Disable "Running in background" status in Android Oreo. Should I disable the system one on Android?

Hello, friends! In this short lesson I want to talk about the background mode and why it is needed at all. Most programs that a user runs on a computer run in active mode. This means that they appear on the Windows taskbar and in the Task Manager under the Applications tab. If you look at the “Processes” tab, you will find a much larger number of entries there than in the applications tab that are currently running. You can read more about the task manager and how to use it in my article “”.

If you open any program, you can see this running program in the task manager in the “Processes” tab. For example, if you open the Opera browser, you will see the running process “Opera.exe”. If you open the task manager, go to the “Processes” tab and check the “Display processes of all users” checkbox. With this action you will display processes running on the computer under other users, as well as system processes that are necessary for normal operation.

All processes that do not require user interaction usually run in the background. Running a program in the background involves independently performing the tasks assigned to it, without the participation (or almost without participation) of the user.

Programs running this way consume computer resources in the same way as applications that appear on the taskbar. Therefore launch large quantity programs that hide their icon in the tray or do not remind you of themselves at all can greatly affect the performance of your computer.

Normal programs can run in the background if configured accordingly. In this case, the application icon is usually displayed in the notification area (system tray or in English system tray - part of the taskbar between the clock and active tasks). Antivirus can be considered the most typical representative of this group. If you close the main antivirus window by clicking on the “cross”, the window will disappear, but your antivirus will continue to protect your computer by moving to the tray. Some programs can be configured so that when you click on the “Close” button, they stop working completely, and when you click on the “Minimize” button, they disappear from the taskbar, but show their icon in the tray, thus moving into the background. This setting is usually called “Minimize to tray”.

Also running in the background are programs that are part of operating system. In particular, these are system services, as well as other applications. Some of them are necessary for the system to function and cannot be stopped. Others are needed only for some specific functions that are not actually used by the user. Stopping such components can be very useful for saving computer resources, but it requires knowledge, the description of which is beyond the scope of this article.

There are also viruses, spyware and other malicious objects running in the background. Which is understandable, because the attacker wants the user not to know about their activity and tries to hide it from the user’s eyes.

To terminate processes, you need to know a little about system programs, which are usually used for work.

A new phone is a wonderful thing, but over time it begins to work worse and a lot of glitches appear.

Switching between applications becomes torture, and the battery dies at the most inopportune moment.

If all this seems painfully familiar to you, then it’s worth making efforts, for example, stopping applications running in the background.

How to control background processes

To do this, you will need to look under the hood of your phone and use the information found there.

This is done differently in each phone, it all depends on your device and version of Android.

In some cases, it is necessary to enable developer features.

1. In Android versions before Marshmallow, you need to go to Options > About phone and then click on the version number several times, after which a notification will appear that the developer features have been activated.

2. Then you need to go to the settings called Processes or Process statistics. They can be found in Settings > Developer Options > Processes. This option will list the running processes and how much random access memory (RAM) they are using.

3. Of course, the first instinct is to disable all applications running in the background, but you should be careful here. Disabling some applications can cause significant harm to your phone.

If you have one of the latest Samsung phones, such as the S7 Edge, you can head to Settings > Developer Features > Running Services and open the list of applications that are eating RAM. There you can switch between running services and cached processes.

In some phones, for example, Meizu M3 Max, you will not be able to enable developer functions using the method described above. In this case, you need to write the name of the phone in Google and add "unlock developer features".

In the case of Meizu, it was necessary to enter ##6961## in the dialer, and then go to Settings > Access > Developer Features > Statistics.

If you're using stock Android Marshmallow or a newer version, you can find the same options and more information at Settings > Memory > Memory, used by applications. You can turn them off here.

What applications can be disabled on Android

All applications marked “Google Services”, and indeed any application starting with the word Google, cannot be stopped.

On the other hand, if, while looking through the list, you notice players and instant messengers draining the battery in the background, you can turn them off without fear. Really serious applications usually won't allow this.

For example, we disabled Kik, Facebook Pages Manager and several other services without any problems. In some cases, you will notice that applications automatically restart.

If you press More details/Settings(depending on the model), you can see how much RAM is taken by cached processes. The same rules apply here.

To get rid of apps that won't shut down (we had Kik), go to Settings > Applications > Application Manager to force quit, or simply delete it.

How to understand why the battery is draining

If you have already taken the steps above, you may have noticed battery information related to each application. But if you look through everything like this, it can take all day.

Instead, head to Settings > Battery. Again, depending on the phone, the names and features may vary, but at a minimum you should see a list of the apps that use the most battery.

Here you also cannot make unnecessary movements. On some phones in the battery section you can see which applications are system applications and which are not; on other phones (like Meizu) the list will be divided into “hardware” and software applications.

In theory, in every new version Android battery functions are improved. In Android Marshmallow, for example, the biggest improvement was Doze, which puts your phone into hibernation mode when the phone is just lying there.

For Android Nougat – Doze 2.0, the function can be activated when the phone is simply not being used.

Samsung (and other companies) often implement features to free up RAM. Some users noted that Doze mode only drained the battery faster, but it's worth a try anyway.

Is it worth using RAM optimization apps?

There is an opinion that the use of “task killers” ultimately does more harm than good. Because this requires keeping a resource monitoring application running in the background, which is somewhat impractical.

Constantly running an app that forcefully closes other apps will naturally drain your phone. It's better not to install it at all.

However, many users claim that you can gain more control by rooting it. If you take this path, we recommend that you pay attention to the Greenify application - it automatically hibernates rooted and non-rooted devices.

