stopping the apps running in background

FredBassett

Well-known member
Apr 7, 2011
215
11
0
Visit site
i still have a fair few apps running constantly even when i close the apps out with the recent apps button or when i go into settings, apps, running, and close them all manually there. Is theres any quicker better way of doing this? I don't want to disable these apps
 

tvouge

Well-known member
Feb 9, 2012
217
1
0
Visit site
Hello there!

It sounds to me like you don't understand how ram and recent apps work in android. My apologies if what I'm about to go into is redundant for you.

On android, unlike a traditional OS, MOST apps loaded into ram aren't active. They are in a suspended state that allows you or the system to access them faster. As a side note, this will also generally help with battery life. You usually don't have to worry about closing recent apps because when the system needs ram, it will free up ram for itself based upon chronological order of use. Leaving apps you use frequently suspended but ready to go really helps the system by not having to reload everything when you want to access it.

There is a saying for android that free ram is wasted ram. With the 3gb available on the Turbo, that can be a lot of wasted ram!

I myself have a hard time not habitually closing recent apps when I go through the list. But it's mostly unnecessary, and like I stated before, actually tends to work against the speed and function of the OS.

I used the terms like generally, usually and most, because sometimes you do have an app that doesn't properly suspend in the background. Sometimes this is based on function, sometimes this is because it's a poorly written app. These "rogue" apps can usually be spotted if looking at battery consumption. If you have an app you rarely access using much more battery than apps you use often, that may be an app you want to disable or end via the recent app list when you're finished using it. Going into the app details will also let you clear app data from the cache. That being said, they should be the minority of apps.

Hope this was helpful!

Posted via the Android Central App
 

Crashdamage

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2015
1,960
0
0
Visit site
Don't worry about it. Android is very good at managing running processes automatically and efficiently for you. Attempting to control processes manually is not only a waste of time, it's actually counterproductive and wastes power.

Most apps listed as running in Settings > Apps > Running are not active. They are not using CPU cycles or power. They're only cached in RAM memory for quick retrieval if needed. For a more accurate picture of what is really going on, install System Panel:

https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ails?id=nextapp.systempanel.r1&token=TjeDgSDq

Basically, just let Android do its job for you as intended, relax and enjoy all the cool stuff your phone can do.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.
 

Crashdamage

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2015
1,960
0
0
Visit site
System Panel doesn't really DO much. It's an information tool, displays all kinds of useful information about your device.

It does include a task killer but you should avoid using task killers except in case an app is misbehaving and refuses to close.

Android since v1.0. Linux user since 2001.
 

Keith Ian

New member
Nov 12, 2015
3
0
0
Visit site
I know this is an old thread, but I found it as I was trying to figure out being new to Android if this is really normal. For example, I noticed that Waze was still giving me directions to a route even when I closed not only that app, but all apps at the same time. So its normal on Android that an app should still be giving me directions even if I completely close it and all apps? lol. That doesn't sound like a normal background function helping the phone or app in any way.
 

Crashdamage

Well-known member
Jan 18, 2015
1,960
0
0
Visit site
Doesn't sound normal to me. If you exit or back out of Waze (using the Back key) seems logical it should stop. But I've never used it so...
 

doogald

Trusted Member
Jan 3, 2010
4,425
55
0
Visit site
I'd think you need to stop the navigation before it will close. Many apps have a service that runs in the background, and I would think that an app like waze that might be navigating when you open another app in the foreground would be one of them.

Android isn't Windows. You don't have to manually close apps. They'll sleep in the background until you need them again.