Multitasking---wish there was a way to disable

[zhenya]

Also, even minimal battery drain is too much, especially if it's a dozen apps all draining my battery. That can add up to significantly reduced battery life. I don't even turn on Push notifications because I don't like the battery drain, and compared to my friends using Push, my phone lasts considerably longer. I'm talking days longer. How much drain would you consider Push to be? Almost none? Yeah, if minimized apps use even half of what Push does, that's way too much to be worth it except for key apps I want to leave minimized.

Apps sitting in RAM don't take any battery at all. Even your later clarification that it does take battery because it may force other apps out of RAM to close is flawed. Without multitasking, those apps are always forced to close and re-load when you open them again. If you are able to instantly launch your most recently used apps in the state you left them, that will save battery life. It's only the apps that have been least used that will be forced to close.

Also, I'd consider Push to be a HUGE battery drain. It's convenient, but the difference with Push for two accounts on vs. off is ~12-18 hours of battery life vs. 36-48 when off. In my experience so far, multi-tasking uses nowhere near this level of power - in fact, there is no discernible difference - in general iOS4 is better at power management than its predecessor.

Since I am running a jailbroken 3gs with iOS4 it has been interesting to see the details of how Apple's multi-tasking works. Since I can easily see all of the running processes - things I would normally shut down - it 'feels' weird, and yes, I'm usually very low on RAM - but RAM is intended to be used, and as far as I can tell so far, multitasking isn't slowing anything down or harming battery life.

Listen, I understand your points regarding Apple's implementation of multi-tasking. I've been jailbreaking for years primarily to multi-task, but I think it is really important that Apple has finally released their own method. You must understand that as an Apple customer, they are not going to give you easy access to obsessively controlling things that you and I would like. In order to gain that access you need to jailbreak or move on to another platform. That's just the way it is.

 

[phpmaven]

I wish i could disable multitasking, I really do not care for it placeholding where i was in an app. In several apps it is more annoying than it is helpful in others. Is there anyway to disable? Will this be a "mod" that jailbreaking could disable?

How about not using it. Next!

 

[quotison]

I appears that you aren't very familiar with user experience design or user workflow patterns. Most users won't use the taskbar to run applications because the existing method, clicking its icon on the home page, is already so streamlined. Pressing the home button once and then clicking an icon that's always in the exact same place in a page of 16-20 icons is always faster than double-clicking home and hunting for an icon that could be anywhere in a list that only shows 4 icons at a time.

It's basic design principal that you should do something one way, and do it very well. KISS. The Home screens are simple and efficient, especially now with folders. We don't need a second way to find our apps. The taskbar is inferior to the home screen in this regard. And because it is a cluttered history of everything I've ever run, it's not even useful for helping me identify what's minimized vs. actually closed.

I'm not sure how the home screen is always easier. People have lots of apps, and those apps get moved around as you install new apps, or as some apps become more frequently used and thus moved to a different folder or screen. I don't always remember where on the homescreen, or in which specific folder I put an app. But I do know if I just closed the app, I know I can access it by double clicking home and a single tap. There are only a few other apps that can be accessed that easily without the taskbar (other apps in the folder you just opened, or those apps on the last home screen page that are not in a folder). If you have to "hunt" for the app on the taskbar, then it's not a recently used app and you'll know that it's probably easier to go back to home screen to open it.

Only doing things in one way is a "basic design principle" I think you just made up. Hell, I can count four of five different ways of opening apps and ways to switch apps on OS X, having two on a phone (actually three if you include spotlight) seems reasonable when you can completely ignore the taskbar if you wish.

The first thing that was said about iOS multitasking is that it wasn't going to revolve around a task manager - you're completely reasonable in wanting a task manager, but suggesting that the taskbar should serve that purpose.. well, I think that ship has sailed by now.

