I have always had this issue on every cm9 rom I've tried. I can't remember if I had the same issue on stock. If I start a process like a download in browser or any app really, and then switch to other apps, I find that my downloads will freeze or come up unsuccessful. Today I was downloading an offline map in Google Maps and while waiting I launched a browser, Ventriloid (voice chat app) , and a bunch of other apps. Eventually the maps download "paused" and wouldn't resume, forcing me to start the download over and Ventriloid disconnected me from the server I was on.
Is there a way to increase background process limits? I see in developer options the max I can pick is 4. Unless I'm mistaken, this means if I start a fairly large download then check the XDA app, look at weatherbug, check my email, watch something in YouTube and check Facebook, my original download will fail if it hasn't finished. The only way I've found to deal with it is to be sure to switch back to my most important apps before loading a new program so that the important ones don't get bumped/interrupted. If I force myself to keep just 3 apps in use, my downloads never fail, and I never get kicked off of a server, but this seems restrictive.
Is this just a limitation of Android, a rom issue, or user stupidity? Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Sent from my MB855 using xda app-developers app
Am I the only one with this issue, or was my post too long to read?
Short version: Is there any way to allow for many apps to run in the background, rather than the default 4? If I work in an app and switch tasks to 4 others, the original app closes and whatever I was doing is lost/canceled/disconnected/failed. Would messing with minfree values help?
Related
Ok, maybe I'm in the wrong place. But here goes.
My phone is trying to send text to paid numbers behind my back. I'm using prepaid so it doesn't work. I get a "You have insufficient funds to send this text" message daily, at random times.
I have no pirated apps. Everything on my phone came straight from the market. However, I've not installed a single one of the apps that was on the recent list all over tech sites.
I'm planning on reflashing with a different rom and changing all the passwords that were stored on my phone.
BUT.
Before I do this, I want to find out which app is causing this behavior. Any Ideas on how to find out what is sending random text from my phone (they don't show up in the messaging app)
viogrep said:
Ok, maybe I'm in the wrong place. But here goes.
My phone is trying to send text to paid numbers behind my back. I'm using prepaid so it doesn't work. I get a "You have insufficient funds to send this text" message daily, at random times.
I have no pirated apps. Everything on my phone came straight from the market. However, I've not installed a single one of the apps that was on the recent list all over tech sites.
I'm planning on reflashing with a different rom and changing all the passwords that were stored on my phone.
BUT.
Before I do this, I want to find out which app is causing this behavior. Any Ideas on how to find out what is sending random text from my phone (they don't show up in the messaging app)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Install a android antivirus and firewall like Lookout.
Sent from my GingerBread Eris using XDA App
lookout finds nothing. All the other AV software fails to install. "Unknown error -18"
i have plenty of free space.
viogrep,
I wrote a novel, but then thought I should just ask a few preliminary questions:
Q1) does the error message contain any useful "hints", such as the destination number ?
Q2) if you use a logcat - capturing app, does anything show up in the logcat right around the time the message is generated which might provide some further clues?
There's a lot of different techniques you can use, but they require a bit of effort - not only to perform, but to explain, too.
Q3) Are you willing to post up the output of the "ps" command to a pastebin?
Q4) What apps on your phone request "SEND_SMS" privileges? You can find out with
Code:
strings /data/system/packages.xml > /sdcard/strings-pkgs-xml.txt
and then poking through the "strings-pkgs-xml.txt" file. When you see (for instance)
name="android.permission.SEND_SMS"
the immediately prior package is what requested it. Either that or you can do something tricky like
Code:
strings /data/system/packages.xml | awk '/<package name/{pkg=$2;}; /_SMS/{print pkg, $2;}'
bftb0
1. No destination number in the error. Sorry.
2. Also, no clues in logcat from what I've seen.
3. PS > http://pastebin.com/iUAfP9Yb
4. Besides the default gapps, the only other app with SEND_SMS priv. is Koxx Pure Messenger. (Purchased from the market, Have had for awhile, the sms sending is new)
Going to try to call my provider and see if I can get the number that's been denied because of funds.
