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I just discovered that you can get rid of apps from the recent apps menu (the square button next to the home button) by swiping them to the side. I don't know why this makes me so retardedly happy, but I am sure that SOMEONE else out there will also appreciate this tidbit of information.
Anyone else have any nuggets of joy to share?
I liked that trick also when I first found out. Another thing too is that you can hold down the app in recent menu and a quicksetting will come up to let you remove it from list or look at app info.
Remember though, this only removes it from recent apps list. It doesn't close down the app itself.
Does it really matter though performance wise? I Always thought Android puts background apps into an "idle" state where they dont take up any resources until used? Although it is cool for people with OCD like me
demandarin said:
I liked that trick also when I first found out. Another thing too is that you can hold down the app in recent menu and a quicksetting will come up to let you remove it from list or look at app info.
Remember though, this only removes it from recent apps list. It doesn't close down the app itself.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yes it does close the app. It just doesn't close background processes of the app.
Swiping an app from recent apps menu removes the app from cached memory, but keeps the background sync's (if it has any) still running. So you can kill off Facebook, but it's background sync (that would be started during system boot up anyway) remains.
You can test it, if you swipe browser from recent app's memory, it has to reload the page it was on. Same with Facebook app. But Facebook app's background process keeps running until you 'force stop' it.
Android application architecture runs in two layers, foreground and background processes. UI and the things you can use are written to memory when focus is lost from those apps, clearing them from recent apps also clears the memory those apps take at the time.
Is it useful? Yeah, for some things. But it won't improve your performance in any real noticeable way. Best you can do is swipe away apps that you don't need, keeping only apps that you want to keep in memory should you re-open them again. But that's usually too much micro-management to be worth it.
kristovaher said:
Yes it does close the app. It just doesn't close background processes of the app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Perhaps, BUT, not every app in the recent apps list is actually running. That's why many times (most of the time?) the screenshot isn't what you actually see when you select an app from the list--you're really restarting it.
I think it's safest and easiest to just assume that you're really only removing apps from the recent apps list, not actually managing what's running in any way.
DroidHam said:
Does it really matter though performance wise? I Always thought Android puts background apps into an "idle" state where they dont take up any resources until used? Although it is cool for people with OCD like me
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah it doesn't make any difference performance wise, but it makes the menu much more useable for me =D
Thanks for this message, this is my first android device and I've been trying to figure out how to "close" applications. Did a search in here (I think), prime manual search and googled it. I am slightly OCD and like to "close" thinks that I'm not using. Harkens back to my early Windows days when you closed apps to conserve memory.
In the manual it says to close application by clicking on an X in the recent apps menu. Though unless it is super tiny, there isn't one.
redandblack1287 said:
I just discovered that you can get rid of apps from the recent apps menu (the square button next to the home button) by swiping them to the side. I don't know why this makes me so retardedly happy, but I am sure that SOMEONE else out there will also appreciate this tidbit of information.
Anyone else have any nuggets of joy to share?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have the dock, 2 finger gestures on the touchpad act as screen swipes. i.e. swipe two fingers across the tab, the tab changes screens. Also, if you want to actually kill the apps, add teh asus task manager widget to a screen. works great!
elybug said:
In the manual it says to close application by clicking on an X in the recent apps menu. Though unless it is super tiny, there isn't one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That was an ASUS Honeycomb customization. It went away in ICS...
redandblack1287 said:
I just discovered that you can get rid of apps from the recent apps menu (the square button next to the home button) by swiping them to the side. I don't know why this makes me so retardedly happy, but I am sure that SOMEONE else out there will also appreciate this tidbit of information.
Anyone else have any nuggets of joy to share?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if you have the dock, 2 finger gestures on the touchpad act as screen swipes. i.e. swipe two fingers across the tab, the tab changes screens. Also, if you want to actually kill the apps, add the asus task manager widget to a screen. works great!
kristovaher said:
Yes it does close the app. It just doesn't close background processes of the app.
Swiping an app from recent apps menu removes the app from cached memory, but keeps the background sync's (if it has any) still running. So you can kill off Facebook, but it's background sync (that would be started during system boot up anyway) remains.