The Android operating system works in such a way that any application immediately after launch begins to function in the background, and even after the user closes it and moves on to completely different actions.

If several applications are open simultaneously in one session, then you can feel that the gadget will start working much slower, and the reason lies precisely in the number open applications that literally devour RAM Android.

This, in general, is not a big problem for modern high-speed devices, but less powerful devices openly sacrifice their performance when the user opens many applications. And of course, privacy suffers - if your smartphone falls into the wrong hands, it will be immediately clear what programs you use.

Open the menu with latest apps, access to which differs depending on the specific device. For example, on HTC One press "Home" twice, Samsung Galaxy S4 open physical button, on Nexus 5 – with a special button on the screen, etc. Using scrolling from top to bottom, we find applications (programs) that we will close:

Click on the application icon, hold it, and then drag it to the right. This manipulation should close an unnecessary application and, accordingly, free up some RAM.

If the device is still “slowing down”, then go to “Applications” (or Application Manager), select “Running”, looking at which ones are still running and what can be removed from them:

We return to “All applications” and select the one that we will close, click, in the window that opens, click “Forcibly close” (to be sure to close).

Attention ! Do not delete applications whose purpose you do not know!

How to use Android programs to disable background processes

In addition to the methods described, there is a more advanced solution - installing special software.

The Android utility Greenify solves the problem perfectly. The program detects and puts into sleep mode all services, as well as background processes, the launch of which is conditioned by certain events (unlocking a gadget, connecting to a network, installing or uninstalling applications, etc.).

It’s probably not worth blocking everything, because the Android OS is good at multitasking. But it wouldn’t hurt to put the most “gluttonous” applications on a short leash. For the application to work.

After the first launch, we grant the program “superuser” (root) rights, after which Greenify will analyze the entire list of installed applications:

And then it will display information about those programs that exhibit the highest background activity:

After this, a window will appear where you will be asked to move potentially problematic applications to the blacklist, where, by pressing just one button, you can put any program into sleep mode. As a result, applications stop working in the background, which means they will not launch automatically, but they will not be blocked completely - if necessary, you can work with them completely after manual launch.

Well! If you have used the information that we tried to convey to you in this article, we will assume that another problem has been resolved successfully. As always, I say goodbye with best wishes until the next meeting in our “Knowledge Base” section.

If you have a device running Oreo, you've probably noticed the "[app name] is running in the background" alert. On other devices running Android Oreo, the notification may look like this: “[app name] is using battery.” Although this helpful information, but it can also be annoying. Luckily, you can easily turn it off.

Why is this notice there?

However, before we talk about how to get rid of it, let's talk about why it appears. Mainly in previous Android versions there was no real way to know if the app was running in the background. In most cases, these "wrong" applications will drain the battery, preventing the system from going to sleep, an effect called "wakelocks".

In Oreo, Google forces developers to show this notification if the application is doing something in the background. Basically, if the application runs in the background and reduces the time battery life, this notification will inform you.

NOTE. There are several legitimate scenarios where an app will be constantly running in the background, such as the VPN service running in the above screenshot. Often, however, apps run in the background unnecessarily.

Why disable this notification?

Because people just hate unnecessary notifications - even the ones that are useful, like this one.

It should be noted that deleting the notification does not solve the problem. There is a reason this notification exists, and getting rid of it will not solve the underlying problem (fast battery drain). You need to either change the settings in the app or uninstall it completely.

If you understand this and still want to remove it, then let's do it.

How to disable the "Running in background" notification on Android 8.0

Unfortunately, there is no way to disable this notification in Android 8.0.

But as with most things, the developer community has found a way to remove it, and developer iboalali has released an app to do just that. Install the application.

After installation, launch it. First, give the app permission to access notifications.

The “Notification Access” menu will open, where you will receive permission to the application.

The warning will give you more details, so simply allow access.

Articles and Lifehacks

Every user has heard about what background mode is on a phone at least once in their life.

It is worth rightly noting that current cellular devices have become an integral part of the life of ordinary people, since they allow not only to always stay in touch, but also to take photographs and use the device as a e-book, navigator and game console.

What is background mode for?

• However, all these manipulations lead to the fact that the phone or smartphone simply loses its charge. This problem is especially often faced by those who like to surf sites on the Internet.
• To minimize the occurrence of this problem, it is worth considering in detail the issue of using the background mode. If you disable the ability to receive and transmit data through this mode on your phone.
• Background functioning on a modern cellular device is usually understood as a special process.
• Even during that period of rest, when the Internet browser on the phone is not turned on and various programs are not running, the device remains capable of not only receiving, but also transmitting entire packets of information.

Features of the mode

• It is worth remembering that any program, when downloaded to a cellular device, implies the possibility of adjustment. That is, the settings may not allow access to the Internet without the user’s permission.
• Thus, it should be noted that it is possible to optimize the user’s expenditure of mobile device resources.
• After all, when you absolutely need to stay connected, but there is no way to connect to a power source, the best option is to simply block access to Internet browsers in the background system itself.
• To do this, you just need to disable the option responsible for information exchange. As a rule, you just need to enter the menu and find the settings category.
• To be fair, it is worth noting that, as a rule, the user forgets about the background mode on the phone, as a result of which the battery drains as quickly as possible.
• If you put a shortcut on the device screen indicating the settings, then the habit of turning it off will develop by itself.
• This approach to using a telephone will allow ordinary people not to worry about the sudden discharge of the battery and the inability to make a call.