 

[thelatinist]

If you jailbreak, you can install an app called Backgrounder. It has the ability to turn off native multitasking for all apps or for individual apps, in addition to the ability to make apps which cannot multitask run in the background. You can use it to disable multitasking without using its other features, if you wish.

 

[COSWORTH]

How about not using it. Next!

if it were only that easy...

 

[redscull]

Apps sitting in RAM don't take any battery at all. Even your later clarification that it does take battery because it may force other apps out of RAM to close is flawed. Without multitasking, those apps are always forced to close and re-load when you open them again. If you are able to instantly launch your most recently used apps in the state you left them, that will save battery life. It's only the apps that have been least used that will be forced to close.

Oh, I don't want multi-tasking gone. You are right. Without any multi-tasking, all apps would always reload, wasting my bandwidth/battery. But Safari (and iPod, and some others) always supported multi-tasking. iOS4 only added multi-tasking for 3rd party apps on non-jail-broken devices, not multi-tasking as a whole, and the way it does it made my experience with Safari worse than it used to be. I would, quite honestly, be fine with multi-tasking limited to Apple's apps like it used to be.

But if all apps can support multi-tasking, I want the ability to close an app without first minimizing it. Safari is the only non-music-related app that I really want to keep suspended, and if I could close an app when done with it, I could keep Safari cached more reliably. I know which apps I'm likely to go back into soon, and I have my own priority of importance. I should have the means to use my little computer accordingly.

I don't want to revert back from iOS4 because I like having a homescreen background (my favorite iOS4 feature). And while I've run jail-broken in the past (solely for a homescreen background), I prefer not hassling with it.

I'm not sure how the home screen is always easier. People have lots of apps, and those apps get moved around as you install new apps, or as some apps become more frequently used and thus moved to a different folder or screen. I don't always remember where on the homescreen, or in which specific folder I put an app. But I do know if I just closed the app, I know I can access it by double clicking home and a single tap.

Your own examples kind of counter-prove yourself. The more apps you have and actually use, the less likely it is that the app you're looking for would be one of the 4 icons on the task bar. So as home screen navigation becomes more unwieldly, the taskbar navigation becomes more unwieldly too (I'd argue 4x faster since it shows 1/4 the icons). If you're task-switching to one of your last 3 launched apps, which is the only time the taskbar is really useful for app switching, you're must be switching to an app you use very frequently. A favorite app per se. I would bet money that the apps you use constantly enough to stay in the top few taskbar positions are apps whose home page locations are prominent and well known by you. Home page navigation is thus always the most familiar and efficient way to find an app. Because you organized it for that purpose.

 

[Minimoose 360]

............................................________
....................................,.-'"...................``~.,
.............................,.-"..................................."-.,
.........................,/...............................................":,
.....................,?......................................................\,
.................../...........................................................,}
................./......................................................,:`^`..}
.............../...................................................,:"........./
..............?.....__.........................................:`.........../
............./__.(....."~-,_..............................,:`........../
.........../(_...."~,_........"~,_....................,:`........_/
..........{.._$;_......"=,_......."-,_.......,.-~-,},.~";/....}
...........((.....*~_......."=-._......";,,./`..../"............../
...,,,___.\`~,......"~.,....................`.....}............../
............(....`=-,,.......`........................(......;_,,-"
............/.`~,......`-...............................\....../\
.............\`~.*-,.....................................|,./.....\,__
,,_..........}.>-._\...................................|..............`=~-,
.....`=~-,_\_......`\,.................................\
...................`=~-,,.\,...............................\
................................`:,,...........................`\..............__
.....................................`=-,...................,%`>--==``
........................................_\..........._,-%.......`\
...................................,<`.._|_,-&``................`

Oh MY GOD. That is all I have to say about this thread.

IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH, DON'T DOUBLE TAP THE HOME BUTTON!

