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Apple to Allow Background Tasks on iPhone?
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Apart from the bigger apps like media streaming and such, having smaller apps like IM, VOIP or other such things running in the background really wouldn't be a strain on the iPhone at all.
Sure, in a regular computer, IM programs might bloat to 20 or 30 megs of memory, but you don't need all that crap loading on the iPhone.
For example, you could easily construct a two-part IM program. One part would be the main program with interface etc.., the other would be the background daemon. This daemon would listen on a TCP/IP port for incoming connections and pop up a notification whenever an IM message was received (think of how SMS is handled in the iPhone). Then you have the option to Reply or Close. Upon Replying, the daemon would launch the full app and should present a pretty seamless experience for the user. Meanwhile, the daemon is using not megs, but only a few KB of memory while executed as a background process, because it would be strictly code and none of the graphics and sounds and other such crap that typically bloat applications.
Background tasks can be done to a point on the iPhone. It would just take a proper iPhone OS from Apple and programmer discipline on the part of the developers.
I, personally, would just like my frickin' Yahoo mail push notifications back. Skype over Wi-Fi would be nice too.
Sure, in a regular computer, IM programs might bloat to 20 or 30 megs of memory, but you don't need all that crap loading on the iPhone.
For example, you could easily construct a two-part IM program. One part would be the main program with interface etc.., the other would be the background daemon. This daemon would listen on a TCP/IP port for incoming connections and pop up a notification whenever an IM message was received (think of how SMS is handled in the iPhone). Then you have the option to Reply or Close. Upon Replying, the daemon would launch the full app and should present a pretty seamless experience for the user. Meanwhile, the daemon is using not megs, but only a few KB of memory while executed as a background process, because it would be strictly code and none of the graphics and sounds and other such crap that typically bloat applications.
Background tasks can be done to a point on the iPhone. It would just take a proper iPhone OS from Apple and programmer discipline on the part of the developers.
I, personally, would just like my frickin' Yahoo mail push notifications back. Skype over Wi-Fi would be nice too.
Do something...
I don't mind as long as they do *something*
I think running tasks in background should work fine if the user is in control of the demons (e.g. you may want "things" running in the background, or you may just prefer it as a stand alone app). It shouldn't take up too many resources (other than battery) if handled properly, after all you don't need the full app running all the time, just a tiny bit of code to check for events and either launch app, play a sound or launch a dialog...
Fingers crossed something will be sorted soon as it seems a glaring omission! (along with cut-and-paste, SMS forwarding, true MMS, Video recording, Cover flow for video content in ipod etc etc lol)
I don't mind as long as they do *something*
I think running tasks in background should work fine if the user is in control of the demons (e.g. you may want "things" running in the background, or you may just prefer it as a stand alone app). It shouldn't take up too many resources (other than battery) if handled properly, after all you don't need the full app running all the time, just a tiny bit of code to check for events and either launch app, play a sound or launch a dialog...
Fingers crossed something will be sorted soon as it seems a glaring omission! (along with cut-and-paste, SMS forwarding, true MMS, Video recording, Cover flow for video content in ipod etc etc lol)
BAAAAD idea. Push services would be great for exactly what you mentioned here. There is no reason to have a Twitter app with all of it's GUI and memory run in the background just to be informed about a twitter update. Push services would do exactly this much more efficiently.
my jailbroken iphone auto quits pandora when it needs more ram. i dont see why this would be different if apple allowed background apps.
Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102)
This was probably the biggest reason I got rid of my iPhone, on the blackberry I can run internet radio and receive IMs in the background, and I still have enough RAM. Not being able to do multitasking on the iPhone at all really is extremely frustrating.
This was probably the biggest reason I got rid of my iPhone, on the blackberry I can run internet radio and receive IMs in the background, and I still have enough RAM. Not being able to do multitasking on the iPhone at all really is extremely frustrating.
And it's not just about backgrounding something you want to keep running, it also affects the user experience because of lost context.
If you click a menu link on a Maps search, you're taken to the browser to see it.
On other devices, you can then instantly go back to the search results again (which are still running), so you can try the next item. Quick and easy.
On the process limited iPhone, you have to close the browser to get back to the Home Menu page, and restart the search app (which hopefully has saved your state). This gets even more painful if you've followed multiple apps down a chain.
I find that Backgrounder works very well in some cases, less well in others.
I mostly use it if I'm in an app, but need to use another app for a minute and then go back where I was. Like if I'm using a GPS tracking app while riding my bike, but want to take a photo or make a call or check an email, I can keep the tracking going in the background. Or if listening to Pandora, but need to check mail or a website then go back to Pandora. Never had a problem using it this way.
