Top 2 Best App Killer for Android: for RAM and Battery Life
The main point of using an Android operating system is to install anything you want on it. However, when you have hundreds of apps on your Android device, there is bound to be a pesky one that leaches your battery life or misbehaves a lot. This is exactly where the best app killer for Android comes into play and saves you from that oddball app.
Previously when Android was new and there were not many optimizations put into place, app killers for Android were quite necessary. As Android has grown and many manufacturers have started optimizing their Android skins, there has been a decline in the need for dedicated apps to kill other apps.
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I’ll be honest here, I don’t use an app killer for Android myself. Closing down processes which inevitably will start again is just not the right way to deal with stuff. For example, I’ve noticed that the Facebook app is always running in the background even if I close it with an app killer. To make matters worse, it is one of the most draining apps on my smartphone and it is constantly connected to the Internet.
I tried killing it with an app killer before but it wasn’t that effective. Then I tried Titanium Backup to freeze the app and it worked well for a while. At the end, I simply deleted the Facebook app and started using the browser version, which coincidentally is very light on system resources and doesn’t run in the background. I recommend that you check out the best browsers for Android to make your experience smoother for social media sites.
Note: The five best app killers for Android were tested on a Sony Xperia Z smartphone. Selected few apps were also tested on an LG G4 smartphone and they work really well. There were no problems faced during the testing phase and apps worked as intended.
Best App Killer for Android
These are our top 2 picks for the best app killer for android available on the google play store. Do check them out.
1.AVG AntiVirus
It might feel odd to see an antivirus cropping up on the best app killers for Android list, but this one deserves to be on here. I’ve been a huge fan of AVG for a very long time, and the company has served me well the past 15 years or so.
This was the first program my dad recommended when I made my personal computer back in the day. And thankfully, the mobile version of the antivirus is as robust as I remember it. This app comes with great features that allow you to locate the app that is misbehaving and close it down easily.
You can scan the apps, media files and settings to locate the ones which are transmitting data or straining your system resources unnecessarily. You can also kill cache that slowdowns your Android device very easily. The app also helps you in identifying the unsecured device settings and gives active advice to solve that problem. It might be no surprise that this app was also featured on the best antivirus apps for Android list.
2. Greenify
This is an app I recently discovered and it has fast become one of my go-to apps. While the app name may sound like something straight out of Greenpeace, it does nothing like that, well to a certain extent that is.
When you install multiple apps and leave them as is, there will come a time when your phone becomes slightly slower than it was the day you opened the box. This app aims to help you locate the apps which are making your phone slow and killing them. The app is very clever and finds the misbehaving apps extremely quickly.
The app puts the resource hogging apps in a hibernation state when they are not in use so, the resources are freed up resulting in a much faster Android device. It is a simple solution to a very annoying problem, and it works. Many smartphone manufacturers have started using this same process in their newer flagships.
For example, I have noticed the same behavior natively on my LG G4 smartphone, so it means that it is an effective one. If your smartphone or tablet is slightly older, this app will help you keep it running smoothly for a long time.
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Frequently Asked Questions on Best App Killer for Android
Do I require an Android app killer?
Task killers actually shorten your battery life and performance. With the use of task killers, background-running apps can be made to shut down and disappear from memory. Automatically, some task killers carry out this. However, Android doesn’t require a task killer because it can intelligently manage processes on its own.
What is Android killer?
The idea behind task killer apps is that the fewer programs you have running in the background, the better your Android’s performance and battery life will be. Task killer apps can sometimes automatically force other apps to shut.
Should I use task killer?
Without requiring Android to load them from its slower storage, you can switch between apps that are already loaded in RAM. In conclusion, you shouldn’t employ a task killer; instead, you should find and eliminate any problematic apps that are consuming resources in the background.
Final Thoughts-Best App Killer for Android
I highly recommend against simply cleaning out every app there is running on your android smartphone or tablet. Most of them are deemed necessary for smooth running of your smartphone and will restart again automatically. I understand that you want to see that RAM usage low, but believe me after a few minutes it will be back at the same spot where you left it.
So be selective in your killing spree and don’t overkill. Many of the apps are now optimized to run quietly and cleanly in the background without disrupting the system resources that much. And to be honest, there is no point in keeping an app which is behaving badly permanently on your smartphone or tablet.
If you have any questions, suggestions or opinions feel free to express them in the comments below.
Thank you so much! Very much appreciated!
When I bought my first android there was an App Killer app that automatically shut down the unneeded apps. It looks to me like everything suggested here requires my constant attention to shut down the apps because, of course, they start right back up again. I am using Battery Doctor which has shut down as many as 55 running apps at a time. But…they start back up again. Why can’t we have a means to shut down apps and keep them shut down until we want to use them?
