Question reguarding ATK - Page 2

**Boo Boo** · #11 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 03:52 PM

need to enable more robust task killing

_sandman · #12 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 03:59 PM

all those explain how the system works but doesn't explain how its "harmful" - only that it "might" cause a problem .

mr_e · #13 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 04:08 PM

My battery life vastly improved with the use of a task killer. Even after conditioning the battery for a week and even with 4g, wifi, gps, data off, a lot of battery life was drained during the idle periods overnight. The addition of a task killer has meant that my batter went down only a few percentage points rather than running dry.

This is not just idle threads but clearly CPU consumption that is causing the drain. While Android enjoys great collective development, users of the apps are at the mercy of the developers to write the programs efficiently. There are probably a lot of apps that offer great functionality but are maybe not engineered with system resources in mind.

Certainly in some cases I have uninstalled an application or found an alternative, but it's nice to have the option.

There are simply too many variables at play to simply write off a task killer as unnecessary.

peepeesea · #14 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 04:17 PM

i will be rooting my phone as soon as i get the balls and have the time. i am thinking all those running tasks wont be as much as an issue because i will have a ability to just remove those erroneous programs anyway right?

_sandman · #15 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 04:34 PM

YES ! .. AFTER YOU ROOT .. you will be able to remove each one- and if you notice - most of the custom roms dont come with those always popping up programs like voice dialer - sprint items - ect.

i for one used a task killer 2 times to test battery .. i lost about 4 hours - i installed it and actually put most of the programs i run on a daily basis on ignore- which is alot of items - if you notice your "android system" running more then 30% on the battery meter- that is just bad battery drain!.. after i installed the killer - im at 20% with a good amount of up time

but this topic is a dead horse that gets a good beat every now and then .. personal preference i guess- and until i see the harm in using one like frying something or crashing my system then i will continue

**NinjaMom** · #16 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toddpedersen

I suggest everyone uninstall task killers. They are not needed with the EVO, unless you have a crappy app that needs to be manually closed.

The phone does a good job of closing things down on its own that if you setup auto timeframe app kills or do them manually, your hurting permormance.

Link to another forum. A MUST READ!!

http://androidforums.com/tips-tricks...oid-users.html

I have ATK set to agressively close apps every 30 mins or so. I have noticed no harm to the phone's performace... only a bit better battery life.

How is it hurting the phone? Apparently the droid IS NOT very good at closing apps because alot of them stay open non stop... Not crappy apps either.

xSD · #17 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 05:04 PM

More system resources are required to start up a process only to suspend it again, and then you kill it again, and the system has to start up the process again. Not using a task killer will allow the program to use very little memory and resources when it is not in use (Android will do all of this on its own).

Also it does NOT keep them "open." This is a terrible misconception.

mr_e · #18 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 05:10 PM

I would say there are far too many reported cases of people with improved battery life since starting to use a task killer. It's not coincidence. But some people may not use their phone in the same way or may not use the same applications.

Like I said, there's too many variables than to simply dismiss its usage as inefficient.

**NinjaMom** · #19 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xSD

More system resources are required to start up a process only to suspend it again, and then you kill it again, and the system has to start up the process again. Not using a task killer will allow the program to use very little memory and resources when it is not in use (Android will do all of this on its own).

Also it does NOT keep them "open." This is a terrible misconception.

Total android newbie here... so bare with me...

What you are saying is that the task killers killing the app makes the phone work harder to keep the apps "open" and the act of constantly "turning them back on" is more of a battery hog than anything?

Wonder why I get better battery life with the task killer running than without it? Any suggestions?

xSD · #20 (**permalink**) 06-17-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NinjaMom

Total android newbie here... so bare with me...

What you are saying is that the task killers killing the app makes the phone work harder to keep the apps "open" and the act of constantly "turning them back on" is more of a battery hog than anything?

Wonder why I get better battery life with the task killer running than without it? Any suggestions?

This is dependant on the apps you use and that you have installed. Many apps run processes and many also use services and a lot of apps use similar services. Killing certain apps can also tag the service along with it. There is a lot more to it but that is the gist.

Say you kill a process such a the voice dailer. It will be gone but it will pop back up on your ATK list shortly after because it is set to autorun. It will have to restart all processes and necessary services. Letting it sit, albeit for long enough, it will become "suspended." Think of it has a hibernation mode. The process is still recognized for easier access by Android and when it is needed it will jump into the stack and run. When it is done, only a small portion of it is left in the stack to allow for less strain on the system and for FASTER access to the end user.