 

[LoganT]

............................................________
....................................,.-'"...................``~.,
.............................,.-"..................................."-.,
.........................,/...............................................":,
.....................,?......................................................\,
.................../...........................................................,}
................./......................................................,:`^`..}
.............../...................................................,:"........./
..............?.....__.........................................:`.........../
............./__.(....."~-,_..............................,:`........../
.........../(_...."~,_........"~,_....................,:`........_/
..........{.._$;_......"=,_......."-,_.......,.-~-,},.~";/....}
...........((.....*~_......."=-._......";,,./`..../"............../
...,,,___.\`~,......"~.,....................`.....}............../
............(....`=-,,.......`........................(......;_,,-"
............/.`~,......`-...............................\....../\
.............\`~.*-,.....................................|,./.....\,__
,,_..........}.>-._\...................................|..............`=~-,
.....`=~-,_\_......`\,.................................\
...................`=~-,,.\,...............................\
................................`:,,...........................`\..............__
.....................................`=-,...................,%`>--==``
........................................_\..........._,-%.......`\
...................................,<`.._|_,-&``................`

Oh MY GOD. That is all I have to say about this thread.

IF YOU HATE IT SO MUCH, DON'T DOUBLE TAP THE HOME BUTTON!

Double clicking of the home button has nothing to do with multitasking. It just makes it easier to switch to another application. Hitting the home button and choosing an application from the home screen does the exact same thing as double clicking the home button and choosing an application.

 

[spinedoc77]

There is a jailbreak app that disables this, I forget what it's called. I haven't tried it on my 3gs yet, but I'm tempted to as I prefer backgrounder to the way ios implements it.

It's called "Disable iOS4 Multitasking" which takes this feature off, works great on my 3gs but of course those of you with the ip4's will have to wait a bit.

For all of you who don't understand, some don't like the io4 multi tasking method. It works fine except the goofy way that every single app you have previously used stay in the backgrounded programs bar. A ridiculously simple fix would be for Apple to only put backgrounded programs in this bar. I think it's legit for someone to not like this and want, especially if you use the superior backgrounder.

Lol, you guys really like eating your own young, kind of amusing if wasn't so god awful sad.

 

[iRance]

Why would anyone want to turn multitasking off?

 

[BaldiMac]

Why would anyone want to turn multitasking off?

Perhaps, if you read this thread...

 

[Minimoose 360]

Double clicking of the home button has nothing to do with multitasking. It just makes it easier to switch to another application. Hitting the home button and choosing an application from the home screen does the exact same thing as double clicking the home button and choosing an application.

I see your point...


but why don't you guys just close the apps?

 

[Fiddler70]

Am completely with the OP here. Multitasking is slowing even the iPhone 4 down. Closing all apps in the task bar (really closing) makes the phone snappier. My former 3GS had it even worse.

On top of that the endless list of "recent" apps makes no sense.

The worst is the Safari refreshing. This could be solved by a cache outside of RAM.

I love my iPad, but I sure dread multi tasking there. Safari will become completely unusable. That is, no way to brows efficiently. And way more data usage.

How do people NOT get that the multitasking affects everyone that likes using safari?

I want a way to close an app at exit. I thing MT is fail and needs to be reworked. Although I don't think Apple will do that.

 

[Fiddler70]

Oh and BTW... I do not want to JB. Had it for a while. Not an option...

 

[futbalguy]

I think the real key here is not not allow multitasking on programs that are not yet designed for multitasking. This is where confusion and doubt comes in.

I have yet to find something on my iphone 4 (new to iphones) that can actually use it. All the games and programs so far have no benefit to the multitasking. If Im playing a game, it will switch applications (say a text comes in) but when I go back to it using the double tap, the program starts over from the beginning.

If the phone only allowed programs that had the true multitasking ability to be used for the multitasking, I think less people would dislike or be confused by it.

I dont follow half of what you are saying. "If the phone only allowed programs that had the true multitasking ability to be used for the multitasking". What does that mean?

