Permanently disabling running applications?

ggossamer · Aug 11, 2011

Hi, I have a Samsung Epic and have installed a few applications that I use periodically, but don't need to be running all the time. Is there a general procedure for disabling these applications from running, so as to not consume the battery, without uninstalling them completely?

More specifically, I use Pandora and Skype every once in a while, but they are constantly running, and don't appear to have an option to disable them from within the programs themselves.

I'm also using K9Mail, so I don't need the built-in mail application. Is it possible to delete or disable the system mail application?

Are there other applications included with the default Epic configuration that can also be disabled to preserve the battery?

Thanks,
Dave

vosg · Aug 11, 2011

Those apps are not running, they are cached, which is a huge difference. Cached apps don't use any resources.

Read here about the difference between running and cached apps.

claus1953 · Aug 11, 2011

If you want to prevent the built in mail apps to run just delete all accounts in them.

ggossamer · Aug 11, 2011

vosg said:
Those apps are not running, they are cached, which is a huge difference. Cached apps don't use any resources.

Read here about the difference between running and cached apps.

Thanks for the pointer. Great resource. How can I confirm that they are indeed cached and not actually running?

If they were cached, it would imply that by killing them, they would not restart, but they always do, which implies that either the program is being restarted automatically by some other program, or it is somehow configured to always be running.

Is there a way to determine whether some other program is automatically starting them?

Is it possible there is a configuration option for the program that controls whether it's restarted?

I've read the cache/running FAQ from your link, and understand that some other program may be spawning the process to use some of its functionality. However, we're talking about Skype and Firefox specifically. I only installed Skype about a week ago, and everything was running just fine before it was installed, so it's kind of unlikely it's now somehow being spawned by some other process.

Is there some kind of CPU monitor that I could use to determine if it's even consuming an appreciable amount of resources in the first place?

Thanks,
Dave

ambientdroid · Aug 11, 2011

Watchdog is the best resource and app monitor I've come across

amlothi · Aug 11, 2011

Skype has a logout option in the app. If you choose that, it doesn't run in the background anymore. However, it needs to be running in order to make or receive calls through Skype.

ardchoille · Aug 11, 2011

ggossamer said:
Thanks for the pointer. Great resource. How can I confirm that they are indeed cached and not actually running?

If they were cached, it would imply that by killing them, they would not restart, but they always do, which implies that either the program is being restarted automatically by some other program, or it is somehow configured to always be running.

If you kill a cached app, the system just caches another app, or the same one, in its place. Android is Linux, and in Linux unused ram is wasted ram. Just let the system manage things, you'll be better off in the long run.

vosg · Aug 12, 2011

Ardchoille is 200% correct. Android does a pretty good job when it comes to memory management. Just let it do it's thing and don't mess with app killers.

RyanB · Aug 13, 2011

OP, if you're looking to verify what's actually RUNNING in the background, you can do so from your homescreen. Hit your MENU button, followed by SETTINGS, APPLICATIONS, and finally RUNNING SERVICES. This will pull up a list of the things actually running, and show you how much RAM you have free. Just be careful and thoughtful before closing stuff out as you don't know how that will affect it.

Crashdamage · Aug 14, 2011

Try SystemPanel from the market to get a quick overview of everything. Nice. Free.

TheHoodedClaw · Aug 14, 2011

Android does a good job of managing memory and moving apps in and out. For rogue apps, Watchdog is your friend. Or check the battery information on your 'about' menu for apps that are using excessive battery and are candidates to be uninstalled.

nerys · Aug 15, 2011

Maybe linux is good about that but on mediocre hardware having those apps running BOGS the hardware down (running 2.2 on a TP2) get auto killer memory optimizer. its free and instead of murdering apps (not always a good idea) it simply tweaks the systems built in ram clearing functionality.

just increase the bottom 3 values till the system feels smooth again this way android does it thing the way it knows how you just tell it to do it more.

when I let my available ram get below 55mb the system gets "sluggish" so I just set mine to 75mb and it keeps it around that and things run smoothly. it can still run background apps but it can't run as many since my max free ram is around 85mb or so at a guess.

Permanently disabling running applications?

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