Database Develop

Stopping NlpWakeLock, NlpWakeLockCollector and RILJ

I have been trying on and off for over a year to eliminate these horrible wakelocks without disabling location services all together, and have finally found a solution.
I have tried wakelock terminator, amplify, and various other tweaks without the results I was looking for. I could only stop them by disabling location completely. Even with GPS only enabled the phone will eventually want to find its location and then if you're in a building where there is no GPS single, it will kill your battery trying to find one. So I finally stumbled across SlimLP which is an AOSP rom that has app ops baked into it. I found that if I simply modify the permissions of google play services and not allow it to use location, and also disable its ability to hold a wakelock, the nlp wakelocks (both) are gone forever. However, as soon as nlp is gone, the phone falls back to its backup plan which is RILJ to locate itself. So I then went into the phone apps permissions and disabled location and wakelock for it too. FINALLY these wakelocks are gone forever. My phone now loses 3% over 8 hours without disabling location services. There are literally 10 or less wakelocks system wide over 8 hours while I sleep, which is a huge contrast to the waking once every 25 seconds to check my location (or whatever absurd rate it was doing it). The only thing I can spot thats out of place it that google play services is registering a ton of alarms for location related stuff in better battery stats. I'm happy with this so far but feel it could be even better once I learn more.
What I really want to do is to be able to apply this to any android phone, such as my girlfriends z3. Unfortunately I can only get this to work with AOSP roms that have app ops built into them. I tried adding app ops to google based roms and even aosp roms and it doesnt work the same. If anyone could tell me what is different about roms with app ops built in, that would be great. I think we should look into this more to learn as much as possible because this affects everyone with an android phone. Thanks for reading.

seh6183 said:
I have been trying on and off for over a year to eliminate these horrible wakelocks without disabling location services all together, and have finally found a solution.
I have tried wakelock terminator, amplify, and various other tweaks without the results I was looking for. I could only stop them by disabling location completely. Even with GPS only enabled the phone will eventually want to find its location and then if you're in a building where there is no GPS single, it will kill your battery trying to find one. So I finally stumbled across SlimLP which is an AOSP rom that has app ops baked into it. I found that if I simply modify the permissions of google play services and not allow it to use location, and also disable its ability to hold a wakelock, the nlp wakelocks (both) are gone forever. However, as soon as nlp is gone, the phone falls back to its backup plan which is RILJ to locate itself. So I then went into the phone apps permissions and disabled location and wakelock for it too. FINALLY these wakelocks are gone forever. My phone now loses 3% over 8 hours without disabling location services. There are literally 10 or less wakelocks system wide over 8 hours while I sleep, which is a huge contrast to the waking once every 25 seconds to check my location (or whatever absurd rate it was doing it). The only thing I can spot thats out of place it that google play services is registering a ton of alarms for location related stuff in better battery stats. I'm happy with this so far but feel it could be even better once I learn more.
What I really want to do is to be able to apply this to any android phone, such as my girlfriends z3. Unfortunately I can only get this to work with AOSP roms that have app ops built into them. I tried adding app ops to google based roms and even aosp roms and it doesnt work the same. If anyone could tell me what is different about roms with app ops built in, that would be great. I think we should look into this more to learn as much as possible because this affects everyone with an android phone. Thanks for reading.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Wrong section...you might want to try Xposed and Amplify.
EDIT: I just realized I posted wrong section. For some reason, I thought this was Android Dev. Sorry

niral7 said:
Wrong section...you might want to try Xposed and Amplify.
EDIT: I just realized I posted wrong section. For some reason, I thought this was Android Dev. Sorry
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've tried amplify as stated in the op. I'm surprised more people aren't bothered by wakelocks. I can't stand them.

seh6183 said:
I've tried amplify as stated in the op. I'm surprised more people aren't bothered by wakelocks. I can't stand them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
They're necessary to some degree. Google Now and other location-based/sync programs need them to work. They just get annoying when they're fired up every minute.

niral7 said:
They're necessary to some degree. Google Now and other location-based/sync programs need them to work. They just get annoying when they're fired up every minute.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well I've disabled the wakelocks and every location service including google now still functions as normal. The only benefit is me gaining 50% of my battery back. I just need to figure out what is so special about AOSP ROMs that have app ops baked in so I can apply these techniques to other phones.

