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[Sailfish X][XA2]android apps not getting killed

Tracked by Jolla (Rejected)

asked 2019-08-24 19:09:13 +0200

santhoshmanikandan gravatar image

When android apps are getting killed using swipe or from card, it is not getting killed completely. On opening the app again, it is getting resumed instead of initializing from the start. Is it an expected behaviour or an bug in the Runtime?

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6

When my XA2 is freshly started, the apps are closed properly. After 2-3 days, the apps stay in memory and are no longer completely closed when I want to close them with a wipe from the top. In this state, the Aliendalvik becomes more and more unstable and not open other apps reliable. Sometimes they are only opened after several attempts, sometimes never more. I have not yet figured out what triggers this behavior.

In this situation, a restart of Aliendalvik helps and the apps are completely closed again.

I think that's a bug in the XA2 Aliendalvik. The Jolla 1 does not show such strange behavior. In J1 apps are completely closed, unless the apps settings "run in background" is enabled.

4carlos ( 2019-08-25 07:05:37 +0200 )edit

Do you have similar symptoms as described here? https://together.jolla.com/question/211643/bug-android-app-with-video-not-closed-if-video-not-stopped-before-closing-app/ In that case we are aware of the issue and developers are looking into it. Thanks for the update.

jiit ( 2019-08-26 10:30:28 +0200 )edit

To me, this behaviour started right after SFOS 3.1, running on XA2 dual sim

Sakke ( 2019-08-27 11:19:38 +0200 )edit

Moving discussion at https://together.jolla.com/question/211643/bug-android-app-with-video-not-closed-if-video-not-stopped-before-closing-app/ under this post. Issue is being worked on, thanks for all the comments.

jiit ( 2019-08-30 10:10:11 +0200 )edit

Ever since updating to 3.2.0.12 I've encountered this issue several times and it seems that it's getting even worse than it was on 3.1. Now almost any app hangs in the background. The main issue I've is that I've got a few apps using lots of ram so it's not nice to have them there lagging the whole system.

Sakke ( 2019-11-13 12:14:14 +0200 )edit

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answered 2019-08-25 03:20:20 +0200

Fuzzillogic gravatar image

updated 2019-08-25 03:21:48 +0200

On Android, when "closing" an app, you only close the current fragment or view of the app. It's a "feature" of Android. The actual process will usually stay alive. Other than the "force close" an app from the settings, there is no normal way of closing an app on Android afaik.

So I would think of it as expected behavior. But I don't like it either and love to see an option to just send a TERM signal to the process when closing them in SFOS, for a graceful termination of the app.

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Yeah SigTERM will be helpful. I don't want apps like twitter/lastpass to run in background which I use once or twice a day.

santhoshmanikandan ( 2019-08-25 05:14:59 +0200 )edit
1

@Fuzzylogic, I thought so too, but this behavior doesn't occur to me immediately, but after a while. See my comment from above.

4carlos ( 2019-08-25 07:22:53 +0200 )edit

@4carlos hmm indeed, after closing the processes are gone in the XA2. I too have seen processes stick around after closing.. I've restarted just two days ago. I haven't experienced the problems you describe, but I'll keep a watch on the processes.

Fuzzillogic ( 2019-08-25 12:26:04 +0200 )edit

What would be the advantage of force-closing Android apps? From what I understand, on a real Android phone, force-closing apps does not accomplish anything, apart from the fact that they are slower to restart the next time you open them.

Federico ( 2019-08-30 16:02:33 +0200 )edit

It's simple, this is a bug and an unexpected behavior? In my case, the phone get unstable when Droid apps stay from time to time in background. We don't have a real Android ;-) Former Aliendalvik really close all Apps every times and not only 2-3 days.

4carlos ( 2019-08-30 18:09:37 +0200 )edit
0

answered 2019-08-27 04:08:48 +0200

DrYak gravatar image

there are a few ways to avoid the application running in the background.

In your specific case (application remaining after you close the window), it might help to deactivate Notification (e.g.: avoid keeping a background process of a game that regularly nags you into coming back because your crops can be tended or whatever), and block the application autostarting on cloud messaging or completely disable it (no more "News" sent from the company straight into your app)

But you might still need to manually "Force stop" some resisting apps through "Settings" (e.g.: aliexpress in my experience)

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Hmm, I use e.g. an old simple calculator that has none of the abilities to work in the background or send notifications. After some time, this app also remains in memory. That's not normal.

