I have a question regarding background apps... - Android Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting

First of all, I have a Samsung Epic 4G Touch running on Starburst Rom...
If I disable an app that runs in the background since when I boot the phone up, lets say market or ap mobile, what actually happens? I mean, does it really close the app? The reason I ask is because I was using Optimize Toolbox (great app) until they changed the language to chinese, and that would disable some startup apps and save battery life. I noticed that after not using the program I was getting horrible bat life compared to when I had it, so i downloaded a couple of alternatives to disable startup apps and wipe cache... So, will disableing apps that run in the background also help me get greater batterylife? or will they get closed and automatically start up while the phone is running?

Disabling the apps from launching at startup will save battery life (eventually) since they will not run automatically (they won't start at all until you start them manually) and use up memory. This can have a bad effect since some of these processes are necessary for the system to run correctly, and if you stop them, the system will become unstable and crash.

Theonew said:
Disabling the apps from launching at startup will save battery life (eventually) since they will not run automatically (they won't start at all until you start them manually) and use up memory. This can have a bad effect since some of these processes are necessary for the system to run correctly, and if you stop them, the system will become unstable and crash.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
im not trying to disable the type that the system comes with, im trying to disable the ones that are installed by me... also, if i disable them in startup, will they come back on their own or until i try and use them?

m_reyna_16 said:
im not trying to disable the type that the system comes with, im trying to disable the ones that are installed by me... also, if i disable them in startup, will they come back on their own or until i try and use them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Some will (especially the ones with many background processes), and some won't.

Theonew said:
Some will (especially the ones with many background processes), and some won't.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
thanks, do you or anybody else happen to know if i disable for example DSP manager on startup, will it have problems? i have some settings enabled there

m_reyna_16 said:
thanks, do you or anybody else happen to know if i disable for example DSP manager on startup, will it have problems? i have some settings enabled there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, it will have problems. Whatever settings you have set in it won't be applied until you manually start it. Also, I would not recommend stopping it from starting. It is not recommended to not allow that app to start automatically (since it deals with the system's audio settings).

m_reyna_16 said:
thanks, do you or anybody else happen to know if i disable for example DSP manager on startup, will it have problems? i have some settings enabled there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can try "autostart" to disable the app from auto starting its self every boot.
Accidentally sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA Premium