So the App Ops Xposed module doesn't work the same way?

hayzooos said:
So the App Ops Xposed module doesn't work the same way?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It works exactly the same except for some odd reason the wakelocks won't stop when you start disabling google play services and phone. It will disable other things without any problems. I'm thinking that maybe SlimLp has a different google play services app with different permissions or something. I'm not exactly sure what it is yet but I'm still looking into it on a daily basis. All I know is that 9000 wakelocks at the end of the day from google play services is UNACCEPTABLE and pisses me off. So I set out to find a way to stop them.

seh6183 said:
It works exactly the same except for some odd reason the wakelocks won't stop when you start disabling google play services and phone. It will disable other things without any problems. I'm thinking that maybe SlimLp has a different google play services app with different permissions or something. I'm not exactly sure what it is yet but I'm still looking into it on a daily basis. All I know is that 9000 wakelocks at the end of the day from google play services is UNACCEPTABLE and pisses me off. So I set out to find a way to stop them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Glad you found a way to stop them and more so you decided to post your way to stop them here.

seh6183 said:
It works exactly the same except for some odd reason the wakelocks won't stop when you start disabling google play services and phone. It will disable other things without any problems. I'm thinking that maybe SlimLp has a different google play services app with different permissions or something. I'm not exactly sure what it is yet but I'm still looking into it on a daily basis. All I know is that 9000 wakelocks at the end of the day from google play services is UNACCEPTABLE and pisses me off. So I set out to find a way to stop them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Cataclysm Rom also has a App Ops. So I assume i can get same improvements as you do?
Or am I wrong and thinking the opposite direction?

Zwambo said:
Cataclysm Rom also has a App Ops. So I assume i can get same improvements as you do?
Or am I wrong and thinking the opposite direction?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It should work yes. Go into google play services from apps, its in settings, then click modify, then disable location and wake lock. Do the same for phone. There are two phone apps and a dialer making it confusing. You'll want to disable the location and wakelock setting on the phone app which has the location toggle. The other phone app doesn't have a location toggle and you'll know that's not the right one.
After doing this, if you monitor with wake lock detector, you'll see that both NLP wakelocks are stopped completely instead of the 1000 an hour like usual. Same goes for RILJ. Google play services is still generating thousands of alarms each day for location related stuff and I have found a way to fix that as well but it needs more testing.
To put it simply, when my phone goes to sleep, that exactly what I want it to do, not appear as if its asleep and constantly check my location so that it can better offer me ads and places of interest near by.

Doesn't the Phone app NEED to be able to keep the phone awake, so that it doesn't go to sleep mid-call?

setspeed said:
Doesn't the Phone app NEED to be able to keep the phone awake, so that it doesn't go to sleep mid-call?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It has no effect on the function of the phone at all except to eliminate the RILJ wakelock. I'm pretty sure this wakelock is the phones radio trying to triangulate your position using cell towers but not sure.

All solutions I've seen or heard about untill now are just workarounds, and I found an elegant solution that allows geoloc to be on all the time.
I detailed it in a battery thread because of the savings it can offer : it consist of an app that replaces nlp with a local db : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=59184505
I didn't try out with all google goeloc services but maps didn't seem to bother...

Gentaz said:
All solutions I've seen or heard about untill now are just workarounds, and I found an elegant solution that allows geoloc to be on all the time.
I detailed it in a battery thread because of the savings it can offer : it consist of an app that replaces nlp with a local db : http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?p=59184505
I didn't try out with all google goeloc services but maps didn't seem to bother...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My solution has zero impact on location services as well. You're saying that your method totally stops NLP wakelocks and if you were to open maps, it would lock your location precisely?

seh6183 said:
It should work yes. Go into google play services from apps, its in settings, then click modify, then disable location and wake lock. Do the same for phone. There are two phone apps and a dialer making it confusing. You'll want to disable the location and wakelock setting on the phone app which has the location toggle. The other phone app doesn't have a location toggle and you'll know that's not the right one.
After doing this, if you monitor with wake lock detector, you'll see that both NLP wakelocks are stopped completely instead of the 1000 an hour like usual. Same goes for RILJ. Google play services is still generating thousands of alarms each day for location related stuff and I have found a way to fix that as well but it needs more testing.
To put it simply, when my phone goes to sleep, that exactly what I want it to do, not appear as if its asleep and constantly check my location so that it can better offer me ads and places of interest near by.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thx a million!
Will look in to those settings from the phone apps and google play services. Love it when the app ops is included in the ROM!

