GNex doesn't do multitasking either, for real

dcastillo

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2011
500
29
0
Visit site
I never really noticed the problem with ICS multitasking until reading this and testing the scenarios myself. Yep it definetly behaves differently than gingerbread does.

Also, I don't like the recent apps button. The fact that swiping it don't close running apps is just annyoing to me. I have a PlayBook and with it when we swipe away it closes the app. So I am just used to it being that way.

I will say that the PlayBook is the greatest example of ridiculous multi tasking ever made. For fun I had all 4 Angry Birds games running at the same time as one browser tab playing Pandora and another tab playing a Youtube video. Six different audio sources at once and you can hear all of them garbaled up together and you can flip through and watch everything running lag free. Lol it is completely useless and you will never need all of that running at once, but it is pretty awesome that you can do it. Android you can't even have true tab multitasking (that I have found at least). Not knocking Android, just wish it had amazing multitasking like the new BlackBerry OS.

That is impressive :)
 

Mooem

Well-known member
Feb 18, 2011
1,080
84
0
Visit site
Actually to say it doesn't do multitasking isn't entirely true. Fire up a music player and then go ahead do something else on the phone. The music should continue playing, thus it's multitasking. ;) To be fair, I've seen this problem when I was on stock 4.0.2 before, in particular the browser would keep reloading, but it's been very minimal after flashing CM9 nightlies. I also use Chrome which doesn't seem to have this problem.

Otherwise, I haven't had too many encounters with redraws or app restarts when using the recent tasks button. Just tried launching and playing Angry birds, switching to Messaging to send a SMS, and then switched back to where I was in Angry Birds. ES File Explorer worked fine for me as well. Again it could be a result of CM9...I can't be definitive on that.
 

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
Actually to say it doesn't do multitasking isn't entirely true. Fire up a music player and then go ahead do something else on the phone. The music should continue playing, thus it's multitasking. ;)

Ok using your example. Fire up Pandora and then watch a youtube video in the browser or in the app. The music player will pause so the video can play.

OR start a video and then go to homescreen. The video will pause.

That isn't real multi tasking in my opinion. On the new BlackBerry OS and on the HP touch pad you can have multiple auido sources at once just like you get from a moderen PC. Android it is paused just like iOS. The music will play in the background over certain things (just like iOS), but with the PlayBook the music/video/games whatever never pauses. It just runs no matter what other task you start. Even if you are not focused on a task it runs until you tell it to stop.

That is dependant on your multitasking settings though. You can have it set up to where everything pauses that same as iOS if you want.
 
Last edited:

zedorda

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2011
2,594
178
0
Visit site
Just alittle F.Y.I. on multitasking and Android. Android does not support multitasking in real terms it does multitasking in marketing terms. To explain: Android can not run 2 or more tasks in the "foreground" in real time. I can hot switch between saved points within certain apps that support it. So you can quote the marketing points of multitasking that most have been fooled into believing but you will not enjoy real multitasking within Android at this current point in time. Some apps can even run in the "background" and nearly function as they do in the "foreground" again just fake multitasking.
 

Undertoad

Well-known member
Jan 4, 2012
96
21
0
Visit site
Ok using your example. Fire up Pandora and then watch a youtube video in the browser or in the app. The music player will pause so the video can play.

OR start a video and then go to homescreen. The video will pause.

That isn't real multi tasking in my opinion.

Please, let's use the definition of multitasking that has been used in computer science since about 1970.

Let us describe your complaint as user interface.
 

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
Please, let's use the definition of multitasking that has been used in computer science since about 1970.

Let us describe your complaint as user interface.

Not sure what you mean, but Android doesn't have real multitasking. Anyone that thinks it does should use webos or the new BlackBerry OS.

None of the mobile operating systems will allow you to use more than one task at a time like windows 7 does. But both of those allow to see and hear the tasks running and the tasks never pause. Tasks will eventually get closed once all of the RAM has been used up, but they will not pause. Even my desktop eventually crashes if I run too much stuff at once.

Don't matter which definition someone wants to use, Android's multitasking is way behind.
 