Related

[Q] How to stop some apps from starting up without deleting them

I have some apps that I don't want to remove from my Streak but I don't want them to start up on their own. Examples are Yahoo Messenger and Yahoo Mail. There are others, too. I keep them on the Streak as backups (since I sometimes have problems connecting via IM+ or the regular e-mail app). Therefore I only want them to start up when I open them and stay closed after I have killed them. Is that possible?
I currently use Droid Wall to deny them data access when I don't want to use them but they still run in the background eating up memory and sucking the life out of my battery.
Dont know of anything other than a task killer. Can set the security to your desired level, and also to kill everything when the screen turns off, and also generate an ignore list which is essential for some apps like alarm clock....if you want to get up for work on time. They're a little controversial but I find a notable difference in battery life without it.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
brunswick000 said:
Dont know of anything other than a task killer. Can set the security to your desired level, and also to kill everything when the screen turns off, and also generate an ignore list which is essential for some apps like alarm clock....if you want to get up for work on time. They're a little controversial but I find a notable difference in battery life without it.
Sent from my Dell Streak using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a task killer which I use manually. However, when I kill those apps they come right back up only seconds after that. Can't keep those buggers down. And with Auto Kill they are just constantly being killed again and again.
i used to use an app called "autostart(s)" which did the job really well plus it offers loads of options for apps starting at boot and permissions. titanium lets you freeze apps but you need to defrost them before using again.
tina333 said:
lets you freeze apps but you need to defrost them before using again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Can you explain this?
tina333 said:
i used to use an app called "autostart(s)" which did the job really well plus it offers loads of options for apps starting at boot and permissions. titanium lets you freeze apps but you need to defrost them before using again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for the suggestion -- I am currently trying out Autostart Kill which seems to work reasonably well, except that some apps are not found by the program (an example is Amazon MP3) and Dell Sync comes up after connecting via USB even though I set it to disabled.
By Titanium I suppose you mean Titanium Backup, but I cannot find a "freeze" (or similar) option, at least not in the free version I am using
Click the app in the list - you will have there freeze option.
It is available in the paid version only
Thanks for all the help, guys.
Finally located that Autostarts app in the market --- had to set market enabler to Verizon to find it. Trying it right now, and it seems to work pretty well.
I hope they're working for you?
tina333 said:
I hope they're working for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, but yesterday I had 3 mysterious auto reboots. Since I had just installed several apps I am not sure which one is the culprit. I have removed some of the others. Now I will have to see what happens today.
i tried autostarts but when the streak goes standby (black screen) it wont come alive anymore and i have to pull the battery out to reboot.... uninstalled
00roberto00 said:
i tried autostarts but when the streak goes standby (black screen) it wont come alive anymore and i have to pull the battery out to reboot.... uninstalled
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That is strange, works fine for me now. I am on the official 2.2 315 at the moment.
ok, i am on the DJ-Steve 1.4.6
startup manager works for me on "official" 2.2
tina333 said:
i used to use an app called "autostart(s)" which did the job really well plus it offers loads of options for apps starting at boot and permissions. titanium lets you freeze apps but you need to defrost them before using again.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you! Autostarts is what I want~
Try system tuner
System tuner has free version in market. Will perform many functions including "freeze" and then you can "boil" app when it is needed. Also can set which apps run (or don't) at startup.
hey bro, u can use any autostart killer like autostarts (red car), or u can use autostart disabler inside romtoolbox
it work 100%

Game apps running background all the time...

Hi!
I noticed that free games like Stand O'Food 2 and Contract Killer : Zombies are running background ALL THE TIME. Even after a reboot of the phone, even after a force close with a task killer. They come back again, and again, after a few second only. So, are they some kind of spyware?
I find this very annoying, I can't stop them unless I uninstall them.
Could anybody tell me what they are doing background and how to stop them doing this without uninstalling them?
Thanks!
Tuc
Try using "autostats" from market. Disable it from auto starting.
Accidentally sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA Premium
Nice, it works like a charm! Thanks
But here is the thing: Contract Killer : Zombies is programmed to start:
- After Sartup
- Locale changed
- Date changed
- Screen on
- Shutdown
This is insane! Why a game need to start all the time for any reason, if it is not a spyware....?
Tuc
Tugdu77 said:
This is insane! Why a game need to start all the time for any reason, if it is not a spyware....?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You gave it permission to. If you check the permissions for it, under "system tools" it says:
System tools
automatically start at boot
Allows an application to have itself started as soon as the system has finished booting. This can make it take longer to start the device and allow the application to slow down the overall device by always running.
Quite a strange permission for an app which seems not to need it. Also, on the market you have to click "Show all" for you to be able to see that permission. Pretty strange...
Moreover, most of the Android users don't use a task manager so they don't even notice all those apps running background...
Since I use the Autostarts app to block all useless apps running background, my phone has much more available ressources and starts faster.
Everytime I get a new phone, I'll just disable everything after root. But maps.apk is the most useless ever process.
Accidentally sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA Premium
melvinchng said:
Try using "autostats" from market. Disable it from auto starting.
Accidentally sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA Premium
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
did you mean 'autostarts? i just want to make sure i get the right app. i wasnt able to find 'autostats'.
thanks!

[Q] What does 'freezing' an app exactly mean?