seh6183 said:
My solution has zero impact on location services as well. You're saying that your method totally stops NLP wakelocks and if you were to open maps, it would lock your location precisely?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The fact that the gapps have a mind of their own is not big news, but alternatives exists to avoid dealing with them☺
I didn't say it will stop any wakelock (and I don't want to) : on the contrary, it consist of replacing the stock nlp with a more evolved one that allows to switch to a local db which is far less battery consuming for several reasons.
I didn't say it was "gps precise" either : it will locate you at the nearest antenna if you try a gps app like maps (did you actually read my link ?). Most of the time it has between 500m and 1500m (about a mile) uncertainty reported by the apps.
It just provides precise enough geoloc services for 95% of the apps you're using, even with your screen off like weather, loc. based profile mangers, local news, traffic, job/dating app or whatever... Granted : it won't compete with gps for you navigation or atronomy app but that's the 5% left when you'll switch the gps on ?
There should be a reason why you have so much wakelocks that does not involve blocking calls from a middleware as an answer.

Gentaz said:
The fact that the gapps have a mind of their own is not big news, but alternatives exists to avoid dealing with them
I didn't say it will stop any wakelock (and I don't want to) : on the contrary, it consist of replacing the stock nlp with a more evolved one that allows to switch to a local db which is far less battery consuming for several reasons.
I didn't say it was "gps precise" either : it will locate you at the nearest antenna if you try a gps app like maps (did you actually read my link ?). Most of the time it has between 500m and 1500m (about a mile) uncertainty reported by the apps.
It just provides precise enough geoloc services for 95% of the apps you're using, even with your screen off like weather, loc. based profile mangers, local news, traffic, job/dating app or whatever... Granted : it won't compete with gps for you navigation or atronomy app but that's the 5% left when you'll switch the gps on
There should be a reason why you have so much wakelocks that does not involve blocking calls from a middleware as an answer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If its crippling the phones ability to locate itself accurately then I am not interested as occasionally navigation is important to me. Also of it doesn't stop wakelocks then I am certainly not interested. The way that you word things makes it very difficult to get your point across I might add. I had a hard time following your post.

What I did to get zero battery drain with GPS set on high accuracy:
- Download Disable Service from Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=cn.wq.disableservice&hl=nl
- Go to System, then Google Play Services and disable everything that has something to do with 'Wear' and 'Fitness' since I don't use any of these features (for me these gave me wakelocks, but I'm not sure if this is the case for everyone), so: BrokeredFitnessService, WearableControlService, WearableService and WearableSyncService.
- Download LBE Security Master (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1422479) for its permission manager.
- Disable any location permission of all your apps that you don't want to use GPS (and other permissions to save more battery, but that's another topic).
I have to say I have Google Now disabled, and of course my phone is rooted to be able to use these apps. I run stock rom with stock kernel, and my battery is great with GPS enabled constantly.

seh6183 said:
If its crippling the phones ability to locate itself accurately then I am not interested as occasionally navigation is important to me. Also of it doesn't stop wakelocks then I am certainly not interested. The way that you word things makes it very difficult to get your point across I might add. I had a hard time following your post.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I guess you missinterpreted what I said : just enable gps when you need navigation... Gsm based location accuracy is ok for all the rest.
- wakelock issues either came from the way the phone is set up or an uncommon situation causing this (bug, bloat, bad network or gps reception...) : blocking them is not a solution, it's a workaround and, if I undestood you correctly, is only valid for some cases and is fastidious/maintenance intensive. There are already many nexus 5 and other threads dealing with those issues anyway and It would be easier to just disable geoloc when screen is off.
- I suggested a solution less battery draining for 95% of goeloc based needs and is valid for most android phones and roms as long as you have root, not yet another a nlp/wakelock blocking "trick".
It's ok if your girlfriend doesn't mind having her z3 flashed with an ASOP ops enabled rom and learn to block the wakelocks of the new apps she installs, but I prefer not having to explain mine what a wakelock is ☺
- It doesnt cripple your phone at all, it extends its possibilities by adding a gsm based backend to the location provider : your phone was already doing the same except it had to go to a google hosted database to match your location to your antenna or ip when it is set to use network based location.

