Quicker way to Kill Apps on Nexus 7 (2013) with Lollipop 5.0 update?

[Major Tommy]

Good morning, everyone!

I just updated Android to 5.0 (Lollipop) this morning, and another (much used!) feature seems to be missing...
I often use Force Stop on certain apps, such as a weather app that I want to check for a short time, but don't want to keep running in the background.

Previously, it would take me four steps to Force Stop and app:
Long press Recent Apps>
Long press the app that I want to kill>
Tap App Info>
Tap Force Stop.

But that option seems to be missing, now!

What had previously taken 4 steps, now takes 8 + a scroll:
Swipe down from top>
Swipe down AGAIN to bring up more options>
Tap the Settings Gear>
Tap Apps>
Swipe Right to Running>
Swipe right to All>
Scroll to the App>
Tap the App>
Tap Force Stop.

My question: Is there a quicker way to do this?? Or, am I missing something in the Recent Apps (now known as "Overview")?

I understand that some folks think it is better for battery life, to leave apps running in the background, on Android. I'm not concerned about battery life. I just prefer to completely close apps that I am not currently using, for other reasons, such as privacy, or to kill notifications (which I do want, when I am using the apps).

I don't post much here (I mostly just read posts), so I hope I am following all the proper protocols.
Thank you all for your help!

 

[srkmagnus]

You can put a widget on the home screen to access your apps. Long press the home screen - widgets - settings - chose apps. When you click the widget you'll be taken straight to the list of installed apps where you can then force stop a particular app.

 

[Major Tommy]

Ahhh... much better!

Actually, I did think of that, first, but the option to add widgets by long pressing the home screen is apparently no longer an option. (Or perhaps it's my launcher.) And when I originally went to the App Drawer to add the widget, I was looking for "Apps", instead of "Settings". D'oh!

I wish Goog's gurus would stop making small things harder! They seem minor, but they can be irritating, in situations like this. I also miss my separate email app.

But you have this one solved now, though.
THANX, srkmagnus! You rock!!

 

[jerrykur]

Why do you stop apps running in the background. Most have minimal impact on memory since Android will trim them back if it needs memory. Also, if they are well coded they should have minimal or no impact on battery life when the device is sleeping.

 

[Major Tommy]

jerrykur, there are other concerns for fully killing certain apps, besides just battery life and memory. Please read the OP. (I just knew someone was going to ask that. Someone always does!)

A perfect example of an app that I like to kill is Facebook. Sure, we all know that with FB there is virtually NOTHING private, from them, if you use/install the app. But I do have reasons to continue using their service. (Namely, it is my primary source of communication, with certain family members and friends. I wish there was another viable alternative, and few of them actually use G+.)

That said, I like to kill Facebook when I'm done, because there is so much that they spy on, whenever it's running in the background. Simply closing the app does not kill it. I am NOT one to wear an aluminum foil hat, I just like to be reasonably cautious, as everyone should be. Facebook, and others, have admitted to certain... indiscretions, concerning the use of their apps, on our mobile devices.

 

[Caezar07]

It's kind of a waste of time and struggle since even if you kill an app and it's not in your recent apps history, they can still start in the background. So even if you have an auto app killer, it will constantly run in the background and will play whack-a-mole trying to keep these auto starting apps at bay....hence killing your battery.

Facebook should be the least of your concern with the amount of data that Google is able to collect on you since you use an android device.

 

[to boldly go]

The point is to be the boss of our own devices that we pay a small fortune for. The Customer is always Right -- or, Used to be. If we speak up we may get our way, if we just shut up and take it and let people tell us it's no use, THATS when we deserve what we get. I spoke with my wallet and slid on over to that company that respects my right to privacy... that 'sinking ship' that is going to help Samsung with their security issues, the one that won't bend or break under pressure to be just like android and Apple. You know, the one that will never yank you around and shove spyware down your throat. It will let you play with android apps only if you want to. Happens to be real affordable, too.

