Task Manager/Killer for Jelly Bean? Way too many uninvited apps opening up...

[gedansky]

I understand there are two schools of thought with Task Killer/Managers... those that believe in them and those that don't. But, the tech reviews I've been reading all acknowledge this schism, but suggest the simple fact that Android tends to leave a lot of apps running in the background, or automatically open apps you aren't using, eating resources and battery life. While I have largely shied away from such products, my experience over the past few years has finally lead me to change my tune.

Now, with Jelly Bean, it seems worse than ever, and, the Galaxy Nexus, while a beautiful phone, is hardly conservative on battery life by nature, so I can't afford to leave matters alone. There are so many apps that I haven't authorized to run on their own, that just do so, seemingly at random. For instance, in a recent check, facebook, google+, Google Play Books, Youtube, Google Play Movies and TV, Google Search, Google Play Store, Wallet, Chrome, Talk, Google Voice, gmail, Redlaser, Groupon, and Maps had all opened in the background. Some of these are repeat offenders, re-opening every few minutes (facebook, maps, Groupon, and Google Search always being amongst those open.), and some of them are just random, several of which I have never actually opened.

I have employed Advanced Task Manager to try to tackle this, setting it to kill tasks every 5 minutes, which I understand is very frequent, but I average a minimum of 6, resource intensive, unauthorized apps, at a time, and often 12 or more. I set the "ignore list" in Advanced Task Manager to include: Battery Defender, Battery Dr. Saver (I know there's some redundancy here, I just haven't chosen which does the best job yet), Beautiful Widgets, Avast Mobile Security, and Settings, as these are either running all the time, or being opened by me.

Which leads me to the age old question... Why do Android apps and functions keep opening in the background on their own when they are not set to do so? Is there something about JB that is particularly sensitive to this, since it seems so previlent? Are their Task Managers you all recommend that are better than Advanced Task Manager? Are their other ways to turn everything I want off, and keep it all off, until I call for it myself?

Any insight is welcome. Those that don't believe in Task Managers need not apply.

Thanks!

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[BayouFlyFisher]

Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them

You are causing more battery usage, not less, by using the task killer. IMHO

[Sim2k]

Android Task Killers Explained: What They Do and Why You Shouldn't Use Them

You are causing more battery usage, not less, by using the task killer. IMHO

This is how Android manages tasks: Tasks and Back Stack | Android Developers

A task killer service that runs in the background killing tasks that are built using the Android guidelines will use more resources than simply leaving tasks alone to retain their state in the stack. I would let Android manage activities by itself, it knows what it's doing.

[LauraSakura]

Imo, task killers haven't been necessary since Froyo at least...

[doubleblackD]

Another native option; If you feel the apps are runnin too much hit the "recents" and flick the apps off screen.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Xparent SkyBlue Tapatalk 2

[gedansky]

So, all these "apps" in the background, which I didn't open, may have been called upon by something I, or the system acted upon? That's annoying, and I can't help but think this is running down battery life and hogging resources before the system gets around to killing processes naturally. I love my Nexus, but, even used conservatively, with data off unless needed, it's still hard to get from day until night without a recharge. Other than security holes, this is one of the things I like least about Android. with WebOS and iOS, you turn it on, it's on. Turn it off, it's off. It only runs in the background if you let it, and it doesn't turn back on automatically, unless you set it to.

Speaking of which, what about power or battery management apps such as Juice Defender, Green Power, Battery Defender, etc.? I've had best luck just turning wireless functions on/off manually.

Thanks!

[Sim2k]

So, all these "apps" in the background, which I didn't open, may have been called upon by something I, or the system acted upon? That's annoying, and I can't help but think this is running down battery life and hogging resources before the system gets around to killing processes naturally. I love my Nexus, but, even used conservatively, with data off unless needed, it's still hard to get from day until night without a recharge. Other than security holes, this is one of the things I like least about Android. with WebOS and iOS, you turn it on, it's on. Turn it off, it's off. It only runs in the background if you let it, and it doesn't turn back on automatically, unless you set it to.

I can definitely see how it gives that impression, but Android does a good job of managing its CPU time, and it's CPU usage that kills battery life, not memory usage. I have no idea how iOS does it so I can't compare. The only battery killers would be services that update frequently and use multiple resources, the biggest culprits are things like weather widgets that are set to update frequently and use GPS to keep track of your location. That's why I disabled Google Now, which is a shame because I think it's great.

[leach19m]

I think you might be surprised with his little battery these background apps actually use. To see for yourself, after a normal day go to settings, battery and take a look at the list there. Chances are those background apps and processes are at or near the very bottom of the list. Typically your display is the largest battery consumer.

Also something to remember is that RAM consumes the exact same amount of power whether it's empty or full. What uses power is the CPU time to start those apps (or to restart when you use a task killer to shut them down), but then sitting idle in RAM will consume no more power than if they weren't there at all.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[CupCheck]

+1. ^^ That

I was worried about that too having been with Blotorola until Dec last year. But even on ICS they were at the bottom of the list for me. And they are seemingly using even less now on JB.


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[Sim2k]

Speaking of which, what about power or battery management apps such as Juice Defender, Green Power, Battery Defender, etc.? I've had best luck just turning wireless functions on/off manually.

Some claim they have good results with these types of apps. I'm not 100% sure myself, I can see how they could be useful. But, as leach19m says above, the screen will always be the biggest power hog.

If you didn't already know, you can also tap the usage graph in the battery usage stats and it shows you more useful information, like awake time vs screen on time. If you can see that something is obviously keeping the phone awake when the screen is off you can do more investigation, including looking at your running apps to check their CPU / awake times.. etc.. fun stuff.