Hi,
what does it mean technically if an app is "freezed"? Is the APK moved to another location, or are the unix access rights altered, or is a reference to the app deleted from some kind of "registry" of the Android system, or what else? Can it be done manually by a file manager?
Thanks,
Stefan
It can be done using the purchased version of Titanium Backup and probably a few other apps. It basically renders the app inactive without uninstalling it. Helpful for bloatware that runs in the background but you can't decide if you want to delete it or not.
Thanks, but this was not my question...
lowandbehold said:
It can be done using the purchased version of Titanium Backup and probably a few other apps. It basically renders the app inactive without uninstalling it. Helpful for bloatware that runs in the background but you can't decide if you want to delete it or not.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes, I know, but what does it do exactly on file system level? Doesn't anybody know?
stbi said:
Yes, I know, but what does it do exactly on file system level? Doesn't anybody know?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Most freezing apps simply rename the app to be frozen with an extension, like in the case of Bloat Freezer (IMHO the best one) the frozen app gets a .bzw extension. It remains in place but of course cannot be executed. The nice part is that if you run into an issue you can just rename the app back to what it was (assuming that you have root).
It works!
docfreed said:
Most freezing apps simply rename the app to be frozen with an extension, like in the case of Bloat Freezer (IMHO the best one) the frozen app gets a .bzw extension. It remains in place but of course cannot be executed. The nice part is that if you run into an issue you can just rename the app back to what it was (assuming that you have root).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cool, so simple - thanks! So it can be done with any file manager.
I've just successfully frozen the preinstalled "LGWorld.apk" by renaming it to "LGWorld.apk.bak". As soon as I had done this, a message popped up, saying "Deinstalled", and the icon disappeared from the app drawer, and also the update for "LG World" vanished from the Market app.
Hmm.. freezing doesn't mean rename. It is being remove from system. If.you rename yourself, the apps may failed to work.
Accidentally sent from my Google Nexus S using XDA Premium
Freezing the app works via decreasing the temperature of the app to roughly 50 Kelvin. At this point the the app's molecular structure becomes a super condensed crystal lattice. Due to the nature of the crystal lattice, android treats the super dense app as non existent. Essentially the app is deleted from your system completely. However, think of it not as a permanent deletion but rather a reversible one. Should you chose to 'restore' the app, you can defrost the app. You could defrost the app using a microwave but I for one use TB Pro as it does a far better job.
lambstone said:
Freezing the app works via decreasing the temperature of the app to roughly 50 Kelvin. At this point the the app's molecular structure becomes a super condensed crystal lattice. Due to the nature of the crystal lattice, android treats the super dense app as non existent.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha smart ass.
lambstone said:
Freezing the app works via decreasing the temperature of the app to roughly 50 Kelvin. At this point the the app's molecular structure becomes a super condensed crystal lattice. Due to the nature of the crystal lattice, android treats the super dense app as non existent. Essentially the app is deleted from your system completely. However, think of it not as a permanent deletion but rather a reversible one. Should you chose to 'restore' the app, you can defrost the app. You could defrost the app using a microwave but I for one use TB Pro as it does a far better job.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ha ha ha! that was hilarious man
Press THANKS
stbi said:
Hi,
what does it mean technically if an app is "freezed"? Is the APK moved to another location, or are the unix access rights altered, or is a reference to the app deleted from some kind of "registry" of the Android system, or what else? Can it be done manually by a file manager?
Thanks,
Stefan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Press thanks if I helped
Source - How TO Geek
Manufacturers and carriers often load Android phones with their own apps. If you don’t use them, they just clutter your system and sometimes in the background, draining resources. Take control of your device and stop the bloatware.
We’ll be focusing on disabling – also known as “freezing” bloatware here. It’s a safer process than uninstalling the bloatware completely, and is also easier to accomplish with free apps.
Uninstalling vs. Freezing
Uninstalling an app is exactly what it sounds like – the app is entirely removed from your device. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to get many of these preinstalled apps from the Play Store if you ever need them again. Uninstalling some preinstalled apps may result in problems or instability, so you could run into problems.