You can test it, if you swipe browser from recent app's memory, it has to reload the page it was on. Same with Facebook app. But Facebook app's background process keeps running until you 'force stop' it.
Android application architecture runs in two layers, foreground and background processes. UI and the things you can use are written to memory when focus is lost from those apps, clearing them from recent apps also clears the memory those apps take at the time.
Is it useful? Yeah, for some things. But it won't improve your performance in any real noticeable way. Best you can do is swipe away apps that you don't need, keeping only apps that you want to keep in memory should you re-open them again. But that's usually too much micro-management to be worth it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's what I meant. I should of been more clear then. just swiping it doesn't close down app "Completely", meaning no background process either. you have to use a task manager or Force stop in order to "Truly" close n stop an app from running.
elybug said:
In the manual it says to close application by clicking on an X in the recent apps menu. Though unless it is super tiny, there isn't one.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There isn't any in ICS, only in HC.
i didn't know that either until last week! ice cream is awesome :]
Conduitz said:
if you have the dock, 2 finger gestures on the touchpad act as screen swipes. i.e. swipe two fingers across the tab, the tab changes screens. Also, if you want to actually kill the apps, add teh asus task manager widget to a screen. works great!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You know.....that Asus task manager widget does not work on mine. It doesn't matter if I press x next to one app or select kill all - nothing happpens. I think mine is broken
I removed it from one of my home screens, no need to have it if it doesn't work
demandarin said:
that's what I meant. I should of been more clear then. just swiping it doesn't close down app "Completely", meaning no background process either. you have to use a task manager or Force stop in order to "Truly" close n stop an app from running.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's a bit different though, because those background processes will (likely) already be running even if you don't start the app. Most of those background processes are started by boot activity in Android and others are started by scheduling activities (such as alarms or certain notifications and sync). These will be usually restarted once app is started again too (after Force Close) and if they are not already running (and they usually are).
Force Close is unnecessary unless you know that a certain app is bad for the system and was run accidentally, etc.
I don't really get it, and in a certain way, I don't like it either.
I was used to 2.3's Recent Apps menu on my Nexus S, where if I held down my home button it would show me the icons of about 10 apps, and I wouldn't have to worry about anything else.
Now on Android 4.0.4, I'm not really sure how it works, it seems that if I leave the apps in the Recent Apps menu without swiping them out that they stay running on the background, and don't auto-close like it would do on 2.3.
Also, it seems that the more apps that are on the Recent Apps list, the slower Recent Apps opens, which annoys me a bit more.
KaiZ51 said:
I don't really get it, and in a certain way, I don't like it either.
I was used to 2.3's Recent Apps menu on my Nexus S, where if I held down my home button it would show me the icons of about 10 apps, and I wouldn't have to worry about anything else.
Now on Android 4.0.4, I'm not really sure how it works, it seems that if I leave the apps in the Recent Apps menu without swiping them out that they stay running on the background, and don't auto-close like it would do on 2.3.
Also, it seems that the more apps that are on the Recent Apps list, the slower Recent Apps opens, which annoys me a bit more.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
if fact ur apps do auto close after a while and if you are using cm9 then there is a feature that limits ur recent apps running
and you dont know slow unless you have a really old slow i have an optimus one (600 mhz processor) and your concept of slow is the speed of light to me
you dont want lag then get a galaxy s III
Its like an iPhone multitasking
Sent from my Nexus S using Tapatalk 2
I am suddenly unable to add widgets to my home screens. I am running the stock ROM. I have several empty screens, so there is plenty of room to add. After selecting the widget from the list, the phone goes to the screen showing all the available screens really small and has the "touch to edit or remove" at the top. If you pick one, nothing gets added. This phone is really getting frustrating. I have done 2 factory resets in the past couple of months to deal with problems with the keyboard not responding (using swiftkey). It takes hours to get everything back the way it was before. I am about ready to bite the bullet and pay full freight for a replacement phone. My upgrade isn't available until November. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Cross over to the dark side and try a ROM?
