Lock apps in Android 9. - Xiaomi Mi A3 Questions & Answers

Hi everybody.
I ask how "Lock" an app in the recent apps.
So when you use "Erase All" option to clean the RAM this application does not close.
I can do this with android 7, but i dont find this option now.

I don't believe that "app locking" was ever a feature of clean Android. It is a must have feature for crippled systems with aggressive memory management like MIUI, but systems based on AOSP don't need it. To be honest I'm surprised that the button "clear all" is still present. For what purpose do you use it?

They clearly don't want you to use it any more which is any they moved it all the way to the left. It's placebo at this point. Best to leave it to the system.

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[Q] Question about keeping background apps off

Ok I have looked around and have not found the answer. SO here Goes
In windows if you want to keep the memory that you have clear of background applications, you can run system configuration and just remove the check-mark for those items you dont want to auto start.
I have Advanced Task Killer installed and will set it up to auto kill and will manual kill apps as well. Instead of consistently looking at ATK to shut down apps, is there a way to just keep all the apps you not using nor have ever started from suddenly being there and sucking the life out of your battery?
Having applications "running" in the background (i.e., still in memory but in a suspended state) does NOT negatively affect your battery life. These applications are actually just remaining in memory because that memory does not need to be used by anything else at the moment. If an active application gets to a point where it needs more memory, Android will automatically close applications that are in a suspended state (i.e., not actively being used) to make room.
In other words, using an app killer is NOT necessary and I definitely recommend NOT using one. By closing the application repeatedly, you are just causing the application to take a longer amount of time to start up next time you use it. You're making your Android experience worse by using one, not better.
There is one caveat to this, and that is when you have an application installed that doesn't play nicely -- i.e., even when you stop using that application, it will continue to use up CPU cycles (never go into a suspended state). This is actually pretty rare unless you are installing really poorly written programs, but it can happen to some popular apps too (usually the result of a bug). In this case, you should either uninstall that application or use an app killer to only kill that one app.
I've heard both sides of this argument, and don't know who to believe. I didn't think I needed a Task Killer, but then I saw it repeatedly on "top 10 apps for Android" and "must have Android apps" lists from respected sites like cnet... who to believe?!
Cnet ≠ respected
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drumist said:
Having applications "running" in the background (i.e., still in memory but in a suspended state) does NOT negatively affect your battery life.
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I need to confirm this. Anyone? I dont care about memory because I bet Android excels at that, and at any rate, memory is there to be used, not to keep it empty.
But I come from a Symbian smartphone and "minimized" applications DO uses battery. Maybe little, but noticeable.
Anyone can confirm that background apps consume negligible battery juice?
Additionally, is there a nice task changer? Like windows Alt+Tab. I feel my Android like an iPhone, that I need to press the home button to move to another already opened app and that's just plain stupid. So far I'm using Multitasking Lite, but it can get sluggish once there are too many apps opened. Any suggestion would be warmly welcomed.
"Running" background apps DO NOT consume battery life unless they're actively syncing. If it's just in the memory saving the state of the app then that is fine.
As far as using a task killer, if you are manually killing apps and they keep starting back up then that is a bad thing for your battery. The app uses cpu cycles everytime it starts up again and syncs data. You can use a task killer to close apps that opened on startup or when you're done with them. If they stay closed until you choose to open them again then you're saving memory, but nothing to do with battery life.
ocswing said:
"Running" background apps DO NOT consume battery life unless they're actively syncing. If it's just in the memory saving the state of the app then that is fine
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Click to collapse
Thanks for confirming ;]
Darius_bd said:
Additionally, is there a nice task changer? Like windows Alt+Tab. I feel my Android like an iPhone, that I need to press the home button to move to another already opened app and that's just plain stupid. So far I'm using Multitasking Lite, but it can get sluggish once there are too many apps opened. Any suggestion would be warmly welcomed.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Obviously you can switch over to some apps by pulling down the notification menu and selecting the appropriate app. That only works on apps that put themselves in the notification menu though (multimedia apps and things like Google Nav usually do this).
Otherwise, you can press and hold the home button to bring up the list of 8 most recently opened apps without exiting the active app. This works but like I said, it's the 8 most recent apps, so it will list apps that aren't necessarily still running anymore. It's more of a shortcut to having to go search in your apps menu or home screens to find a recent app than a way to see what is currently running.
drumist said:
Otherwise, you can press and hold the home button to bring up the list of 8 most recently opened apps without exiting the active app. This works but like I said, it's the 8 most recent apps, so it will list apps that aren't necessarily still running anymore. It's more of a shortcut to having to go search in your apps menu or home screens to find a recent app than a way to see what is currently running.
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What can I say, I hate pressing the home key to hunt for the icon that opens the app I already opened more than 6 other apps ago ;] Guess I'll stick to Multitasking Lite for the time being. Thanks!

