Multitasking in Android

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avi

avi

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I like to know how Android supports multitasking.

I have used Symbian for years, but I don't see such multitasking in my Nook Color [Gingerbread 2.3.2]. First of all, most of teh apps don't have exit button. I close / minimize them by pressing home button. But when I switch back to app, it starts from beginning again.

Though few apps support it, like FB, Gmail etc, but not all. Tried Angry Birds, Stupid Zombies and many many more. I don't think it is device specific [Nook Color] and I have Gingerbread running. So what I am missing here ?

TIA :)
 
i can minimize angry birds..or any game for that matter and reply to text/mail and get back to the game.

playing music while texting/mailing/browsing/reading/etc is simple example of multitasking.
 
madnav said:
i can minimize angry birds..or any game for that matter and reply to text/mail and get back to the game.

playing music while texting/mailing/browsing/reading/etc is simple example of multitasking.
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navin it would be better if you write how do you do all that :)

want to know how it works
 
SImple home key or long pressing home key to switch to other recently used apps works just fine.

Some apps are programmed to exit when you go to home (those which do not benefit from multitasking or running in background ). So such apps will start from beginning.

You can jump from any game to home without consequences. You long press home to jump back to the game and you will be right where you left it.
 
swastikrj said:
navin it would be better if you write how do you do all that :)

want to know how it works
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shripad has explained it and that is all it takes, home key :P :)
 
Just FYI, the multitasking in Android is not like that in s60.

In s60, the state of the app is similar to the minimised state in windows, while in Android it goes to a special paused state.
 
Android handles multi tasking different to Symbian, which behaves more like the Windows style. I wouldn't go into details as that might sound technical, but suffice to know that in Android, when you press the Home key from within an application, Android sends that application to the background, where it stays put unless Android kills it due to lack of resources. One point to be noted here is that when this background push happens, Android actually "stops" the application, and when you select the applciation again, it "starts" it. Therefore, developers of Android applications are advised to save any state information that might be required to give the user the feeling of a "background" state when they switch back to an application after putting it in the background.

Not sure I was able to put across the point :D
 
mehrotra.akash said:
Just FYI, the multitasking in Android is not like that in s60.

In s60, the state of the app is similar to the minimised state in windows, while in Android it goes to a special paused state.
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nope.

if you are referring to games and videos then yes that is the desired state. but it is not in general.

play music in music player; minimize by home key; it doesn't go in pause state.

start linpack benchmark; hit Run Benchmark; minimize by home key; check the app after a few secs (generally longer than how much it takes on ur device to complete that benchie); benchmark is completed when you check.
 
Android and Symbian both keep apps running in the background till resources get low and they start killing off applications one by one :)
 
madnav said:
nope.

if you are referring to games and videos then yes that is the desired state. but it is not in general.

play music in music player; minimize by home key; it doesn't go in pause state.

start linpack benchmark; hit Run Benchmark; minimize by home key; check the app after a few secs (generally longer than how much it takes on ur device to complete that benchie); benchmark is completed when you check.
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The implementation of the pause state is upto the application itself

this is what I am refering to Activity | Android Developers
 
You can use the long press home key method to bring up the recently used apps list or use this nifty task switching app called MultitaskingPro which makes android multitasking similar to alt-tab or using a Task Manager on Symbian (brings up the backgrounded apps list, recent apps list and the running services list).

For Symbian I'd recommend using JbakTaskman (you get that for Android too but its interface just sucks compared to MultitaskingPro)
 
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