WHat apps auto-launch when and why? How do I close apps?

[Mikey1969]

Hi guys,
I know this has been reviewed over and over, but I have yet to find definitive answers, and the amount of stuff that launches by itself and when is just confusing.

So I know we have all seen the discussion about killing apps we don't want running, and I've already installed Advanced Task Killer Pro, the question I have is twofold:
1. What HAS to stay open? On the BlackBerry there were certain proceeses that would relaunch if you closed them, and I understand this, but I have no idea which these are here.

2. Why so I sometimes have some things auto-launch and sometimes others? I'll go out somewhere and look at my apps list, and suddenly things like CityID, Photos, Footprints and (Google)Talk will be open, and I never launch these on my own, with the exception of Photos occasionally when I am looking at the 5 or 6 pics I've taken with my Incredible so far.

Lastly, I have a separate but related question: How do you actually close out apps? Simply hitting the 'Home' icon doesn't do this. They will still be running in the background. I'm sure they aren't eating the memory they eat when running at full tilt, but that's not the point. I want to close these programs, and can't figure outhow to do it correctly apparently.


Thanks in advance for any advice. I appreciate it!

[Abe21599]

to sum it up:

droid multitasks. its able to run apps in the background

look up multitasking of the droid and youll see what i mean

[Mikey1969]

I understand that it multitasks. I also understand multitasking, I work in IT, that's not the point. I want a grasp on what apps run automatically, why certain apps seem to launch on their own, and how to truly close an app without having to kill it in Task Killer all the time.

Call it OCD, I don't want stuff running that doesn't need to run, it just messes with my sense of order.

[Backnblack]

Call it OCD, I don't want stuff running that doesn't need to run, it just messes with my sense of order.

You are going to have a hard time with Android then.....

[BayouFlyFisher]

I understand that it multitasks. I also understand multitasking, I work in IT, that's not the point. I want a grasp on what apps run automatically, why certain apps seem to launch on their own, and how to truly close an app without having to kill it in Task Killer all the time.

Call it OCD, I don't want stuff running that doesn't need to run, it just messes with my sense of order.

Those apps are not "running". That's a Windows concept. They are loaded in ram waiting to be used. They are not causing any harm. If the system needs the ram, it will remove them. Otherwise they just sit there waiting. No harm, no foul.

[Mikey1969]

LOL, I'm not having a hard time with Android, I love the phone, i just wanted some idea as to why stuff auto-launches and how to correctly close out of an app. Also, it's not a 'Windows concept', it's a 'computer concept'. When something is running, it's running, when it's using RAM, it's using RAM, whether it's on a Windows machine, a Mac or a Unix machine. My BlackBerry supposedly closed out things 'when it needed to', but that never really worked.

That's ok, no need to take up any more time on this, I'll just get used to it. Thanks anyway.

[aminaked]

I know you've had enough but here's my philosophy:

1)don't kill anything that is stock on the android
2)don't install apps that autorun on start unless you really really want them to. I use a notepad app called Papyrus. It's the only simple one I could find that didn't run on startup. I use Pandora because Slacker runs a service--why, I don't know. Use whatever you want but try to find solutions that don't hog your resources.
3)stay away from apps that "hang" and use up CPU. When you switch away from an app, if it is well-designed, it will eventually stop using CPU/battery. Some apps have a quit/exit button which you should use. Some apps are crap and just won't quit. Stay away from them or manually kill them.
4)don't worry about apps sitting idly in ram. Android will kill them if needed. They're using virtually no battery so running an automated task killer actually ends up using more resources than just letting things be.

Blackberry is fubar. Android really can close out things when it needs to. Exceptions:

1)crap apps that you should probably uninstall and tell the dev about
2)apps designed to perform a service such as playing music in the background. They should have a quit/exit button.

If you follow all this, an automated task killer isn't necessary. Your OCD about killing stuff actually uses up more resources.

If you're into using beta apps that don't behave properly, an automated task killer might be a good idea for you.

A manual task killer is sometimes useful for killing a hung app. This is rare.

[Mikey1969]

Cool, thanks. Those are some good tips. I think the battery draining has been at the front of my mind, since I know these things are notorious for eating batteries...

As for Task Killers, I use ATK, and run it on my own terms, I wouldn't use something automated there. So far the Android operating system has been very forgiving, even when stuck in a force close loop. I pulled my battery, restarted, and deleted the app causing the issues and it went perfectly.

[Darkseider]

Auto Task Killers lead to anger... Anger leads to hate... Hate leads to OCD monitoring and killing of apps and processes that needn't be.

[droidweb]

I have a question about auto launch. How can I, as an end user, control what auto launches (that is, opens itself upon boot-up of my Android device)? I haven't run into a problem on my Droid, but on my Nexus one, when I boot it up, there are about 12 processes running when only about 4 or 5 of those need this sort of functionality. Is there a way I can remove some apps from the Auto start list?

I know there's probably a file somewhere that tells the phone what apps to start on boot. But I haven't a clue where it is.