slaterd1 said:
I am suddenly unable to add widgets to my home screens. I am running the stock ROM. I have several empty screens, so there is plenty of room to add. After selecting the widget from the list, the phone goes to the screen showing all the available screens really small and has the "touch to edit or remove" at the top. If you pick one, nothing gets added. This phone is really getting frustrating. I have done 2 factory resets in the past couple of months to deal with problems with the keyboard not responding (using swiftkey). It takes hours to get everything back the way it was before. I am about ready to bite the bullet and pay full freight for a replacement phone. My upgrade isn't available until November. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can back up your data and settings so that at least you can save that time, or make a nandroid depending on why you're doing the factory resets.
MyBackup Pro or Titanium BU will do the trick.
I don't know why you're having issues with widgets. Are you grabbing it and then moving it up to the screen you want it on? Then just drop. Drag and drop. You get the edit and remove at the top if you already have the widget on the screen and long press it. I've never seen the edit and remove at the point where you drag and drop the widget.
I tried the new swiftkey for flow and I didn't like it. If you're using the flow version you might try swype. Some people don't like it but for me it's smooth as butter and swiftkey was driving me crazy. I don't tap though, always swype.
Are you updated to the latest version then? Been taking all the OTAs?
I have thought about trying a new ROM., but the root process seems too complicated for me to wrap my head around. And having the time to sit down to figure it out is another issue. It won't let me drag widgets to the screen like you can app icons. You have to long press a blank spot and work through the menus. I am planning to just do the reset this weekend when I have some time. Thanks for the suggestions.
Turned out my problem was Snowfall Live wallpaper. I have used it for a couple of years with no issues, but that was the culprit. No problems with widgets since I uninstalled it.
Sent from my ADR6425LVW using xda app-developers app
For those who don't know, Backgrounder is an app on jailbroken iPhones since iPhone OS 1.x that allows users to keep an app in the background entirely, meaning that you could be running a process, leave, and it would still run since the app thinks it is still in the foreground.
Why has this not emerged for Android? It seems like if anything, it would have emerged on this platform first.
I think many people would gladly pay for this functionality.
Bilge656 said:
For those who don't know, Backgrounder is an app on jailbroken iPhones since iPhone OS 1.x that allows users to keep an app in the background entirely, meaning that you could be running a process, leave, and it would still run since the app thinks it is still in the foreground.
Why has this not emerged for Android? It seems like if anything, it would have emerged on this platform first.
I think many people would gladly pay for this functionality.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you mean to have several process running in the background and switch between these process back and forward, isn't it?
If so, in any opened app, just press on home button, then open another app and then press on home button again. Now to go the previous or the first process, do a long press on home button which will bring you the the recent app menu, choose the app you want that is running on the background
majdinj said:
I think you mean to have several process running in the background and switch between these process back and forward, isn't it?
If so, in any opened app, just press on home button, then open another app and then press on home button again. Now to go the previous or the first process, do a long press on home button which will bring you the the recent app menu, choose the app you want that is running on the background
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No not the standard multitasking. The kind where if I am playing lets say NOVA, if I press the home button and go to facebook, NOVA would still be running in it's entirety even though it is not on screen.
Bilge656 said:
No not the standard multitasking. The kind where if I am playing lets say NOVA, if I press the home button and go to facebook, NOVA would still be running in it's entirety even though it is not on screen.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
yep and the one mentioned is doing the same,, just choose NOVA again from recent app,,, NOVA will be still going
majdinj said:
yep and the one mentioned is doing the same,, just choose NOVA again from recent app,,, NOVA will be still going
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
No that merely pauses the app to run in standby and conserve battery life. BTW I'm on a Nexus 7 so I have a dedicated app switch button
So I guess there is not app that enables such functionality?
bump
Sorry to bump and old thread but I have not seen any full solution to this problem. I came from apple(1 yr. in feb) thinking(more like hoping) that the android fanboys were right in saying "android has REAL multitasking, apple has *asterisk", Also i got tired of apples BS, minimal upgraded on new phones, plus the Note 3's pen is the ****, (though they did the same thing apple did with the Note 4) but back on topic.