It’s safer to “freeze” apps instead of uninstalling them. A frozen app is disabled completely – it won’t appear in your app drawer and it won’t automatically start in the background. A frozen app cannot run in any way until you “unfreeze” it. Freezing and unfreezing are instant processes, so it’s easy to undo your changes if you end up freezing a necessary app.
If you really must uninstall apps, you should freeze them first and wait a few days to ensure that your phone or tablet works properly without them.
You can’t uninstall or freeze preinstalled bloatware apps without root access and third-party app managers. Try and you’ll find the options grayed out in the standard Android interface.
klacenas said:
ha ha ha! that was hilarious man
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand and have frozen quite a few apps with TB Pro. My issue is there are shine pre-installed apps that I like to use, but when I run the task killer, they're always running. Is there a way I can fix them where they don't keep starting immediately after killing them, but still having them available when I want to use them?
donnebonn said:
I understand and have frozen quite a few apps with TB Pro. My issue is there are shine pre-installed apps that I like to use, but when I run the task killer, they're always running. Is there a way I can fix them where they don't keep starting immediately after killing them, but still having them available when I want to use them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you can try greenify it will hibernate the apps and hence the app will be available for you any time
donnebonn said:
I understand and have frozen quite a few apps with TB Pro. My issue is there are shine pre-installed apps that I like to use, but when I run the task killer, they're always running. Is there a way I can fix them where they don't keep starting immediately after killing them, but still having them available when I want to use them?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Another app called greenify. Or using an autostart manager to prevent them from running without ykur intervention.
sangalaxy said:
you can try greenify it will hibernate the apps and hence the app will be available for you any time
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx a bunch. I dwld and installed the grenify app and disabled them, however, when I run my task killer the gallery app is always running. I wanted to greenify it, but it's not showing up in the greenify app, even when I did a search for it, it just took me to my home screen. I clicked on the app and it just opened but I didn't see any options to greenify it. Any suggestions? Thx for ur help.
so at the end is freezing and renaming the same thing? no one cleared that up, i usually just rename to BAK and thats it, what does TItanium apart from renaming?
ok i answer myself, freezing is the same as going to app manager, and selecting DISABLE
or from a root terminal using:
pm disable {package_name} (e.g. # pm disable com.android.browser)
wich calls:
/system/bin/pm
wich in turn contains:
# Script to start "pm" on the device, which has a very rudimentary
# shell.
#
base=/system
export CLASSPATH=$base/framework/pm.jar
exec app_process $base/bin com.android.commands.pm.Pm "[email protected]"
what it does is set a flag for a component to some of different values:
COMPONENT_ENABLED_STATE_DEFAULT
COMPONENT_ENABLED_STATE_DISABLED
among others. (http://developer.android.com/reference/android/content/pm/PackageManager.html)
where does it store this flag: I DONT KNOW
is this flag a value inside some manifest/ini file? : IDK
is this flag st in the file system? IDK
can someone show me the light?
edit: I DONT KNOW for sure but i think it stores it in : /data/system/packages.xml
that is generated by package manager taking info fro each app manifest. i hope i am right, but dont take my word as absolute truth since it was a quick google research lol
Renaming the apk file can result in unwanted behaviour... I learned by trial&error! I'm running MIUI 6 and wanted Google Play as default app store and not the MI Market. Renaming the apk file for the Mi Market gave me the result I wanted: launching Google Play whenever I clicked a link to a certain app. But that was until I rebooted the phone... it got stuck on the MI startup logo. After renaming the Mi Market apk file in twrp recovery, my phone booted again.
So might try freezing it to see if it will do the job properly.
Freezing Mi Market with AppFreezer worked like a charm!
el_jefe said:
Renaming the apk file can result in unwanted behaviour... I learned by trial&error! I'm running MIUI 6 and wanted Google Play as default app store and not the MI Market. Renaming the apk file for the Mi Market gave me the result I wanted: launching Google Play whenever I clicked a link to a certain app. But that was until I rebooted the phone... it got stuck on the MI startup logo. After renaming the Mi Market apk file in twrp recovery, my phone booted again.
So might try freezing it to see if it will do the job properly.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Depends what you mean by "renaming." Changing the extension from .apk to .apkold or .bak or something like that will harmlessly freeze the app since it's no longer seen as an apk by the system. Renaming the app itself is another thing entirely.
I renamed the extension to .noapk and Miui wouldn't boot anymore.
Good stuff