*edit* No luck with provider.
I'd really like to know whats doing it so I don't install the same app once I flash. Luckily I keep nothing important on my phone. Its gmail account is actually a duplicate with my original forwarding to it. I'm a tiny bit overprotective over my email(address). :x
viogrep said:
4. Besides the default gapps, the only other app with SEND_SMS priv. is Koxx Pure Messenger. (Purchased from the market, Have had for awhile, the sms sending is new)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I know that it isn't necessarily this simple, but if that really is the only other app besides the GAPPs with SMS priveledges, especially coupled with the knowledge that the SMS capability is new, I think you have your answer.
If you tried a new ROM and restored all but that one app, and the problem never happens again then you can be 95% sure. Only way to be 100% sure is that after a certain length of time without a problem (a week?) you reinstall Koxx and then if the problem starts happening again.
I looked through your "ps" listing.
Didn't see anything too obvious sticking out at me; there were a couple of non-market apps running though. I know that there is no theoretical reason why non-market apps would be malicious - on the other hand, I sort of wonder why they are not on the market... you know what I mean? What is stopping them? (In the case of Tubemate - which was actually kicked off of Google's market, my suspicions are even higher. I realize it was not kicked off because of malware; but still...)
These were the only processes that were either not on my phone, or I didn't really recognize.
Code:
com.dylan.tube = [Non-Market App] Tubemate
com.gau.golauncherex.notification = GO Launcher EX (READ SMS)
com.levelup.beautifulwidgets = Beautiful Widgets (LevelUp)?
com.revsodev.volumecontrol = [Non-Market App] Volume Control (Cyrket?)
com.swype.android.inputmethod = Swype?
com.tencent.research.drop = QQPlayer (no perms req'd?)
net.bajawa.battery = BattStatt (no perms req'd?)
org.sipdroid.sipua = Sipdroid VoIP + video
The Road Warrior has an idea which is sort of useful; but I'll modify it to use binary division.
Start with a freshly installed, clean ROM, and only install half of your apps. (I would put all of your most frequently used apps in the first half, and delay any non-market apps as long as possible). Here's how this goes:
- if the "half" you put on the phone is trouble-free (long enough to know the SMS popup thing is not going on), then, install half of the remaining apps, and wait again to see if there is a problem.
- if the "half" you put on the phone develops trouble, then you know that the problem app is in that group. Wipe the phone and re-install all prior "halves" (that caused no trouble), but split the current half (the group containing the suspect app) in half, and only install that. Proceed in this fashion until you are down to the app which causes the trouble.
If you have 128 apps on your phone, and you wait 1 day between installations, it will take 7 days to find the malicious app. (And if you don't get a failure within the first two days, your phone will have 3/4s of it's apps installed - that's not too bad).
The thing is though, even if you had an app compromise your phone, it might not be an "app" that is doing the dirty work any longer. For example, the most recently discovered malware ran rooting exploits against the device, and once successful, downloaded and installed "other stuff". That "other stuff" could be native binaries. So, examining permissions in the system manifest doesn't necessarily guarantee that you have exhaustively looked at your phone, or discovered all possible means of interacting with the SMS system.
It might be "just an app", though - and if it were me, the first ones that I would suspect are non-Market apps, or apps that *cough* got downloaded from "freeware" sites.
Thanks for the responses. I actually did a fresh flash last night. First thing I installed was tubemate (running through non market apps) and it did it. Ironically I added some money to my account to see if I could get the number it was trying to text. Apparently it still couldn't go through.
Sent from my FroShedYo V10-ERIS using XDA App
I had a game from a Chinese developer that stole my gmail. Log into yours from the website and see if you get a red warning.
Sent from my GSBv1.9 ERIS using XDA App
viogrep said:
Thanks for the responses. I actually did a fresh flash last night. First thing I installed was tubemate (running through non market apps) and it did it. Ironically I added some money to my account to see if I could get the number it was trying to text. Apparently it still couldn't go through.
Sent from my FroShedYo V10-ERIS using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm always amazed when something I suggested actually works. LOL. It's just that I'm used to things being more complicated than I hope.