EASY way to instantly exit current app?

...and I don't mean 'minmize' like what pressing the home or back button does. (which merely puts it in the multitasker menu list, still open.)
I mean closing it like when you swipe it out of the menu list. (which are far as I can tell, seems to close it off enough to stop what it's doing and free up the memory it was using!)
Sometimes I want to just close an app since I know I won't be using it for a while and I want to conserve cpu/memory/battery - or merely manage the list of things in my multitask list. kinda like on Desktop. (you don't want every app on your pc open all at once, do you, do you?!) and I just want a simple way like on the desktop to close that app when I want to close it.
SO: Is there some app that can assign a custom screen gesture (like the lovely letter C for 'close') to perform 'fully exit current app' or some solution like that? I started to research, but couldn't seem to find one very quickly, so thought I'd ask here, at THE place to ask.
also I apologise for using things like Windows terms ('minimize'), i know that's not how it works in android. But you do know what I mean.
Thanks
This is a question that a lot of people ask when moving to Android and the answer simply is, forget about it.
Android handles processes and memory in a completely different way to Windows. When an app is "minimized" it obviously leaves a footprint in the memory, but it uses no CPU (unless it's a polling app or something that keeps alive for a specific purpose).
Just trust Android to handle memory management - it does a very good job of it.
If you really, really MUST do something about it then the best thing you can do is get something like Juice Defender (there's tons of similar apps) and make it kill apps periodically. Most apps that people use for this type of purpose are merely placebo, but if it makes you feel better then I guess it's serving a purpose.
Archer said:
This is a question that a lot of people ask when moving to Android and the answer simply is, forget about it.
Android handles processes and memory in a completely different way to Windows. When an app is "minimized" it obviously leaves a footprint in the memory, but it uses no CPU (unless it's a polling app or something that keeps alive for a specific purpose).
Just trust Android to handle memory management - it does a very good job of it.
If you really, really MUST do something about it then the best thing you can do is get something like Juice Defender (there's tons of similar apps) and make it kill apps periodically.
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Thanks for your answer. I can sense you have wisdom and experience in your words there, but I want to probe a little further.
surely there can be an almost macro-like (again, windows terminology, sorry) functionality, that can be assigned to a gesture swipe that can emulate pressing home button, then swiping the bottom item away from the multitask menu? (which is always the one you just 'minimized')? Could an app like Tasker even do it?
i agree that good memory management is a beautiful thing, but there really should be manual control of closing apps, my reasons above are stated.
i wouldn't touch automatic time-based closing, i sometimes have saved states in apps and wouldn't want them closed when i don't want them closed.
Most apps that people use for this type of purpose are merely placebo, but if it makes you feel better then I guess it's serving a purpose.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
you really think it's all placebo, and that say, running 50 apps in android with finite set amount of ram on the device is all fine simply due to memory management?
is me experiencing lag in some android apps (or battery draining faster than I'd like), then closing off several running apps in the multitask list, then noticing the problem go away, all placebo????? what about google maps, say?! I'd love a one-step swipe action to CLOSE google maps when I'm done with it, not having to press home button, then multitask button, then swipe away google maps. (I know when minimized it consumes nothing like it does when open, but I think still it consumes more than if it were fully closed...)
it's not just about memory. edit: and I already stated in addition, I often want to simply manage what I have open. this is a basic function in desktop OSes, I think it's time it came to mobile. if not officially, there surely must be some hack/tool to do it. :S
download a task killer app with a widget.
press home button and press the widget and you're done
If you're using AOKP based ROM then there is hold back to kill in Settings > ROM control > general UI
Sent from my GT-I9100 using 1st ROM
Hold homesçern key
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jman2131 said:
download a task killer app with a widget.
press home button and press the widget and you're done
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that's about 2/3 the way towards the current 3-step solution though :/.
Am I to be amazed that a function to put this simple task into a single gesture hasn't been done? or isn't possible? it HAS to be possible. Otherwise I'd be flabbergasted.
I have googled further and just can't seem to find something :|.
WAIT! I think I have! here. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodmooddroid.gesturecontroldemo&hl=en it has a "kill task" function that you can set up a custom gesture for. it's a start.
however I'm getting a "ERROR! No ROOT permissions?" error despite being rooted with supersu and successfully using other root apps etc, so I've emailed the dev and hope I can get it working :S.
But still, it seems a little clunky the offering of custom gesture types. I can't set a nice curvy gesture defined by tracing it on the screen. oh well - it's a start.....
jootanen said:
If you're using AOKP based ROM then there is hold back to kill in Settings > ROM control > general UI
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Click to collapse
That seems the holy grail! too bad I'm on stock jb with plans for upgrading to CM .....