[Q] Background Apps running

I wonder if there is a way to prevent some background processes/apps from running instead of constantly killing them? I don't think about using taks killers as they do the same what I can and they also eat memory. I need them apps to run only when I start them. Then I can manually shut them off like I always do, but I don't want them in the backgound processes. For example, even after resetting the phone, I dont use Google Maps at all, but I can see three processes running in background for no reason. And there is more apps behaving in a same way. Of course I don't wanna delete them, because I use them sometimes, some more often, some less.
Any solutions?
blackfire74 said:
I wonder if there is a way to prevent some background processes/apps from running instead of constantly killing them? I don't think about using taks killers as they do the same what I can and they also eat memory. I need them apps to run only when I start them. Then I can manually shut them off like I always do, but I don't want them in the backgound processes. For example, even after resetting the phone, I dont use Google Maps at all, but I can see three processes running in background for no reason. And there is more apps behaving in a same way. Of course I don't wanna delete them, because I use them sometimes, some more often, some less.
Any solutions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong Section btw (This needs to be in Q&A Section)
And freeze them using Titanium Backup or if you don't use them, uninstall it
If I freeze them will I be able to run them intentionally?
blackfire74 said:
If I freeze them will I be able to run them intentionally?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No. You have to defreeze them in order to use tgem
If you are talking about system apps, only way to stop their process I know is to uninstall or freeze them
If talking about non-system app, then simply killing them once will stop their process
I'm talking about system apps of course...
blackfire74 said:
I'm talking about system apps of course...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Then freeze them or uninstall them ofcourse
blackfire74 said:
I wonder if there is a way to prevent some background processes/apps from running instead of constantly killing them? I don't think about using taks killers as they do the same what I can and they also eat memory. I need them apps to run only when I start them. Then I can manually shut them off like I always do, but I don't want them in the backgound processes. For example, even after resetting the phone, I dont use Google Maps at all, but I can see three processes running in background for no reason. And there is more apps behaving in a same way. Of course I don't wanna delete them, because I use them sometimes, some more often, some less.
Any solutions?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Use Disable Service to disable background services and BE CAREFULL not to disable wrong services. Or programs may not respond to your wishes...
v6 supercharge..
u can try v6 supercharge script..........
grap the script here :-- http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=991276
What's it do?
It makes your phone FAST... super snappy with better multitasking!
It rearranges and fixes the OOM Groupings and Priorites and lowmemorykiller values.
So basically, it's a COMPLETE MEMORY MANAGEMENT FIX!
otherwise freezing apps & uninstalling them is left for u...
download the app 'autorun manager' frome market..
disable the apps that you don't want them to run in background...
it is best tool available for this problem..it is realy a great app..
but use it with care...if u disable wrong system app then u might see some force closes..
Sent from my GT-S5830i using xda app-developers app