Glad you figured out the trouble!
Thanks bt and RW for the help.
As far as the gmail thing... I use a different gmail address on my phone with email forwarded (different pass)...
If it gets taken I just stop the forwarding and make a new one. Makes things a more simple. Sure, they can see past emails, but they cant request passes/info from other sites... (I also monitor the login IPs in gmail, religiously. Just a habbit.)
viogrep said:
Thanks bt and RW for the help.
As far as the gmail thing... I use a different gmail address on my phone with email forwarded (different pass)...
If it gets taken I just stop the forwarding and make a new one. Makes things a more simple. Sure, they can see past emails, but they cant request passes/info from other sites... (I also monitor the login IPs in gmail, religiously. Just a habbit.)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're welcome. You could just change your password from the web if your phone gets stolen.
Especially since it's the gmail address you use on your phone that everything is sync'd to, not the one that's forwarding to it. So if you got another Android phone you'd lose all your contact info and bought and installed apps info, calendar and such. Unless you sync them manually which is so much harder in my experience.
Or you could use one of the many free apps out there that would let you remotely do many things to your phone. Turn the GPS on, triangulate your phone, make your phone scream, do a factory reset to erase everything...
Just a suggestion.
hi all, im an owner of a sam.charge. I use the app called "System" and it lists about a dozen apps that are stored in my cache or that are using memory when I have not innitiaited the service or app...
I'm most familiar with computers so I'll relate it to that; is there some type of command line that I can use to stop some of these apps from auto start and being stored. For instance on windows you can 'msconfig' what programs are allowed to start on boot up.
Here is a list of apps that I want to stop: AccuWeather.com, Android Booster, Google Voice, HeyTell, Amazon's Appstore, Market, Music, etc.
Most are cached/ inactive but none the less in my task manager when freeing up memory when I notice things to be lagging I'd imagine these to be guilty. Android Booster always lists these as killed apps as well when optimizing...
Im familiar somewhat with how android works being that it often fills a large portion of your memory with what it wants to and frees space as it is needed but these apps for me are rarely used...
Im big on battery life being Im in and out of Sales accounts and rely on my phone heavily so I dont want these things running in the background sucking up resources. Not to mention I like a snappy phone...
If anyone could educate me on this topic Id really appreciate it... I may be mistaken on a few things so call me out on it, since im sure I am... Also, I know their are app freezers and applications you can program to kill apps at a set interval but again I would like the least amount of garbage running as I can
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Some of the basic services are must to be initiated/running all the time such as launcher, keyboard, google voice, market, etc.. so as to run your phone smoothly . This is the default setting of android os. And anyway why do you want to close/stop the services case restarting services uses more battery than kepping them running on the memory ....
mlm2588 said:
hi all, im an owner of a sam.charge. I use the app called "System" and it lists about a dozen apps that are stored in my cache or that are using memory when I have not innitiaited the service or app...
I'm most familiar with computers so I'll relate it to that; is there some type of command line that I can use to stop some of these apps from auto start and being stored. For instance on windows you can 'msconfig' what programs are allowed to start on boot up.
Here is a list of apps that I want to stop: AccuWeather.com, Android Booster, Google Voice, HeyTell, Amazon's Appstore, Market, Music, etc.
Most are cached/ inactive but none the less in my task manager when freeing up memory when I notice things to be lagging I'd imagine these to be guilty. Android Booster always lists these as killed apps as well when optimizing...
Im familiar somewhat with how android works being that it often fills a large portion of your memory with what it wants to and frees space as it is needed but these apps for me are rarely used...
Im big on battery life being Im in and out of Sales accounts and rely on my phone heavily so I dont want these things running in the background sucking up resources. Not to mention I like a snappy phone...
If anyone could educate me on this topic Id really appreciate it... I may be mistaken on a few things so call me out on it, since im sure I am... Also, I know their are app freezers and applications you can program to kill apps at a set interval but again I would like the least amount of garbage running as I can
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you find apps that you don't use, you can use a program to freeze them. Just search for freeze in the market. I personally use a free app called System Tuner. Freezing prevent them from starting up and therefore you cannot use them, but later on you can un-freeze them if you need to.