However, if I try to keep an app running in the background indefinitely while I go about my usual iPhone business, it seems that the backgrounded app will eventually shut down. Probably a memory issue, like others have said.
I have been able to listen to Pandora for around an hour while reading emails and web surfing, however.
In short, I find it very handy, if not perfect. Worst case, the background app shuts down, which is what it would normally do anyway.
tys
I mostly use it if I'm in an app, but need to use another app for a minute and then go back where I was. Like if I'm using a GPS tracking app while riding my bike, but want to take a photo or make a call or check an email, I can keep the tracking going in the background. Or if listening to Pandora, but need to check mail or a website then go back to Pandora. Never had a problem using it this way.
However, if I try to keep an app running in the background indefinitely while I go about my usual iPhone business, it seems that the backgrounded app will eventually shut down. Probably a memory issue, like others have said.
I have been able to listen to Pandora for around an hour while reading emails and web surfing, however.
In short, I find it very handy, if not perfect. Worst case, the background app shuts down, which is what it would normally do anyway.
tys
No, TSR was not a separate process, like is being suggested here. TSRs worked by staying resident in main memory, and were standard fare for DOS operating system, which was not multi-tasking. This provided the effect there were multiple tasks resident in memory, where one typically called them up by a shortcut key.
Fact is, the radio apps are entirely useless without running in the background. The instant message apps are severely crippled.
I can't count how many times I've received a text while using Slacker Radio and had to restart streaming all my stations again.
I can't count how many times I've received a text while using Slacker Radio and had to restart streaming all my stations again.
I agree. That is a pain. What about when you don't have service or access to wifi? There are surely apps that would like notifications, but you don't need the internet to use them. You also can't run GPS trackers in the background, and that would be handy sometimes.
Really? Well I'm glad that you are doing this, but please - can you send the memo to the rest of the iPhone app devs out there?
Whenever I re-open an app that I've closed to find that the (e.g.) tweet I was composing, or the screen I was on, isn't remembered, in my head, I find myself yelling "WHEN A DEVICE DOESN'T ALLOW YOUR APP TO RUN IN THE BACKGROUND, FFS MAKE YOUR APP REMEMBER EVERYTHING ABOUT WHERE I WAS WHEN I CLOSED IT!!!"
OK, I feel better now.
Only if they feel like doing the extra work to add the memory and battery sucking code, and it's possible for their kind of app.
Btw, many apps pushed into the background don't use any cpu time, because they're just waiting for user input and/or should pause if their screen isn't visible.
It's only the apps that must actively do work (Pandora, GPS watchers, etc) that would "slow" down the device. And that should be barely visible if the hardware is there and it's done right. If the maker went cheap and does everything by software, then yeah you could get a hit.
This is one of the biggest problems with the iPhone, not being able to run tasks in the background. So I am really happy to hear this fantastic news!!
I´m a recent iPhone user, and i have to admit one of the things that frustrates me is lack of multitasking
However...this "Iphone needs more RAM to multitask" thing makes me go nuts...listen...most recent smartphones have the same exact total RAM, 128mb!!!
Nevermind sucky Windows Mobile, see Symbian: N95 8GB, N73, N96, 5800, etc all have 128mb of RAM, multitask dozens of 3rd party apps at same time, and still have good battery lifes. And are not sluggish.
My previous smartphone, a Sony Ericsson P1i, running Symbian UIQ3, also had 128 of RAM, and i was able to have two browsers (opera mini and opera 9.5), podcast client, tomtom, fring, shozu, media player, plus all the system apps, all opened and working at same time.
So...iphone hardware is enough...current Iphone OS/firmware is not!!! Instead of putting all this behind, and jump to new hardware, they should optimize the current OS to run properly on current hardware!!! I can´t see why they could not do it if Symbian can!!
However...this "Iphone needs more RAM to multitask" thing makes me go nuts...listen...most recent smartphones have the same exact total RAM, 128mb!!!
Nevermind sucky Windows Mobile, see Symbian: N95 8GB, N73, N96, 5800, etc all have 128mb of RAM, multitask dozens of 3rd party apps at same time, and still have good battery lifes. And are not sluggish.
My previous smartphone, a Sony Ericsson P1i, running Symbian UIQ3, also had 128 of RAM, and i was able to have two browsers (opera mini and opera 9.5), podcast client, tomtom, fring, shozu, media player, plus all the system apps, all opened and working at same time.
So...iphone hardware is enough...current Iphone OS/firmware is not!!! Instead of putting all this behind, and jump to new hardware, they should optimize the current OS to run properly on current hardware!!! I can´t see why they could not do it if Symbian can!!