[Q] Control processes without root

I would like to have the maximum of control on running processes, but I feel I have not enough control, so I hope you can help me
I know that being root, managing processes and disable "autoruns" is a quite easy task but unfortunately my device is not an easy to root phone
Furthermore, I saw that Android (4.1.2 Jelly Bean) performance is very bad when you have many apps installed or you used many apps recently. Yes I listen about the internal management and I am aware that it is not a suggested practice but since I want to have control on what is happening and i have serious concerns about the algorithms to free RAM (maybe bull****), so I prefer to do it on my own risk
What I am doing is go to
-Settings, Application manager, Running, "Show cached processes"
- Settings, Application manager, Running, "Show services in use"
Identify what apps are in use and i don't like, then go to
-Settings, Application manager, All,
select app and Click "Force Stop"
Doing it my device has a better performance however, some apps still going alive after some time, for instance: Email ( I saw other in the past)
Using "Autoruns" app and checking "email" app I can see with changes of state can start "Email" however, sometime "email" is reenabled after be manually stopped but none of previous conditions happened.
How can I kill "email" or other app and force to stay off? (disable it and install other email app is not a valid answer)
I would like to use email/others as an standalone app, I mean use when I want and have out of memory when I am not using.
Besides, the autoruns, is there any scheduled task or something like that to open apps?
Of course I want to root my phone and I am waiting until someone will find a proper way to root, in fact I think that an android without rooted is like a car with square shape wheels
I think I found the cause for "mail" app being executed automatically, today it went alive after select "flight mode"
Now I would like to control Google play services, I am seeing some of these being executed continuosly, can they be killed? how?
dapgo said:
I would like to have the maximum of control on running processes, but I feel I have not enough control, so I hope you can help me
I know that being root, managing processes and disable "autoruns" is a quite easy task but unfortunately my device is not an easy to root phone
Furthermore, I saw that Android (4.1.2 Jelly Bean) performance is very bad when you have many apps installed or you used many apps recently. Yes I listen about the internal management and I am aware that it is not a suggested practice but since I want to have control on what is happening and i have serious concerns about the algorithms to free RAM (maybe bull****), so I prefer to do it on my own risk
What I am doing is go to
-Settings, Application manager, Running, "Show cached processes"
- Settings, Application manager, Running, "Show services in use"
Identify what apps are in use and i don't like, then go to
-Settings, Application manager, All,
select app and Click "Force Stop"
Doing it my device has a better performance however, some apps still going alive after some time, for instance: Email ( I saw other in the past)
Using "Autoruns" app and checking "email" app I can see with changes of state can start "Email" however, sometime "email" is reenabled after be manually stopped but none of previous conditions happened.
How can I kill "email" or other app and force to stay off? (disable it and install other email app is not a valid answer)
I would like to use email/others as an standalone app, I mean use when I want and have out of memory when I am not using.
Besides, the autoruns, is there any scheduled task or something like that to open apps?
Of course I want to root my phone and I am waiting until someone will find a proper way to root, in fact I think that an android without rooted is like a car with square shape wheels
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
more info about processes, mem and autostart
I am still fighting with Android and how it manages processes, now I am sure that my main problem became each time I went into flight mode or it is restarted.
But it is not only Email being executed and being using in memory but other processes that I am not using doing that, such as:
(Mem. on OS monitor- Mem. in "service in memory"(android settings))
Event: Connectivity changed
-youtube 22.2MB-6.2MB
-Google play services(com.android.gms) 26.8MB-12MB
-Maps 20MB-4.9MB
-Factory Test (18.6MB -3.4MB)
Event: after Startup
-youtube 22.2MB-6.2MB
-Software update (18.0MB-4.3MB)
-Internet (com.android.browser) 18.9MB-3.3MB
There many apps which are executed after events like previous but they are closed after a very short time, but I am frustrated about those which are not unloaded.
Regarding "Email" app I decided to use a free email app and as Email cannot be disabled, so, I removed the accounts associated to email app, however even without accounts configured, it still being launched and wasting resources. can I avoid it?
What do you think?
dapgo said:
I think I found the cause for "mail" app being executed automatically, today it went alive after select "flight mode"
Now I would like to control Google play services, I am seeing some of these being executed continuosly, can they be killed? how?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's not possible to do what you want without root, unfortunately (unless you're talking about normal apps, in which case you can uninstall them to keep them from running). An alternative would be to use Greenify, though it won't be fully automatic without root either.
What about editing the startups rights?
Has anyone used APK permission remover?
GermainZ said:
It's not possible to do what you want without root, unfortunately (unless you're talking about normal apps, in which case you can uninstall them to keep them from running). An alternative would be to use Greenify, though it won't be fully automatic without root either.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Apk permission remover never stops an app from automatically starting. It only helps in removing the permissions we see during installation.
dapgo said:
What about editing the startups rights?
Has anyone used APK permission remover?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You still want to do this 2 years and 7 months later? That's one late reply there
GermainZ said:
You still want to do this 2 years and 7 months later? That's one late reply there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes but after SO long I found the app 'autorun manager pro', and it allowed to disable triggers /autoStartups/autoruns

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