Optimize toolbox
I use this one, had a bunch of other features.https://market.android.com/details?id=cn.opda.a.phonoalbumshoushou&feature=search_result
Thanks all for the feedback...
To reply to the first response; I have read that about battery life. That, the more you kill apps and reopen them that it takes longer for the app to start up and thus sucking up battery life... I probably should not have mentioned battery life in my post being that I have a car charger and that it contradicts what im trying to accomplish (going over my post, it was stupid of me given what you just mentioned). Also, I'm not so much concerned with market apps or google voice as I am about the apps I installed myself. Those ones are the ones that bother me.
To the other posts thanks for the recommendations I will like into those options. I'm just trying to prevent extra apps from running in the background so freezing them is a last resort.
I'm looking for something that I can type in terminal possibly on program into the OS or app itself to keep it from auto starting... possibly a command line?!
Any developers input? Can this even be done. I'm still very much a beginner but its not beyond my comprehension to do something like this... I know its different but I play around with linux, web design, c++ stuff so if you post directions I can follow smoothly our atleast figure it out if you point me in the right direction
Sent from my SCH-I510 using Tapatalk
It's not exactly what your asking for but have you tried Gemini App Manager:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seasmind.android.gmappmgr
You can use it to disable/re-enable an app's autorun settings. When you first open it it will list all user apps currently in memory. Clicking menu then expert mode will give you a list of all apps. Long press an app then click configure autorun.
Just be careful with changing the autorun settings of system apps like market.
"preventing apps from autostarting"
I like this topic a lot!
I think the question(s) and "assumptions" the OP holds are all valid. So I'd really like to hear the answer to the actual question, not a spew of why the question isn't valid.
How do you stop apps from starting up on their own? (like microsofts msconfig)
Pretty simple question and I cannot find the answer! I've been in software for many year and I'm rather stunned by the responses people are giving - which basically say "who cares, android O/S handles it for you".
Well, lets face it:
*If* the user didn't call for the app, and had no desire to use it, then the "system" loading it even ONCE, is one too many.
*If* the app is a DESIRED app, (OR device required), *BUT* uses data - then if the user didn't want to use it; "yet" - then thats DATA & BATTERY life --> **WASTED**
If the user suspects the APP is misbehaving; one sure fire way would be to SEE it running, when they didn't ask it to!
If you are pure paranoid, or simply want extreme app control....
The kinds of answers people are giving is truly along the the lines of "we dont know, but you're silly for caring"
SOYLENT GREEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
:cyclops:
jr67 said:
It's not exactly what your asking for but have you tried Gemini App Manager:
https://market.android.com/details?id=com.seasmind.android.gmappmgr
You can use it to disable/re-enable an app's autorun settings. When you first open it it will list all user apps currently in memory. Clicking menu then expert mode will give you a list of all apps. Long press an app then click configure autorun.
Just be careful with changing the autorun settings of system apps like market.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to test this out too! And I'll post success if it does well!!!
Recently updated to Ineffabilis Deus and have some annoying bugs with the different reddit apps I've tried. Not sure if this is an ICS problem or an Ineffabilis problem.
50% of imgur links display for a split second and then go to blank screen. If I zoom in, the picture comes back.
All youtube links open in Chrome rather than the youtube app. I tried clearing defaults for Chrome. I also tried the "App associations" menu in settings, but I don't see the youtube app as an option for anything in there. I also used to have (on Gingerbread) an option to send youtube links to xbmc, via xbmc remote app, but that's gone too.
Anyone know if this is an ICS thing or an issue with the ROM? I don't think it's a problem with the apps, since the same thing happens on both reddit apps I've tried and I don't see anyone complaining about it in the comments for those apps.
Any other redditors on ICS had problems (or solutions)?
On ICS with exact same ROM and issues using baconreader here.
Will troubleshoot.
Mine shows some, while others do as you explained. I am stock rooted 3.14.