4carlos ( 2019-08-28 07:24:42 +0200 )edit

Where did you get it from? F-Droid or Play Store?

Have you run this app through Exodus to check it?

There are very few "simple" android apps. Most of them have some undesirable side effect. Might be as simple as some data gathering for crashes and/or UX tracking. Might be the more serious spywares.

DrYak ( 2019-08-28 18:10:01 +0200 )edit

It's from my own app collection from former times. Called RealCalcPlus (payed version), made for Android 2.3.1. The manifest file is ultra short and clean. The app denpends only on Android SDK. No other bs inside.

4carlos ( 2019-08-28 19:57:29 +0200 )edit

Disabling notifications has helped. Few apps now not running for long hours. Some apps are resilient :(

santhoshmanikandan ( 2019-08-31 05:49:53 +0200 )edit
0

answered 2019-08-29 11:51:00 +0200

mViper gravatar image

Hello,

why not restart the device on a regular basis? Usually it helps to reboot any (consumer) devices the other day or so. Sometimes the SFOS own camera App won't start --> reboot the device --> everything ist fine.

But back to topic. Every now and then after I "closed" some Android App, I see a "transparent" App in the taskmanager still open. How to notice? --> If you press and hold down (at the the taskmanager page), little "x" shows up at each open app to close it seperately --> so it will be at that still open "transparent" App.

Maybe that is something else, but that is just what I noticed fits kind of to this topic (-:

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Restarting the device is not a real solution. Aliendalvik OFF/ON ist much faster :-)

My reference is the native app "Lighthouse" that shows running processes.

4carlos ( 2019-08-29 12:30:14 +0200 )edit
1

Reboot regularly is only a workaround, but an annoying one. It's not meant to be like that.

When running apps can't be held completely in RAM their app covers a drawn with less contrast. Is that what you meant with "transparent"?

Pohli ( 2019-08-29 12:31:40 +0200 )edit

For Android Apps not working, yes. But I do not think that Aiendalvik helps with the native camera App?!

///

No, not less contrast. Transparent like - you do not see an App cover at all - until you press and hold down on the page - when the "x" (for closing apps) appear, they get highlighted too. Another thing to notice - e.g. you have 4 Apps open - they show quite big (2x2 arrngement) on the taskmanager page. A 5th App will resize and rearrange the open Apps on the taskmanager page (3x3 arrangement). Usually, if you close one App - they will resize and rearrange back (2x2) - unless the error as mentioned before accurs --> closing an Android App (but a transparent (not seeable) App cover stays) - if that happens, I see only 4 Apps, but in the 3x3 arrangement. --> Press and hold on the task manager page - and 5 small "x" appear for closing Apps separately. Resizing and rearranging is working fine - just sometimes a "closed" Android App appears as a transparent App cover. As long it is just that - I can live with that (-:

mViper ( 2019-08-29 13:52:34 +0200 )edit

@mViper: I've never seen what you describe but I only have a Jolla Phone, no X or XA2.

Pohli ( 2019-08-29 19:14:18 +0200 )edit

On my XA2.

mViper ( 2019-08-30 09:24:48 +0200 )edit
0

answered 2020-05-05 22:16:33 +0200

Yongshi gravatar image

So I still have this issue in the Rokua update. Is there any progress here on ways to kill android apps?

I hate that when i kill Here Maps I am still getting the notifications of the route with no way stop them unless to kill the complete android layer or reboot.

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on the /settings/app/ by choosing the wished-to-be-closed-app then completely below we can force to close. did you found it ? and tried ? not forget to uncheck the authorization to run in background... work well by me. otherwise don't know other way. I use the native app Mem! to check if it still on running

cemoi71 ( 2020-05-06 01:58:36 +0200 )edit

If everything else fails, you can always shut down and restart the whole alien dalvik from the Options as last resort.

avhakola ( 2020-05-07 19:51:07 +0200 )edit
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Asked: 2019-08-24 19:09:13 +0200

Seen: 1,024 times

Last updated: May 05 '20