Why do so many apps every app end up in the multitasking bar?? 99% of the time I want the app to actually close out an go away. Very few apps actually make sense to be multitasked (Loopt, Pandora, etc.). But some apps have no business ending up in the multitask bar. Is there no way to tell an app to actually stop and stay out of the multitask bar?
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Anyone hate the way multitasking was implemented?
- Thread starter Zeos
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As I understand it, the bar shows recently used apps
Not all of them continue running, only those designed to multitask
Not all of them continue running, only those designed to multitask
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
for the most part i like it. sometimes i do want to just close them. tomtom is a good example of this. it is difficult to end the trip. also sometimes i like to close the app to conserve battery but open it again with the same trip programmed... but nope
But why show recently used apps on a multitasking bar? I can place my favorite apps on a folder or a single page. I routinely end up with 3 or 4 pages of app clutter down there.
Agree.
I don't like all the recent used apps down there either but the way multitasking is handled is pretty good IMO.
They're there so that you can switch between apps quickly. Apple's implementation isn't 'true' multitasking, though if developers have allowed their app to use the "save-state" in their applications, then switching between one and another is like multitasking.
Many games, for instance, or even an app like twitter don't need to be running all the time in the background, but having them save their state for a quick re-launch later makes more sense.
Folders are nice, but many times you want to switch between one app and another and they're not necessarily on the same page or folder, so the app switcher is really efficient.
If youre jailbroke, you can install remove recents, and any apps that are not natively multitasked will be removed when you close them. I really dont mind the way Apple implemented multi-tasking, but I do wish there was a way to close all the multi-task apps at once.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
Ok now that I have use of BOTH of my hands, I think I will type a slightly more coherent comment in here. haha
I really do like the way it shows only the most recent apps at the bottom. I think it is the most effective way to quickly "multitask" between whatever apps you are using at that moment. Like you mentioned, you're favorites can go on the dock or page one. At first I didn't think I would like how the apps stay in the quick launcher for all eternity (basically), but now I've come to realize that it's better than arbitrarily removing them, and it isn't hurting anything (also, I previously thought it would be a continuous flow of apps using real physics (like most scrolling on the iphone), not the "pages" of recent apps. I like the pages method)
My one qualm with the Apple method is you can't easily choose if you want to "multitask" or close the app. As mentioning above my prime example of this is when I use the TomTom app. Sometimes I like to use it just to quickly see how far I am from my destination, or if I am approaching a tricky spot on a trip. I rarely use it for the entire journey. But if I close the app the GPS keeps running in the background. So to conserve battery I always clear the trip, which requires a few steps to go through. And then I reopen the app again later and have to reroute the same route I was on before.
This is just one example that I experience, but I'm sure there are plenty of other instances where people want to be able to actually quit the app. Instead of keep it running.
I think a simple hold and release of the home button would be sufficient. It takes like 3 seconds to go to voice over, so I think if you hold for greater than 1 second but less than 3 seconds you would quit the app.
I really do like the way it shows only the most recent apps at the bottom. I think it is the most effective way to quickly "multitask" between whatever apps you are using at that moment. Like you mentioned, you're favorites can go on the dock or page one. At first I didn't think I would like how the apps stay in the quick launcher for all eternity (basically), but now I've come to realize that it's better than arbitrarily removing them, and it isn't hurting anything (also, I previously thought it would be a continuous flow of apps using real physics (like most scrolling on the iphone), not the "pages" of recent apps. I like the pages method)
My one qualm with the Apple method is you can't easily choose if you want to "multitask" or close the app. As mentioning above my prime example of this is when I use the TomTom app. Sometimes I like to use it just to quickly see how far I am from my destination, or if I am approaching a tricky spot on a trip. I rarely use it for the entire journey. But if I close the app the GPS keeps running in the background. So to conserve battery I always clear the trip, which requires a few steps to go through. And then I reopen the app again later and have to reroute the same route I was on before.
This is just one example that I experience, but I'm sure there are plenty of other instances where people want to be able to actually quit the app. Instead of keep it running.
I think a simple hold and release of the home button would be sufficient. It takes like 3 seconds to go to voice over, so I think if you hold for greater than 1 second but less than 3 seconds you would quit the app.
Some of the comments on this thread has proven the ignorance people have about how multitasking is implemented in iOS. The only apps running in the background are the ones that:
1)Use location (GPS)
2)Use VOIP (skype)
3)Use audio (pandora)
There is also task completion (up/downloading in the background)
Unless an app is doing one of those four things, IT IS NOT RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND. As to why every app ends up in the "multitasking bar," it is b/c it is not a "multitasking bar," it is a recently used app bar. Those apps have been recently used. Just b/c they are there does not mean they are running. This allows for the "fast app switching" (the cool animation between apps).
1)Use location (GPS)
2)Use VOIP (skype)
3)Use audio (pandora)
There is also task completion (up/downloading in the background)
Unless an app is doing one of those four things, IT IS NOT RUNNING IN THE BACKGROUND. As to why every app ends up in the "multitasking bar," it is b/c it is not a "multitasking bar," it is a recently used app bar. Those apps have been recently used. Just b/c they are there does not mean they are running. This allows for the "fast app switching" (the cool animation between apps).