Sent from my S-OFF Rezound using Tapatalk 2.
Youtube links won't play in YouTube on Ics or sense 3.6 I don't know which controls what. Something to do with an Apple patent lawsuit if I'm not mistaken
To allow yourself to be able to select apps to launch instead of launching chrome or the default browser automatically, you must uninstall "htclinkifydispatcher" using titanium backup or something similar. This stops the phone from automatically choosing default apps and will let you choose from whatever browsers you have installed (or youtube, if you are trying to watch a video) instead. So far the only issue I've found with eliminating this app is that whenever I try to launch a link sent to me in gtalk, gtalk force closes. Otherwise I am given the freedom of choice of which app to launch when browsing reddit. If you don't care too much about a partially malfunctioning google talk, uninstall htclinkifydispatcher. Back it up first (just in case other apps start malfunctioning, for me only google talk is affected, but it may vary for others) and then uninstall. Freezing it will not work.
Hope this helps
Anderew said:
To allow yourself to be able to select apps to launch instead of launching chrome or the default browser automatically, you must uninstall "htclinkifydispatcher" using titanium backup or something similar. This stops the phone from automatically choosing default apps and will let you choose from whatever browsers you have installed (or youtube, if you are trying to watch a video) instead. So far the only issue I've found with eliminating this app is that whenever I try to launch a link sent to me in gtalk, gtalk force closes. Otherwise I am given the freedom of choice of which app to launch when browsing reddit. If you don't care too much about a partially malfunctioning google talk, uninstall htclinkifydispatcher. Back it up first (just in case other apps start malfunctioning, for me only google talk is affected, but it may vary for others) and then uninstall. Freezing it will not work.
Hope this helps
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
wow, really? so this bypasses that bs? that's awesome. unforunately, i use google talk every day
Anderew said:
uninstall "htclinkifydispatcher"
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That fixed the youtube / xbmc problem. Thanks!
jbuffethed said:
Mine shows some, while others do as you explained. I am stock rooted 3.14.
Sent from my S-OFF Rezound using Tapatalk 2.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Issue with all direct link static images in baconreader. Animated GIFs or where it renders the website too are fine. Also only has an issue on first load, have to zoom or back out and reselect link to make image reappear. Once cached, the image renders fine on a re-read.
Yet to find any combo of Developer options, Display, or stock browser settings (assuming baconreader may render links with stock browser settings) to address that particular problem...
Edit: Recommend deselecting "Open links in app" in baconreader and in other apps if available, if that issue cannot be resolved. Feedback from other ROM users appreciated. May ask the developer about bug.
Edit 2: Stock browser settings have no influence on the issue, app renders direct link images independently.
jayochs said:
wow, really? so this bypasses that bs? that's awesome. unforunately, i use google talk every day
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Yeah I use google talk a lot but not nearly as often as I browse reddit. It's so frustrating trying to watch a YouTube video in chrome instead of the designated app. I think this problem (feature?) alone makes me want aosp more than anything else about sense on ics. Give me freedom to choose my apps!
I found this problem with baconreader and reddit is golden. It's annoying but but I just double tap the imgur and it shows (zooming).
I've tried doing a lot of personal research before asking. I have watchdog and betterbatterystats. I found 2 apps chewing away at my battery. After using the app I always press back and then it pops up do you really want to exit and I select yes. However, I look at the processes and I will see it running in the background. Using stuff like advanced task killer (and a bunch of other killer apps) doesn't help, as soon as it kills it, the thing just spawns again. I had to force close it or sometimes reboot the phone. Is there any app that locks down these apps so it only allows process to run when the app is in the foreground and as soon as we leave it closes all aspect of that app? (I can't uninstall those 2 apps cause they are kinda essential; but by no means does it require any background process or need to be constantly running). So far it only runs in the background if I opened the app once, but if it starts to auto run I'm screwed.
Is there any app like the cydia backgrounder where I can set a whitelist or a blacklist that only lets the app run in the foreground and as soon as I press home it will stop all its process.