Undertoad

Well-known member
Jan 4, 2012
96
21
0
Visit site
You don't like that Android manages audio in such a way that you can't listen to two things at once. It's not that Android stops the application while you use another application. If you run Navigation at the same time as Spotify you will find that the music from Spotify is interrupted when the Navigation comes in to tell you what turn is next. Navigation has been running all along, sharing CPU cycles with Spotify and about 20 other background processes you can't see. That's multitasking.

I personally prefer that audio is not shared by applications. I prefer that Spotify is interrupted by notifications and Navigation commands. But this is user interface preference. Not multitasking failure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: ejaymd11

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
In some situations its not a bad thing, like what you just said where the music pauses so that you can hear the navigation commands.

In other ways it is a bad thing. For a real life example of this:

I use youtube to listen to specific songs all the time. I do it on my desktop and on my PlayBook. All I want is the audio I don't watch the videos. I can't do something like that on Android or iOS. Because the second I switch focus from the video that is playing the audio pauses and with Android the web page reloads once I go back to it.

On the PlayBook I can open up a browser tab search for the youtube songs I want to hear, make a playlist and then I listen to literally hours of uninterrupted music of my choice while I surf the internet or play video games or do whatever else I want on my PlayBook. The same can be done on a PC or WebOS. If you try it on Android or iOS it won't work. At least I sure can't figure out how to make it work and I have tired a lot.
 

BuffaloMadMan

Well-known member
Mar 14, 2011
98
4
0
Visit site
I don't understand why you keep bringing up blackberry? If you don't like the multitasking in android than just switch. I believe that is the way Google wants it handed and I'm fine with it. I personally don't want my YouTube video to keep playing every time I have to exit the app. I have a feeling most people agree and that is why YouTube is coded that way

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Android Central Forums
 

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
Lol, erm I also bring up webos and windows 7 and iOS. I currently own and use a GN, a touch pad, a PlayBook and a iPod touch. I am not a blind green robot humping fanboy that thinks Android can do no wrong. It isn't about switching because I already use them. I am simply saying Google needs to pay more attention to the multitasking in Android. Hopefully Jellybean will address that.

Currently, I can multitask on the touch pad and the PlayBook in similar ways as to how I do on the PC, while Android's multitasking is pretty much the same as my iPod.

If you are happy with tasks pausing then that's fine too. That is why you are given the choice on the PlayBook and the touch pad. Since when is having the choice a bad thing?
 

TabGuy

Well-known member
Jul 3, 2011
1,395
68
0
Visit site
Man, there's nothing I hate more than having some music or speaking going on in the background and I have no idea where it's coming from.

Often, on my PC, when I start my browser it brings up tabs, maybe 20 or so, from the last time I used the browser. If two or more of the tabs have a Youtube or other video it's a jumbled mess of sound until I can figure out which ones are doing the babbling. It's a nightmare. Not to mention that the PC has slowed to a crawl and I can't even get the speaker icon to respond to mute the thing. It's even worse if the wife was asleep next to me on the couch when this happens. Whew!

Sometimes multitasking is not a good thing.
 

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
Android has quad core devices with more on the way soon. Why have quad core if the os has such limited multitasking capability? People here made fun of iOS having "fake multitasking" but now people here seem mostly happy with it on ICS.

To me, it seems kind of stupid to have such powerful specs and then rely on task switching. Kinda like taking a PC with top of the line hardware and then putting windows 95 on it.

Oh well, one of those things no one needs when they aint got it, but as soon as they do get it (if ever) they love it.
 

Channan

Keyboard Warrior
Mar 21, 2010
842
69
0
Visit site
I have this problem as well. After using a few apps, they'll all start to close. I figured there was a memory leak somewhere and my phone was just running out of memory. I've been hoping the update would fix it (along with a list of a thousand other bugs) but as everyone knows, we still haven't received it. =/

Stock 4.0.2
 

TabGuy

Well-known member
Jul 3, 2011
1,395
68
0
Visit site
Android has quad core devices with more on the way soon. Why have quad core if the os has such limited multitasking capability? People here made fun of iOS having "fake multitasking" but now people here seem mostly happy with it on ICS.