Jeff Goodall
Hey Jeff! My own Galaxy Note 3 closes 44 apps. But let me tell you a secret, they are all apps forced on us by the manufacturer not Android. They only way to get rid of them is by rooting your smartphone, which of course voids any warranties. I suggest, you bear with them or take the plunge and root.
I’ve had some apps start up as many as 15 times in a minute it drives me nuts there is such a thing as a task monitor I don’t want to recommend any good cuz I’m not an expert but you can actually monitor the task and it gives you an alert of how much cpa you is using and you can put it on a blacklist or white list I was just one of these I had the exact same problem of had and I couldn’t have written a better thank you very much for your comment I’m still working on it
Thanks for sharing your research on App Killers!
Hi Carol,
You are most welcome.
Im new to Android and the learning curve is steep for a 69 year old. I have a screen full of apps that want to update and it takes hours. Not connected to a WiFi yes so its using up my air time.
Can you please tell me which apps are necessary to run the phone and which Utility would be best to manage this?
Thank you very much.
Bill Lineback
Hi Bill,
First of all, welcome to Android! but what do you mean what apps are necessary to run the phone?
(not the other Bill, above).
I am a LIGHT, LIGHT, LIGHT user of my OnePlus and want NOTHING running.
Heart condition, Home business, and a few other issues make even “running in the background” not acceptable. I need every erg of energy from my battery, and I DON’T want ANYTHING running that I am actually using.
I can wait for ‘maps’ to startup the extra three seconds, and NOTHING from google is important.
How can I stop EVERYTHING, short of turning the darn phone off?
Try iBattery, when you open it you see an on/off switch, click it on and forget it. It stops ALL apps running when you’re not using your phone and the screen is off. You get calls and text notifications, period.
I like that! thanks a ton for the suggestion.
So #10 is #1? #10 task killer is the overall winner? Or is #1 task manager actually #1 overall winner?
Hi Eric,
All of these apps are great to use and are within the best range. So you good by using any of these. Thanks for commenting. =-)
I’m more confused than ever I’m scared to put something like that on my phone but I would love to have an app killer I have a Samsung NOTE 4 I just got it. I don’t really care if its perfect I just need it to be simple I’m electronically challenged. . HELP!!
Hi Mark,
Don´t use app killers to kill every single app that may start up from time to time. Like the post says, the app is just going to restart again and that slows down your phone. App killers are mostly for badly written apps that run in the background all the time when they shouldn´t. Some users use app killers to keep those kinds of apps under control while others might simply decide to uninstall. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Mark, there is an update for your galaxy note 4, the lollipop. The Apps Optimization under battery section is the best part in the note 4. It will monitoring and hibernate the apps which not been used by you for minimum 3 days. Save a lot of unwanted juicy lost from battery. Actually I’m looking a similar app for old device.
Hi Alex,
Thanks for your suggestion. Very helpful info. Thanks for commenting. =-)
Yeah Google speaks lies about task killers. Google doesn’t know anything about Android -_-
🙂
Anyone who knows enough about Android will tell you do not use app killers. They do more to slow your phone down than speed it up. Don’t believe me? Google it. If you want to shut down apps that you don’t use go into your Settings, open the App Manager and disable them from there. But stay away from app killers.
Ah, I didn’t know that. Good point, Jim. Did Google as you suggested and found this good article from Lifehacker – http://lifehacker.com/5650894/android-task-killers-explained-what-they-do-and-why-you-shouldnt-use-them
This is a must read article for anyone who wants to use app killers.
I don’t exactly know that I should use these apps or not, many sites are suggesting that you shouldn’t use these apps they will cause more lag.
According to one article
“We have seen in most of the cases that app killers and task manager apps do more harm to your Android device than doing much good because the app killer itself would be continuously running in the background to help you monitor and stop an unresponsive app.
Or in worst cases, using the app killer to kill essential apps will have a direct impact on your device’s performance that would ultimately drain the battery a lot faster.
You must be wondering that how killing an app is going to have any impact on the battery. Right?
What actually happens is, whenever you try to kill an app that is necessary and should not be stopped, Android will automatically restart it.
Moreover, this whole stopping and the restarting process of apps will unnecessarily consume your device’s resources, slows it down, and will negatively affect the battery.” which is stated here https://bestforandroid.com/app-killers/ , so what do you say?, Do you recommend me to use these apps or I should use them at all.
there are uses for these apps, but yes, they can have negative outcomes on other aspects of the device. Here is a different article we wrote that better explains these types of apps. Junk File App Cleaners In the end, the reason you think you need to use the app needs to outweigh the negatives you might encounter using them.
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