Today I found a wifi faker for android but still not backgrounder fully working. I just need the ability to keep a app, that's not music related, working in the background because I only benefit from it being open as its automated to rack-up points while i do other stuff, usually less labor intensive. Plus I dont know what it is but i just have a fundamental problem with apps staying open when i close them even though i am fully aware it takes up no processes and is fully battery efficient. But there are apps for that, but still no way to keep and app fully running in the background.
Any help is appreciated, Thank You
P.S. I have seen this tread MultiTasking Breakthrough! but cant really make heads or tales of it.
Hi
I've been considering the LG V10 and wanted to hear from the XDA community on how useful the 2nd screen actually was. Is the second screen more than a novelty? What do you use yours for? What apps can utilize the 2nd screen? How often do you use the 2nd. screen and how does it effect battery life?Screen caps would be welcome.
It's a useful novelty, I wish they would have bumped up the front facing cameras and gave us the option to have a 5.9 inch screen. Useful for checking time w/out unlocking phone as we as being able to change songs w/out unlocking especially useful while driving
I really enjoy the lack of notification cards on the main screen. The past few phones I've had (Note 5, Nexus 6, S6 Edge) have all had the Lollipop style cards that block way too much of the screen. With this phone, the notifications just go to the secondary screen so you can keep focus on what you're doing but still be able to see it. Also, the music controls have been amazing so far and it makes it so much easier as you don't have to pull the shade or switch apps to change tracks or pause (Noticing a trend here lol?). And finally, I use it for having favorite contacts set up (similar to the only good concept of the edge IMO). Hope this helps, so far I love this phone!
I am loving the second screen and find it very useful.
For shortcuts I have tapatalk, chrome, maps, camera and settings.
I love that it also has the 5 most recent apps. I came from a note 2 and waiting for long press for the recent apps was a pain! Of course this phone has a button for that anyway but I still like having them just sitting up there.
I am also using the contact shortcuts to try to replace my direct dial and text shortcuts I had on my home screens. I'm still trying to get used to that.
I definitely like that the date and time is always showing so I can check without waking the phone.
I also recently discovered that if I swipe over to the left when the main screen is sleeping there are shortcuts for the camera, flashlight, Wi-Fi toggle and sound /vibrate toggle.
I love it.
So far I think I'm using the app shortcuts the most.
Sent from my LG-H901 using Tapatalk
BTW guys, not exactly related to the secondary-screen alone but how is the "alt-tab" performance; toggling between recent apps?
Say you cycle between the 5 recent apps; do they pop-up just immediately without any delay and at the exact point where you have left the app? (i.e. a web page doesn't reload, Twitter doesn't refresh like you are opening the app for the first time).
So far I really like the second screen. I keep having an issue where my Hangouts keep showing up as the big banner across the screen (sms seems to show on the secondary though). I also with when the screen was off it would show the whole notification, not just the icon. It would also be nice to choose how long the notification stayed on the second screen. I feel like it pops up and goes away so fast.
I wish the quick contacts could be set as direct dial. I will never use on of those icons to text. I need quick to just dial the primary contacts I have.
Two words: Spotify controls.
Spotify's lock widget was awful, and it always frustrated me that I had to unlock the phone to restart a song. Now I don't even have to turn the lock screen on to do it. This alone made love the second screen.
I thought it might be gimmicky, but I like using it to switch between apps and the music control is nice.
tersagun said:
BTW guys, not exactly related to the secondary-screen alone but how is the "alt-tab" performance; toggling between recent apps?
Say you cycle between the 5 recent apps; do they pop-up just immediately without any delay and at the exact point where you have left the app? (i.e. a web page doesn't reload, Twitter doesn't refresh like you are opening the app for the first time).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Generally yes, the ram management is very good
I find it useful. Even if u don't plan in using it shouldn't be a bother.
App switching is better, faster since you don't have to flip through cards. I always preferred the old school Android where it just showed the app icons of previous apps
Google Now cards flash with basketball game scores without interrupting whatever I'm doing.
Same with calls. They show up on the second screen.