I could have just learned to root my LG instead, well it was a good learning experience to try LG android first, now I understand the difference. And i had samsung tablets; same spyware and lack of user control issues there too. That was my ping-pong talk with atnt and samsung blaming each other for the program problems and I just threw my tablet in the closet and said forget about it, a year later it let me reset it and so I gave it to someone else too. The longer you have the device the less control you have over the programs running on it. I spent more time paying attention to that than I spent using my devices. Android just isn't for everyone, is it!

If you want to stick with android it is good to at least discuss the issues and have our eyes open.

I loaned my android phone to a friend to play with and they really understand why I said I hate that phone. The day that I can just pay someone else a fair price to root it for me I may play with it again, but I will never go back to using it as a phone.

 

[Caezar07]

The point is to be the boss of our own devices that we pay a small fortune for. The Customer is always Right -- or, Used to be.

When using Facebook as OP mentioned, or when using one of Google's many free services, you have to realize that you aren't the customer, you're the product.

Yeah, be the boss of your own device and all, but who really cares if FB or Google track the usage of your phone. Half of it is to improve the experience on the device anyway, and I couldn't care less about them using it for marketing research as long as my email or mailbox isn't getting spammed as a result. Most of it is probably aggregate data anyway and not individualized.

 

[GSDer]

Hello and welcome back to the forums!

I just prefer to completely close apps that I am not currently using

Rather than having to do this manually you can have the OS do it for you:
- enable Developer options (if you're not sure how just look it up or ask)
- go to Settings -> Developer options
- scroll all the way to the bottom
- in the Apps section, select the checkbox next to 'Don't keep activities'

If you want to limit background processes you can select "Background process limit" and in the radio button list you can set a different limit.

 

[anon(1017475)]

I'm just basing my comment re: Lollipop based on about a weeks use on a Nexus 7 (2013). Re: killing apps...including FB...I don't think you have to concern yourself with it from a battery life standpoint.

The battery life I'm getting since Lollipop has been nothing short of awesome with FB and FB messenger installed and syncing everything (Tapatalk/Apps/Contacts/Email/etc).

 

[fredsie]

Am I missing something here? Under lollipop, using the new "active apps" listing available though the square button, simply swipe any app shown there to the left or right, and it will be stopped. No need for all the steps you mention.

 

[jerrykur]

jerrykur, there are other concerns for fully killing certain apps, besides just battery life and memory. Please read the OP. (I just knew someone was going to ask that. Someone always does!)

A perfect example of an app that I like to kill is Facebook. Sure, we all know that with FB there is virtually NOTHING private, from them, if you use/install the app. But I do have reasons to continue using their service. (Namely, it is my primary source of communication, with certain family members and friends. I wish there was another viable alternative, and few of them actually use G+.)

That said, I like to kill Facebook when I'm done, because there is so much that they spy on, whenever it's running in the background. Simply closing the app does not kill it. I am NOT one to wear an aluminum foil hat, I just like to be reasonably cautious, as everyone should be. Facebook, and others, have admitted to certain... indiscretions, concerning the use of their apps, on our mobile devices.

Let me start by saying I know nothing about the FB app is put together. But, given their capabilities I would not be surprised if they have services that run on periodic or push basis (ie when data is available on their server for your device). That is they use Google services (or their own) to push or pull data to your device, whether or not it the client application you see is running. Push and other notification schemes are designed to do just this and ensure that when you start an application you see the latest data without having to wait for the data to pulled down. This can be pretty useful to see items new items when you open the client app in a location with poor or non existent connectivity. I just finished writing an app that use Google's services for this very purpose. We track location all the time so we can provide users with location based data without requirement them to wait for us to figure where they are and then fetch the data.

 

[sga999]

Major Tommy, I just found this!

https://code.google.com/p/android-developer-preview/issues/detail?id=153

You just need to long-press on the ICON that's to the left of the application name you want to stop/uninstall!

EDIT: Unfortunately, I don't see a way around this next issue. I liked to long-press on a specific notification, and it used to show "App info". I could click that, then I could stop/uninstall. Now, I only see options about blocking or giving priority to the notifications for that app. You'd think they could have added the new stuff but still allowed the old functionality.