Don't know what you are talking about here. When you close the GPS app (hit the red minus sign) it ends the app. The same goes with Pandora or Skype or other multitasking apps. You "close" it by making it jiggle, then hit the red minus sign. The app closes at that point and is no longer running in the background.
I think it is implimented very well. Did apple ever call it a "multitask bar". From what i recall, its only called a recent app bar. If you are always using the same apps, why dont you just put them on your home screen?
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
oh I gotcha!!!!
It is SO much easier to
a) quit the app
b) double tap the home button
c) hold down on an icon
d) press the red minus
e) press the home button to make them stop wigglying
f) press home button again/press on the screen to make the bar go away
or we could just have a 1 second press and hold...
Any process that forces you to get to step "F" is a "F"ailure in my book.
edit: plus how many "normal" users know about this? My sister had an iPhone 4 for 2 months before I showed her the quick launch bar. she didn't even KNOW about it.... she is kinda dense tho...
oh I gotcha!!!!
It is SO much easier to
a) quit the app
b) double tap the home button
c) hold down on an icon
d) press the red minus
e) press the home button to make them stop wigglying
f) press home button again/press on the screen to make the bar go away
or we could just have a 1 second press and hold..
Any process that forces you to get to step "F" is a "F"ailure in my book.
edit: plus how many "normal" users know about this? My sister had an iPhone 4 for 2 months before I showed her the quick launch bar. she didn't even KNOW about it.... she is kinda dense tho...
Well your sister represents most apple product users.... Don't know anything about technical stuff. They just use it. Which is exactly what apple wants...
And you can combine the last two steps.... You don't have to make them stop jiggling. Just tap the screen and the bar closes.
You really don't have to worry about memory on the iPhone 4. So, if you don't close these apps it's not a biggie, unless they're affecting the battery.
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
my point exactly... people aren't going to like how some apps continue after you "close" them and some apps don't. People won't understand the concept of having to go in and use that 6 step process I outlined. But what people do understand is "close" and "minimize" press the home button minimizes to the quick launch bar. Hold home button for 1 second closes it. Simple
Good to know. of course I virtually never actually go thru and close my apps, but I'll remember that in case I do. I still prefer my method.
was anyone here complaining about memory usage?
Mad Mac Maniac
macrumors 601
I know you really want to feel good like you know something that no one else does. but upon re-reading the posts above yours I noticed that everyone seems to have a pretty good grasp on how multitasking works. Maybe you could argue the OP was wrong, but I could also argue that the OP was simply refering to those 3 types of apps that continue running. Or a task completion. So it makes sense to ask for a way to close an app, because you admit there are many different ways that apps continue to run...
Depends how they are programmed. They SHOULD be programmed to stop when you exit if NOT on a trip and continue using GPS while on a trip. If you are on a trip and u want to close completely you need to quit the trip, or go into that those a-f steps I outlined above. Or turn off location services (a bit overkill)
What?
This just proves that you can only please some of the people some of the time and never all of the people all of the time.
I seem to remember the multitude of moans and complaints that multitasking was not possible on the iPhone!!
There is only one element of the multitasking implementation that requires you to 'quit' an app to conserve battery/memory and that is an app which uses background GPS, and as I think someone has already mentioned, the app creator should stop using background GPS anyway if you aren't actually in a trip which is down to the app creator and the way they have applied the background GPS API.
As for anything else there is no reason whatsoever to quit an app through the fast app switcher as they're not actually doing anything. The only other backgrounding type which may cause confusion is background music but this can be paused from the music controls.
As for anything else there is no reason whatsoever to quit an app through the fast app switcher as they're not actually doing anything. The only other backgrounding type which may cause confusion is background music but this can be paused from the music controls.
oh I gotcha!!!!
It is SO much easier to
a) quit the app
b) double tap the home button
c) hold down on an icon
d) press the red minus
e) press the home button to make them stop wigglying
f) press home button again/press on the screen to make the bar go away
or we could just have a 1 second press and hold...
Any process that forces you to get to step "F" is a "F"ailure in my book.
edit: plus how many "normal" users know about this? My sister had an iPhone 4 for 2 months before I showed her the quick launch bar. she didn't even KNOW about it.... she is kinda dense tho...
Since most apps don't multitask in the background, then there isn't a need to be constantly closing out the apps in the quick-launch bar. I can only think of the example you described about quitting the GPS app if you don't want it to multitask to conserve battery, but the implementation is really simple especially since you shouldn't even be quitting apps very often unless you use GPS every single day because you haven't learned the way to and from work or something.
And the implementation before was to hold the Sleep/Wake button for seconds until the slide-to-power-off bar came up, and the you would have to hold the home button for even more seconds for the app to quit. The new method might require more steps, but it's a lot quicker, especially if you want to restart more than one app.
Flicking up would probably take even longer to clean out the quick-launch bar (which you don't have to) because it requires more motion. You would have to keep sliding your finger up for all of the apps, whereas you can just tap in the same spot quickly in the method we have right now.