Is it a good idea to constantly "swipe" apps away?

Is it a good idea to constantly long-press home button and swipe the recently opened apps away? Is this the equivalent of "killing" the apps? I'm asking because I read that killing your apps is usually a bad idea because your RAM should always be used and it actually hurts your battery life. Is there a difference between this and going to the process manager and deleting the process?
When should I swipe recently opened apps away? Currently, I do this to free some RAM but I'm not sure if it's necessary.
Does your swipe include killing apps ? or it just removes it from recent apps list ?
if it kills , I'd say that don't swipe away important applications that you constantly use like launcher,browser,whatsapp etc
on the other hand you can swipe off apps you rarely use and which might be open like games , or other apps
you are right about swiping the important apps,it does more harm than good
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mindstormer said:
Is it a good idea to constantly long-press home button and swipe the recently opened apps away? Is this the equivalent of "killing" the apps? I'm asking because I read that killing your apps is usually a bad idea because your RAM should always be used and it actually hurts your battery life. Is there a difference between this and going to the process manager and deleting the process?
When should I swipe recently opened apps away? Currently, I do this to free some RAM but I'm not sure if it's necessary.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
When you swipe away recent apps you are essentially "exiting" the app safely where as when you use a task manger application you are force closing the application on the spot. This is not the same as "killing" the app in a technical sense what is happening is two things. The first thing that is happening when you swipe away a recent app is it kills any background process or empty processes of the application in a safe manner (Check out this section of the Android developer guide for more info on what this is about) unlike a task manger which just kills the entire application process negatively effecting performance. Second what is happening is the new API is used to tell any services of the action that is what removed so that the system can appropriate action such as starting a new process or service (For more on this see this section in the Android developer documentation). In answering you RAM question Android manages it's own memory which is why task killers once again mess this up and hurt rather then help performance. The recent application list shows what apps were recently used and clearing this will tell the applications to exist free some memory but some of their background services and tasks will still always run in the background as part of the app using some memory and battery. To explicitly and completely stop an app from memory you can go to Android built in application manger under System Settings > Application Manger and then go to the running tab and see what applications are running in the background. Overall, removing recent applications will help battery life but as previously mentioned the apps background processes will use some of system's battery and memory resources. If you are interested in learning more about this I would recommend checking out this.
shimp208 said:
When you swipe away recent apps you are essentially "exiting" the app safely where as when you use a task manger application you are force closing the application on the spot. This is not the same as "killing" the app in a technical sense what is happening is two things. The first thing that is happening when you swipe away a recent app is it kills any background process or empty processes of the application in a safe manner (Check out this section of the Android developer guide for more info on what this is about) unlike a task manger which just kills the entire application process negatively effecting performance. Second what is happening is the new API is used to tell any services of the action that is what removed so that the system can appropriate action such as starting a new process or service (For more on this see this section in the Android developer documentation). In answering you RAM question Android manages it's own memory which is why task killers once again mess this up and hurt rather then help performance. The recent application list shows what apps were recently used and clearing this will tell the applications to exist free some memory but some of their background services and tasks will still always run in the background as part of the app using some memory and battery. To explicitly and completely stop an app from memory you can go to Android built in application manger under System Settings > Application Manger and then go to the running tab and see what applications are running in the background. Overall, removing recent applications will help battery life but as previously mentioned the apps background processes will use some of system's battery and memory resources. If you are interested in learning more about this I would recommend checking out this.
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Click to collapse
soham jambhekar said:
Does your swipe include killing apps ? or it just removes it from recent apps list ?
if it kills , I'd say that don't swipe away important applications that you constantly use like launcher,browser,whatsapp etc
on the other hand you can swipe off apps you rarely use and which might be open like games , or other apps
you are right about swiping the important apps,it does more harm than good
Sent from my GT-S5670 using xda premium
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Click to collapse
Awesome, thanks for the informative posts.