Autostarts in the market. It let's you see what apps start up under what conditions. I would assume you can just doable all conditions the apps can start up from and it would do as you describe.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
joshnichols189 said:
Autostarts in the market. It let's you see what apps start up under what conditions. I would assume you can just doable all conditions the apps can start up from and it would do as you describe.
Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have autostart doesn't work, ok I give you an example:
Groupon app. If you don't load it after a reboot it doesn't run, however as soon as you opened the app once. Theres like no way to close it.
Come-on... one of you guys must know how to close an app and prevent it from loading up after I leave the app. Isn't there anything like cydia backgrounder that I can set so apps are only allowed to load in the foreground and closes as soon as go back to the launcher???
Solution
The best solution to this is to install titanium backup. After that, create a widget in ur homescreen and select titanium backup widget (action). Then, select the action freeze/defrost/launch and after select the app ex. Facebook and create the widget. After, you will notice that the widget for the Facebook app has created to ur homescreen with a green locker. If u press on it, it will lock the app (freezed it actually) so it doesnt run. if you want to run the app, tap again on it and automatically will defrost it and launch it.
Hit thanks if i helped you
jcheong said:
I've tried doing a lot of personal research before asking. I have watchdog and betterbatterystats. I found 2 apps chewing away at my battery. After using the app I always press back and then it pops up do you really want to exit and I select yes. However, I look at the processes and I will see it running in the background. Using stuff like advanced task killer (and a bunch of other killer apps) doesn't help, as soon as it kills it, the thing just spawns again. I had to force close it or sometimes reboot the phone. Is there any app that locks down these apps so it only allows process to run when the app is in the foreground and as soon as we leave it closes all aspect of that app? (I can't uninstall those 2 apps cause they are kinda essential; but by no means does it require any background process or need to be constantly running). So far it only runs in the background if I opened the app once, but if it starts to auto run I'm screwed.
Is there any app like the cydia backgrounder where I can set a whitelist or a blacklist that only lets the app run in the foreground and as soon as I press home it will stop all its process.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I just want to add some info for a better understanding even if I understand what you meant.
1. A package showing in the process list after you chose "exit" is a sign for a service running. This is not necessary bad as there are many services doing nothing but waiting for events to process (of course some service do stuff in the background and it is good to look after those).
2. In Android there is no such concept as an app, there are activities (dialogs), and services and both have pretty complex life cycles (not just opened or closed) as you can see here
But back to your question: the right way to get rid of apps you don't want/need (also called bloatware in some cases) is to freeze them. One good tool for doing that is titanium backup.
chamonix said:
I just want to add some info for a better understanding even if I understand what you meant.
1. A package showing in the process list after you chose "exit" is a sign for a service running. This is not necessary bad as there are many services doing nothing but waiting for events to process (of course some service do stuff in the background and it is good to look after those).
2. In Android there is no such concept as an app, there are activities (dialogs), and services and both have pretty complex life cycles (not just opened or closed) as you can see here
But back to your question: the right way to get rid of apps you don't want/need (also called bloatware in some cases) is to freeze them. One good tool for doing that is titanium backup.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I understand the point of apps that show up and are 0% cpu usage like facebook etc. I was only using it as an example. There are plenty of other apps that do infact chew up cpu and battery after it is loaded for the first time and is unable to close the background processes (they are shown in the watchdog and betterbatterystats). So the only way is to freeze and unfreeze everytime I use these apps?
Something that is catching my attention as i mess with roms, is whenever I first sign into google services the google talk app is immediatly alerting me i have invite requests etc. meaning that app seems to be sitting in the background running and probing for network access. Clearly a battery drain, but I cant find a way to disable this behaviour short of freezing the app in titanium backup.
Have google really been this silly and put an social chat app on the OS that is forcefully always running unless removed?
On GB roms there is an option to not auto sign in, on ICS/JB roms (and also on GB if you update it to hangout app) there is no way to avoid auto signing in.
So am I right the app cannot be turned off, and is there any known ill affects to freezing the app?
Freeze it. It's always the first thing I freeze when I do a clean install.