Check out this app called Free Memory. I don't understand how this 3rd party app has access to the iPhone's OS by quitting apps that are running. Why does this app have special abilities? I'm really confused.
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Since when was stuff like this allowed on the AppStore? Free Memory?
- Thread starter TheSpaz
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Not sure about fake or not, but there are other apps that reference private APIs that have made it into the store (i.e. Battery Log). Google Code has some listings describing private APIs for network statistics as well.
The way I understand it is technically this RAM app and the other topics I listed are all not allowed but made it in, but since they are probably using private APIs their functionality may be broken at some point with an update or could even be removed from the store if Apple decides they want to take it down.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, perhaps it isn't using a private API, but just allocating a LOT of memory to give the system the low memory warning to stop native background processes from using memory. Then again, maybe it is a scam and is just reallocating and freeing inactive memory? For 99¢ I'm tempted to play with this, but am not sure I want to give a developer money for an app that I am not sure does something or possibly uses private APIs to mess with the system is ways I don't want it too. I wonder how this could be tested--maybe later on I'll email the dev and see if they would be willing to let me in on their secret.
The way I understand it is technically this RAM app and the other topics I listed are all not allowed but made it in, but since they are probably using private APIs their functionality may be broken at some point with an update or could even be removed from the store if Apple decides they want to take it down.
EDIT: Now that I think about it, perhaps it isn't using a private API, but just allocating a LOT of memory to give the system the low memory warning to stop native background processes from using memory. Then again, maybe it is a scam and is just reallocating and freeing inactive memory? For 99¢ I'm tempted to play with this, but am not sure I want to give a developer money for an app that I am not sure does something or possibly uses private APIs to mess with the system is ways I don't want it too. I wonder how this could be tested--maybe later on I'll email the dev and see if they would be willing to let me in on their secret.
This program works. It tells you what's running, you click free memory, less stuff is running and you have more memory. For example, right now:
Free memory: 3.32MB
After clear: 20.87mb
Close program
Open safari
Leave safari
Free memory: 5.01MB
Safari is still running
After clear: 26.76
Safari is no longer running in the background
This app is closing down process left in memory by the phone to try and speed up the loading of subsequent accesses. It may take a little longer to load safari, but my apps (like crayon physics) don't have any more slowdown.
Free memory: 3.32MB
After clear: 20.87mb
Close program
Open safari
Leave safari
Free memory: 5.01MB
Safari is still running
After clear: 26.76
Safari is no longer running in the background
This app is closing down process left in memory by the phone to try and speed up the loading of subsequent accesses. It may take a little longer to load safari, but my apps (like crayon physics) don't have any more slowdown.
Not that I know anything about the options for memory/process management on jailbroken phones, but some comparison with another app might mean something, but if we are debating if Free Memory does what it claims, I don't think the programs own UI is proof of anything. I don't think that the UI is just making stuff up, but my main concern is what exactly it is doing and how. I am sure it is at least using a private API to get the process list, so it may be using other private methods to quit processes versus some other technique like forcing them to quit by creating a low memory warning--this is what worries me more than if the application does anything at all or not.
Not really, my apps are not submitted yet, but if I am not mistaken, you get to pick what category you list your application in.
I don't doubt it does something, but what? It would be nice if it could tell us wired, active, inactive, and free so we could see if it is somehow juggling inactive/free or actually doing something that would make more of a difference (if it is indeed quitting processes I'm guessing it is, then the real concern is how it does it--private APIs we shouldn't be touching vs. low memory warnings--sorry for being redundant there).
Which list are you referring to, I already tried to find something on the iPhone Developer Forums and I thought there was only a Safari-iPhone-Dev list on the Apple list page. Can you either point me in the right direction to do some more reading or share some more of that info with us. I'm tempted to download it and experiment with it. Chronicles of Inotia lets you know when it got a low memory warning and I can get that to happen consistently so I could test it that way. As I've said, my two concerns with doing that are giving the developer any more profit if it is indeed a scam that doesn't do anything actually helpful and if it does do something that it is doing things with private APIs that I'd rather my 3rd party software not to be touching.I've read some technical discussion about this on the dev mailing list. It's basically a scam. Memory are not freed at all, it's just a number change. Too bad everyone is getting tricked into it
This seems like it has possibilities an interesting development tool to look at memory use in addition to using instruments, maybe it would be a nice thing for the developer community if the dev(s) of this software would let us know what is going on so we can know if it is indeed a useful tool.
works... just like any other bit app
Apple's apps can run in the background, but they will sometimes shut down if squeezed hard enough by the foreground app's memory and CPU usage.
But almost any big app will work. Try one of the biggest free 3D games, one that takes a long time to launch, and it will do about the same thing.
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Apple's apps can run in the background, but they will sometimes shut down if squeezed hard enough by the foreground app's memory and CPU usage.
But almost any big app will work. Try one of the biggest free 3D games, one that takes a long time to launch, and it will do about the same thing.
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There's nothing against showing what apps are running, but it can't quit apps. What this app does it just use up a big chunk of memory so that Apple's built in memory management kick in and forces some processes to shut down or restart. The same thing happens with games and stuff.
All this app has done was made me wise to how many apps don't close. WTH? Apple won't allow apps to run in the background but theirs do? Safari, Mail, and iPod all stay running everytime you open unless you force quit. How are you supposed to close an app?
All of a sudden I feel like I'm back on Windows Mobile.
All of a sudden I feel like I'm back on Windows Mobile.
I guess you force quit every time by holding the Home button, which kinda sucks.
I still don't get it that Apple approved this app, maybe it is just perfectly abiding the SDK
I guess you force quit every time by holding the Home button, which kinda sucks.
I still don't get it that Apple approved this app, maybe it is just perfectly abiding the SDK
I emailed the dev and he said he didnt use private API's, just the ones in the SDK and that he cant say anymore. Although he did say you just need an understanding of the iphone's memory system...
Zym
if this works like it says it does it would be a fantastic app. after a day or so of messing around on my iphone the memory seems to clog up. if i try to play something memory intensive like sim city it always crashes. i basically have to restart my iphone every single time i want to play sim city, just to free up memory.
I thought this was a common occurrence in OSX? My imac does the same thing. Suppose i open itunes, VLC, word, safari etc.... my RAM is maxed out and im left with like 10-15mb free out of 2gigs. Even when i close all the programs my ram never clears up... it still says i only have a few mbs free and the thing runs slow... it's not until i restart the thing that all the memory gets freed back up.
I thought this was a common occurrence in OSX? My imac does the same thing. Suppose i open itunes, VLC, word, safari etc.... my RAM is maxed out and im left with like 10-15mb free out of 2gigs. Even when i close all the programs my ram never clears up... it still says i only have a few mbs free and the thing runs slow... it's not until i restart the thing that all the memory gets freed back up.
I just got word of this awesome and useful upcoming app here:
http://bjango.com/apps/istat-iphone/
HOLY CRAP! This app looks sooooooo cool! Way better than Free Memory!
http://bjango.com/apps/istat-iphone/
HOLY CRAP! This app looks sooooooo cool! Way better than Free Memory!
iStat looks awesome for the iPhone. What I'd really like is a program like coconutbattery that could monitor the iPhones battery charge cycles and health. I don't know if this violates the SDK though.