Remap keys

Anyone knows how to remap hardware keys. I have tried gravity box and xposed additions, but both don't work on oos 2.2.0. The standard button option in oos settings doesn't have much options. I want to enable long press back kills foreground applicant.
"Recent apps" then cross to "kill all" isn't enought for you?
Kéno40 said:
"Recent apps" then cross to "kill all" isn't enought for you?
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Click to collapse
"Kill all" & "enough" you see the contradiction. I don't have to explain you that, in the way android works, it isn't good to kill all apps.
I just want to kill foreground application. Besides also want to remap the other keys with functions that aren't native oos supported (like notifications pull down).
winesh said:
"Kill all" & "enough" you see the contradiction. I don't have to explain you that, in the way android works, it isn't good to kill all apps.
I just want to kill foreground application. Besides also want to remap the other keys with functions that aren't native oos supported (like notifications pull down).
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Click to collapse
On news android devices and quite powerfull ones, it's more "quit all" than "kill all". It seems really less agressive than before and I don't have any remorses using it.
Edit : maybe I'm wrong !
Kéno40 said:
On news android devices and quite powerfull ones, it's more "quit all" than "kill all". It seems really less agressive than before and I don't have any remorses using it.
Edit : maybe I'm wrong !
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Haha you are terribly wrong. The power of new android devices has nothing to do with this.
The only thing that has been advanced over the years in terms of ram, is that app developers generally coded their apps better. Meaning sleep, stand by and closing without user interuption is done more efficiently.

How to keep an app Alive in background

Hi guys,
I'll try to be understandable.
I have 2 apps (app1 and app2), I want to be able to use app1 while app2 keep running in background, and switch to app2 while app1 keep running in background.
I know that Android kills app if it needs RAM, mine has 6gb RAM maybe it's not enough or simply not possible.
Let me know about it, if I'm looking for something not possible.
I found some answers on internet but I think I didn't use them properly.
I heard about freeform mode (using a kind of floating apps).
I though about using split screen, it works, but I used the built-in feature and I can't resize both split screens. It is forced to 50/50.
I tried to use the "Don't optimize" feature, "Standard limit" in battery settings etc... but it doesn't work properly with my apps.
Maybe it comes from the apps themselves ?
Thanks in advance,
Hi
You can check Battery in settings, Allows apps to continue running the background with high power consumption.
Gaarnom said:
Hi guys,
I'll try to be understandable.
I have 2 apps (app1 and app2), I want to be able to use app1 while app2 keep running in background, and switch to app2 while app1 keep running in background.
I know that Android kills app if it needs RAM, mine has 6gb RAM maybe it's not enough or simply not possible.
Let me know about it, if I'm looking for something not possible.
I found some answers on internet but I think I didn't use them properly.
I heard about freeform mode (using a kind of floating apps).
I though about using split screen, it works, but I used the built-in feature and I can't resize both split screens. It is forced to 50/50.
I tried to use the "Don't optimize" feature, "Standard limit" in battery settings etc... but it doesn't work properly with my apps.
Maybe it comes from the apps themselves ?
Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
hiepv said:
Hi
You can check Battery in settings, Allows apps to continue running the background with high power consumption.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
There is an option in developer settings which allows to choose how many apps you want running in background before system kills them.

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