to "auto kill" apps based on the amount of free memory. If you do this, important apps may be getting killed in the background and you won't even know it. Rather, only manually kill things that you know don't need to be constantly running.

 

[SirSlayer]

This is a good point. If you're a normal user who doesn't know what to flag as "ignore/exclude," but you still want to use a task killer, I'd suggest:

1) Only kill apps that you've downloaded - don't kill anything else.
2) Only kill downloaded apps that don't strike you as apps that need a constant, always-on connection. For example, a sports score app can be killed, but if you're using a sports score widget that updates scores for you, don't kill it.
3) Don't set your task killer to "auto kill" apps based on the amount of free memory. If you do this, important apps may be getting killed in the background and you won't even know it. Rather, only manually kill things that you know don't need to be constantly running.

I very much agree with this as well. I just remember my win mobile days and we all get taught that killing processes is a good thing. But standard users of the device need to always make sure of what they are killing. I have been running my hero for 2 weeks now without ever having to kill an app or reboot and its still smooth as can be.

 

[CTMaineah]

This is a good point. If you're a normal user who doesn't know what to flag as "ignore/exclude," but you still want to use a task killer, I'd suggest:

1) Only kill apps that you've downloaded - don't kill anything else.
2) Only kill downloaded apps that don't strike you as apps that need a constant, always-on connection. For example, a sports score app can be killed, but if you're using a sports score widget that updates scores for you, don't kill it.
4) Don't set your task killer to "auto kill" apps based on the amount of free memory. If you do this, important apps may be getting killed in the background and you won't even know it. Rather, only manually kill things that you know don't need to be constantly running.

....you missed 3 lol

 

[dbpaddler]

It's for the programmers that don't know how to write programs properly so they shut down in a decent fashion.

uh, Froyo 2.2 is gonna have it's own native task killer. there must be some reason why google wants it native now
Grenade Tech: May 2010

 

[nyijedi]

....you missed 3 lol

Haha. Whoops. My OCD required me to go back and fix this after you pointed it out.

 

[SirSlayer]

Haha. Whoops. My OCD required me to go back and fix this after you pointed it out.

LOL I fixed the quote in my post for ya!!!!

 

[R1_Rydah]

+1 for advanced task killer... I've been using it for 2-3 months on my touch pro with the eclair port, and no force close side effects

 

[htc.EVOlution]

i'm using advance task killers! is that also a problem? I haven't seen any crazy problem with advance task killer

I think Advance Task Killer is a complement to the phone since it will kill things automatically. you can set those on Auto and put it on Safe killing

 

[geomens]

i'm using advance task killers! is that also a problem? I haven't seen any crazy problem with advance task killer

I think Advance Task Killer is a complement to the phone since it will kill things automatically. you can set those on Auto and put it on Safe killing

"Safe killing?" How can any kill be safe lol

 

[SirSlayer]

i'm using advance task killers! is that also a problem? I haven't seen any crazy problem with advance task killer

I think Advance Task Killer is a complement to the phone since it will kill things automatically. you can set those on Auto and put it on Safe killing

Kill at your own risk! did you read the linked article?? We are not saying its the end of the phone, but should be used with caution is all. I quit honestly never have needed it after realizing what it was doing to the OS. Trust me. You should also read the second link, they just cause issues. So, when your issues start happening before you post you should uninstall any type of task killers first and see if that fixes your issues. Its really up to you how you use your phone. But the experts do recommend not to use it.

 

[nyijedi]

Kill at your own risk! did you read the linked article?? We are not saying its the end of the phone, but should be used with caution is all. I quit honestly never have needed it after realizing what it was doing to the OS. Trust me. You should also read the second link, they just cause issues. So, when your issues start happening before you post you should uninstall any type of task killers first and see if that fixes your issues. Its really up to you how you use your phone. But the experts do recommend not to use it.

The "experts"? LOL. I've been using a task killer for about a year and a half with two Android phones, and 3 different versions of Android, and I've had no problems. In fact, it has helped the performance of both of my phones. To each his own.

 

[freeza]

Changed my mind--I'll probably use one, only to kill third party apps