Most of the apps still havent been updated but trust me that the ones that have been with the fast switching makes the phone so much easier. I dont have to wait for most of the apps I usually use to load from scratch anymore.

 

[maverick808]

In general you shouldn't have to concern yourself with quitting apps, but there are exceptions. For example, something like TomTom that uses GPS will obviously drain a lot of battery. I do find it annoying that now I have to remember to quit such apps at the end of a journey.

All I wish is that Apple would allow apps that really should be quit to have an exit button in the app that actually quits it. This would avoid having to use the multitasking bar, holding down the icon, tapping the minus, which is indeed time consuming and a poorly designed method of quitting an app. Unfortunately, Apple's store rules do not allow apps to have their own quit button, which I think is ludicrous.

 

[BaldiMac]

In general you shouldn't have to concern yourself with quitting apps, but there are exceptions. For example, something like TomTom that uses GPS will obviously drain a lot of battery. I do find it annoying that now I have to remember to quit such apps at the end of a journey.

All I wish is that Apple would allow apps that really should be quit to have an exit button in the app that actually quits it. This would avoid having to use the multitasking bar, holding down the icon, tapping the minus, which is indeed time consuming and a poorly designed method of quitting an app. Unfortunately, Apple's store rules do not allow apps to have their own quit button, which I think is ludicrous.

Music apps have a pause button. VOIP apps have a logout or offline button. The only apps that seem to be causing confusion are apps that use GPS in the background. Developers of those apps should have some sort of button to turn off tracking (for example, "Clear Route" on navigation apps.)

This is a problem for individual developers, though Apple could add some standards to the approval process that require the apps to be clearer to the user. But do we really want Apple to take more control of third party apps?

 

[quotison]

If you're task-switching to one of your last 3 launched apps, which is the only time the taskbar is really useful for app switching, you're must be switching to an app you use very frequently.

Since the taskbar shows the most recent apps and not the most frequently used apps, that's not true at all.

 

[Fiddler70]

Are you guys just ignoring the Safari problem or what???

Bigger apps just push Safari content out of cache which makes the multi page browsing virtually useless. This is going to be a big thing on the iPad which is already on the edge.

I cannot believe Apple implemented the MT without an out of Ram provision for Safari at the moment RAM becomes scarce.

I guess there is a lot to improve on in the system and they are just testing the waters. Just imagine iOS 10 years from now. We probably have to give it time...

 

[ntrigue]

Some of you are really stupid.

Multitasking almost drains no battery life when you get out of an app - it is by far the best thing; simple to use, and awesome multitasking benefits. Most importantly, instant app access - no need to wait anymore for it to load.

+1000

 

[ntrigue]

If you don't want it. You don't understand it.

 

[Fiddler70]

LOL some of you don't get it. The MT is far from perfect.

So your Safari working OK? No cache dumps?

Or you don't actually use Safari?

I love the iPhone 4. But MT disappoints.

None of you wants it improved?

Innovation is bad... yes...

 

[SpankWare]

LOL some of you don't get it. The MT is far from perfect.

So your Safari working OK? No cache dumps?

Or you don't actually use Safari?

I love the iPhone 4. But MT disappoints.

None of you wants it improved?

Innovation is bad... yes...

I've had cache dumps since the original iPhone. This isn't something new. While anything can be improved, to call the current iteration of MT bad is just plain wrong. I've read plenty of posts and not one person can give me a valid reason why it has an issue. 99% of the complaints I have read here all come from a lack of understanding or willingness to adjust to a new philosophy.

 

[rabmag]

I really liked the implementation of multitasking using by ProSwitcher. I wish they would have done it like that instead.

They also need some way to show which apps are actually running/sleeping and which apps are just in the multitasking list but are indeed closed. Maybe a badge or something.

 

[bmwhd]

To each his own I guess but I love the MT. I use the heck out of settings turning wifi on and off and this alone is a huge win. Safari is so much before under MT too. Love it.