 

[cbat971]

Good morning, everyone!

I just updated Android to 5.0 (Lollipop) this morning, and another (much used!) feature seems to be missing...
I often use Force Stop on certain apps, such as a weather app that I want to check for a short time, but don't want to keep running in the background.

Previously, it would take me four steps to Force Stop and app:
Long press Recent Apps>
Long press the app that I want to kill>
Tap App Info>
Tap Force Stop.

But that option seems to be missing, now!

What had previously taken 4 steps, now takes 8 + a scroll:
Swipe down from top>
Swipe down AGAIN to bring up more options>
Tap the Settings Gear>
Tap Apps>
Swipe Right to Running>
Swipe right to All>
Scroll to the App>
Tap the App>
Tap Force Stop.

My question: Is there a quicker way to do this?? Or, am I missing something in the Recent Apps (now known as "Overview")?

I understand that some folks think it is better for battery life, to leave apps running in the background, on Android. I'm not concerned about battery life. I just prefer to completely close apps that I am not currently using, for other reasons, such as privacy, or to kill notifications (which I do want, when I am using the apps).

I don't post much here (I mostly just read posts), so I hope I am following all the proper protocols.
Thank you all for your help!

The problem I have and neee this functionality is apps like messenger that even when closed leave stuff in the notifications bar, I really don't care that chat heads are open I want to force quit to make it go away and it's not the only app I have about 4 that have a click to return option that now with 5.0 I can only make go away by restarting my phone so how do you kill apps quickly now because long press just shows you what app it is now instead.

 

[Major Tommy]

Thanx for the solution, sga999!

I've noticed that when I go to force stop YouTube, it doesn't do anything. At all. Other times is closes as expected.
I wonder if this has something to do with the Play Music/YouTube integration. :/

 

[nanu7s]

Get developers options after clicking build several times, many ROMs such as cm12 give you option to use long press back button to kill app. Job done if yours does.

Good morning, everyone!

I just updated Android to 5.0 (Lollipop) this morning, and another (much used!) feature seems to be missing...
I often use Force Stop on certain apps, such as a weather app that I want to check for a short time, but don't want to keep running in the background.

Previously, it would take me four steps to Force Stop and app:
Long press Recent Apps>
Long press the app that I want to kill>
Tap App Info>
Tap Force Stop.

But that option seems to be missing, now!

What had previously taken 4 steps, now takes 8 + a scroll:
Swipe down from top>
Swipe down AGAIN to bring up more options>
Tap the Settings Gear>
Tap Apps>
Swipe Right to Running>
Swipe right to All>
Scroll to the App>
Tap the App>
Tap Force Stop.

My question: Is there a quicker way to do this?? Or, am I missing something in the Recent Apps (now known as "Overview")?

I understand that some folks think it is better for battery life, to leave apps running in the background, on Android. I'm not concerned about battery life. I just prefer to completely close apps that I am not currently using, for other reasons, such as privacy, or to kill notifications (which I do want, when I am using the apps).

I don't post much here (I mostly just read posts), so I hope I am following all the proper protocols.
Thank you all for your help!

 

[KJ Marway]

As nanu7s said, simply enable 'Developer Options'.

To do so, Settings->About->Tap build no. repeatedly.

Now, bring up your recent apps and you can long press on the ICON of the app (top left, next to app name), this takes you directly to the app page.

 

[Kirill Turov]

As nanu7s said, simply enable 'Developer Options'.

To do so, Settings->About->Tap build no. repeatedly.

Now, bring up your recent apps and you can long press on the ICON of the app (top left, next to app name), this takes you directly to the app page.

It's work, thank you!

 

[Gary300]

Am I missing something here? Under lollipop, using the new "active apps" listing available though the square button, simply swipe any app shown there to the left or right, and it will be stopped. No need for all the steps you mention.

That is the simple way to do it. Works.

 

[BartmanJax]

If you're that concerned about an app like Facebook running in the background, don't use the app. I don't. I just access FB via the browser. I can also send messages using the browser without the need to install Facebook Messenger.

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