Camera kills other apps on Moto X4

[cdysthe]

The Moto X4 is a great phone except for one thing: The camera app has permission to kill other apps and it does it all the time regardless of how much free memory there is. It kills my music player, fitness tracker, VPN and others. I open the camera while out and about and *poof* most apps are killed, even the launcher. I have never had a phone with a camera doing this.

I have read that it may be possible to change advanced permissions using ADB shell and wondered if that could be possible with the Moto camera app. If someone could let me know if it is possible and if so could tell me how it would be great. I have done it in the past with an app called GSam Battery Monitor and it was not hard when I knew what the ADB shell commands are.

My phone runs Oreo 8.1.

 

[B. Diddy]

I hope you don't mind, but I moved this from the Oreo forum to the Moto X4 forum, since it's more likely to be a device-specific issue, rather than a general Oreo issue.

 

[cdysthe]

I hope you don't mind, but I moved this from the Oreo forum to the Moto X4 forum, since it's more likely to be a device-specific issue, rather than a general Oreo issue.

I don't mind although I do not think it's device specific but rather a general Android question about changing advanced permissions for an app using ADB.

 

[B. Diddy]

Oh, I see. I just haven't seen this in other devices, so I thought it might be something about the X4 (or perhaps Android One). Let me know if you want me to move it back.

 

[cdysthe]

Oh, I see. I just haven't seen this in other devices, so I thought it might be something about the X4 (or perhaps Android One). Let me know if you want me to move it back.

Never seen it myself. No idea why they use that permission for the camera app. Let's see what happens over Moto X4 camp

 

[bryanmsi]

I had no idea the camera app behaved this way. it's still horribly slow even after multiple updates and seems to have gotten slower with Oreo 8.1. it was almost tolerable after a big update, but seems to have regressed.

 

[YankInDaSouth]

I just had Google Play Music going and snapped a pic and GPM didn't close, or even skip a beat.
Also tried it with a YouTube video playing in the background and the video audio kept going and didn't even stutter...
Does this behavior happen in Safe Mode?

 

[cdysthe]

I just had Google Play Music going and snapped a pic and GPM didn't close, or even skip a beat.
Also tried it with a YouTube video playing in the background and the video audio kept going and didn't even stutter...
Does this behavior happen in Safe Mode?

No, it happens in normal mode. I was just out for a walk with my podcast player (AntennaPod) and VPN connected. As soon as I opened the camera and took some pics both player and VPN were killed. The launcher had to start again also when I closed the camera. Maybe Google apps aren't affected? Please note it doesn't always happen and I have to use the camera, just open and close it doesn't do it. Anyway, there's no need for the camera app to have permission to close other apps, only system apps needs that from time to time. I have checked on other phones and none of them let the camera close other apps.

 

[cdysthe]

I had no idea the camera app behaved this way. it's still horribly slow even after multiple updates and seems to have gotten slower with Oreo 8.1. it was almost tolerable after a big update, but seems to have regressed.

The camera works well but yes, it is slow. I can live with that, but that it kills background processes is so annoying. It should not be able to.

 

[chanchan05]

I'd think the camera being able to kill background processes is so that if ever the phone needs more RAM and the camera is active, then it won't be the one that is killed other wise you lose all the video you would have been taking. The question here is, what is going on on your phone as to why there isn't enough RAM to run both the camera and the launcher.

 

[cdysthe]

I'd think the camera being able to kill background processes is so that if ever the phone needs more RAM and the camera is active, then it won't be the one that is killed other wise you lose all the video you would have been taking. The question here is, what is going on on your phone as to why there isn't enough RAM to run both the camera and the launcher.

There's plenty of RAM on my phone when this happens. The camera never uses more than 40 MB anyway. See screenshot. I have never had an open camera app be closed by the memory manager before on any phone. I am now using another camera app. Over the last two wees it has never been closed. It does not have permission to close other apps either. So I still would like to know how to revoke this permission using ADB if possible.

 

[Rukbat]

I'd think the camera being able to kill background processes is so that if ever the phone needs more RAM and the camera is active

The app can set that itself - "don't kill me" - any time it goes into video mode or any time iy's running.

 

[pazzo02]

I agree the camera app on the X4 is pretty wonky, and they have had multiple opportunities to fix the problems with it but apparently haven't. What I hate is that it kills my daily wallpaper app and I keep having to set it back up. Luckily it doesn't happen every time.