Back vs Home

mobiledevice

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Jan 4, 2010
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When you're leaving an application, do these buttons do different things?

Also, holding down the home button shows you 6 applications. Are these supposed to be apps that are running? I've closed apps (like force close) and seen them in that list right afterward, so I'm starting to doubt that.

I'm trying to grasp how multitasking actually works on android, and I'm finding that it's very different than it is on blackberry.
 

heavensblade23

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May 2, 2010
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Android Developers Blog

A little bit technical, but the most recent blog posts explains it in detail.

Basically stuff runs in the background until the phone is out of memory at which point it kills stuff that hasn't been used in a while. It tries hard to avoid killing things that are being used but maybe not actively used, like music players. In exchange they display a notification in the bar.
 

fig95

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May 12, 2010
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Just switched from the storm and love the incredible!

Just like the op I am confused about how multitasking works on this phone. On the storm I was able to easily switch from one open app to another. It was truly multitasking. Am I missing the way to do it on Android?

I know I can hold down the home button to get the last 6 but any other way? It seems like I am not really multitasking If I still have to click on the icon to "reopen" an app.
 

Kratzer

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fig I am sort of struggling with this...but then I start thinking about it, and feel like my grandfather saying "these new fangled transisters! when they blow, can't replace them! I want my vacuum tubes back!"
 

Adiliyo

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it is truly multitasking, since apps don't close unless you close (for specific apps that allow you to exit them) them or the OS decides it needs more free memory, it just looks different than the way it is on BB.

generally speaking clicking the home button in a app is like minimizing it, when you go back to it, it will be in the same place you were when you left.

if you back out of an app (ie the market) since every time you hit back it goes back a screen until you are at the initial screen, it will start up at the initial screen when you go back.

hope that helps