background tasks getting a joke now

[EmperorKabir]

idle apps may not use battery in an ideal world, but

1: task killing always makes starting up of apps faster in my experience

2: shutdown time is very quick just after a task kill

3: you can't just generalise idle apps. some of them rescan for updates/polls etc and having loads of those open will destroy the battery

4: sometimes certain apps just don't work for whatever reason, but then suddenly work if you task kill

5: don't just assume that the HTC idle task handling is perfect. it's not.

 

[Griff_LI]

1: How is this even possible ? Unloading a load of stuff from memory and then re-loading it is quicker than simply leaving it there and re-referencing it ? If you're running a task killer then I suggest that the extra time is actually the OS fighting the killer.

2: Certainly, you've removed any waiting for tasks to die cleanly. It doesn't make it a good thing, though.

3: Yes, you can. If an app doesn't idle properly remove it and either tell the developer or find a replacement that does.

4: Again, if an app doesn't work, bin it. I had an issue with Maps staying resident, it was caused by the Task Killer - once I'd removed it everything works SO much better.

For both 3 & 4 You don't need a task-killer you can simply Force Close

5: Firstly, it's not HTC's idle task handling, it's Android's. Secondly, if you have an operating system that has task-idling issues can I suggest running a further task to solve them is fundamentally the wrong thing to do? If you can report actual problems then I'm sure the Android team would love to hear them. As it seems you have a deep misunderstanding of how Android works, though, I suspect your feedback would be unhelpful.

 

[grainysand]

1: task killing always makes starting up of apps faster in my experience

Not in mine. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

2: shutdown time is very quick just after a task kill

I don't kill apps. My N1 shuts down in three seconds, tops.

3: you can't just generalise idle apps. some of them rescan for updates/polls etc and having loads of those open will destroy the battery

Apps/widgets would only actively listen for updates/push e-mails only if you let them. That's why there are refresh settings. Widgets can be removed from the homescreen.

5: don't just assume that the HTC idle task handling is perfect. it's not.

You're very informed and knowledgeable.

 

[philarmer]

My desire has been unplugged since this morning (9h48m in total) & my battery is still currently at 67%. My WiFi, bluetooth, GPS & mobile data are continuously on. I have made numerous phone calls today and spent a couple of hours inputting information into the calender & listened to an audio book to & from work.

I upgraded to 2.2 last night & DON'T use a task killer.

I personally think this is bloody marvellous & proof to me that you do not need a task killer.

:-D

 

[Phenomenological]

Let me reiterate this.

A task killer will, in 99.9% of cases, only make matters worse. They are not needed on the Android system, especially not on a phone with such a powerful processor and so much RAM.

If you are having issues that are solved by killing apps, it's because you have downloaded a crappy app, and you should figure out which one it is and find a replacement.

 

[Deleted User]

I think we've digressed from the original (ultimate) problem - that of the apps running the battery down quicker than in eclair.

 

[philarmer]

I think we've digressed from the original (ultimate) problem - that of the apps running the battery down quicker than in eclair.

This was the point I was making. I don't do anything to try and extend my battery life (ie I leave all my apps running in the background) & my battery will probably last the best part of 2 days without requiring a charge.

 

[halcyondays]

I noticed the same which the custom Froyo Rom i installed a while back, i no longer had loads of apps cached, maybe 1 or 2 but rest showed they were running. Battery life has definitely been better though.

Glad to see the official 2.2 is doing the same, thought it was just my version.

I can now have my phone unplugged from 7am until 10pm with email updating every 30 minutes, news updating every 2 hours, Facebook every hour and still have between 40-50 percent left on the battery. this includes texting and making calls during the day.

As others have said, there is no need for task killers. Android operates like your desktop at home.