To me, it seems kind of stupid to have such powerful specs and then rely on task switching. Kinda like taking a PC with top of the line hardware and then putting windows 95 on it.

Oh well, one of those things no one needs when they aint got it, but as soon as they do get it (if ever) they love it.

Two words: Battery life.
 

Channan

Keyboard Warrior
Mar 21, 2010
842
69
0
Visit site
Not sure what you mean, but Android doesn't have real multitasking. Anyone that thinks it does should use webos or the new BlackBerry OS.

None of the mobile operating systems will allow you to use more than one task at a time like windows 7 does. But both of those allow to see and hear the tasks running and the tasks never pause. Tasks will eventually get closed once all of the RAM has been used up, but they will not pause. Even my desktop eventually crashes if I run too much stuff at once.

Don't matter which definition someone wants to use, Android's multitasking is way behind.

Behind? What? I'd say it's ahead. If you're streaming Pandora in the background while browsing the web and come across an embedded YouTube video, why would you want to have to leave the browser, open Pandora, pause your music, exit Pandora and return to your browser, then play the video? I love how Android (and iOS) will just pause the music playing in the background so I can watch the video without any background noise.

There's nothing more annoying than opening multiple tabs in Chrome on my laptop at a time and having some annoying ad playing while I try to figure out where it's coming from.

Also, my phone only lasts 2-3 hours of continuous usage already. Why would I want my battery life to get any worse than that just so I can have "real" multitasking?
 

Saiga

Well-known member
Jul 22, 2011
153
1
0
Visit site
Behind? What? I'd say it's ahead. If you're streaming Pandora in the background while browsing the web and come across an embedded YouTube video, why would you want to have to leave the browser, open Pandora, pause your music, exit Pandora and return to your browser, then play the video? I love how Android (and iOS) will just pause the music playing in the background so I can watch the video without any background noise.

There's nothing more annoying than opening multiple tabs in Chrome on my laptop at a time and having some annoying ad playing while I try to figure out where it's coming from.

Also, my phone only lasts 2-3 hours of continuous usage already. Why would I want my battery life to get any worse than that just so I can have "real" multitasking?

Yep pausing is the way of the future. I know I find myself saying I wish my gaming PC could multitask as well as my iPod all of the time lol

Again. For the 3rd time. PlayBook and touch pad both have options that allow you to force all applications and browser tabs to pause when they are not in focus. So if you want to have them behave like an iPod you can. Now where is the option to make Android leave it all singing and all dancing? Do you still think Android's multitasking is ahead of BlackBerry or WebOS? Considering both of those operating systems can multitask like an iPod also? Jesus man BlackBerry OS 5 could handle iOS type multitasking.
 
Last edited:

Channan

Keyboard Warrior
Mar 21, 2010
842
69
0
Visit site
Yep pausing is the way of the future. I know I find myself saying I wish my gaming PC could multitask as well as my iPod all of the time lol

Again. For the 3rd time. PlayBook and touch pad both have options that allow you to force all applications and browser tabs to pause when they are not in focus. So if you want to have them behave like an iPod you can. Now where is the option to make Android leave it all singing and all dancing? Do you still think Android's multitasking is ahead of BlackBerry or WebOS? Considering both of those operating systems can multitask like an iPod also? Jesus man BlackBerry OS 5 could handle iOS type multitasking.

Because your phone is as powerful as a gaming PC, right? Running an application in the background is easy. I had that with a jailbroken iPhone 3G back in 2009 with Backgrounder. One day I left Beejive running in the background for about 5 hours and it drained half the battery in my pocket.

There's a reason why your phone and PC multitask differently. Your PC can display multiple applications on your screen at once. It's a lot more powerful. It's got a much bigger battery. Not sure why you want 5 different audio sources playing on your phone at a time. But clearly Apple and Google have no idea what they're doing. That's why Android and iOS are losing market share to webOS and BB's OS.
 

Trending Posts

Forum statistics

Threads
943,111
Messages
6,917,338
Members
3,158,828
Latest member
DragnDon