Gentaz said:
I guess you missinterpreted what I said : just enable gps when you need navigation... Gsm based location accuracy is ok for the all the rest.
- wakelock issues either came from the way the phone is set up or an uncommon situation causing this (bug, bloat, bad network or gps reception...) : blocking them is not a solution, it's a workaround and, if I undestood you correctly, is only valid for some cases and is fastidious/maintenance intensive. There are already many nexus 5 and other threads dealing with those issues anyway and It would be easier to just disable geoloc when screen is off.
- I suggested a solution less battery draining for 95% of goeloc based needs and is valid for most android phones and roms as long as you have root, not yet another a nlp/wakelock blocking "trick".
It's ok if your girlfriend doesn't mind having her z3 flashed with an ASOP ops enabled rom and learn to block the wakelocks of the new apps she's installing, but I prefer not having to explain mine what a wakelock is
- It doesnt cripple your phone at all, it extends its possibilities by adding a gsm based backend to the location provider : your phone was already doing the same except it had to go to a google hosted database to match your location to yourantenna or ip when it is set to use network based location.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Your solution is very interesting for sure and something I will try, but my gut feeling is that google play services is still going to look for my location just as often, waking the phone, even though it's communicating with a different database.
Also I'm not sure if you're suggesting that my phone specifically is having NLP wakelocks because it is broken or setup incorrectly, but if so that is totally inaccurate. All android phones are suffering from this wakelock whether the user is aware of it or not. The only ones not having NLP wakelocks are the ones who have disabled location services or somehow turned off the wakelock like I have.

Sports app like endomondo getting killed in background

Yesterday i was riding on bike with endomondo and strava apps both running for about 3 hours and everything was ok.
But today, when i was riding only with endomondo app, something killed it after ~ 1 hour of tracking. It just died, and my training wasn't complete.
Both apps are protected in battery menu, battery mode is set on normal. I have about 1GB or more ram free. I do not use auto optimization
I heard about huawei problems with sports tracker apps, but come on, on new flagship phone?...
Any solution to this problem?
my model is european one, eva-l09 with stock rom b136

If you are rooted try freezing "power genie". Worked for me with another app that I had issues with, which relies on background process (gmd gesture control).
And/or try making it a system app.

I do not have root yet, didn't want to woid my warranty unless i knew everything is ok with this phone
today my endomondo and strava apps were killed after 2 hours and 48 minutes of workout... this is so bull****

Just add it to the memory whitelist. All settings available via preinstalled Huawei Phone Manager app.

i've added them to memory whitelist and to the battery whitelist but unfortunatelly this doesn't work at all

Nothing? It's only me having this problem, or nobody uses sports apps? Today it died after 70 minutes of training. Old samsung galaxy ace 2 recorded training perfectly...
Anyone rooted could check if this problem is still present? After you add endomondo or strava to system apps folder?

For what its worth, I am having exactly the same issues with Endomondo. Did you manage to find a solution at all?

ylapas said:
Just add it to the memory whitelist. All settings available via preinstalled Huawei Phone Manager app.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
How do you do this?
Edit: found it. Click phone manager, optimize, then the gear in the top right

Me too, I am having the same issues with Endomondo. I don't want to get root but I've set the memory whitelist and the battery whitelist.
Sadly, I gave up and now I am using Sport Tracker that, since now, didn't stop event after 2 hours.

Hi, I've done everything said in this thread but the app strava closes after an hour of use..
Anyone have found how to fix this issue?
Thanks

Have you tried another app? Mapmyride seems to be ok for me apart from when the gps gets confused and I get the odd straight line, seems to be another feature of this phone

Greasedferret said:
Have you tried another app? Mapmyride seems to be ok for me apart from when the gps gets confused and I get the odd straight line, seems to be another feature of this phone
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, but I want to use strava.
I've tried with another smartphones and it works fine...

Might be worth trying just for the purpose of elimination?

Greasedferret said:
Might be worth trying just for the purpose of elimination?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sorry, I don't understand, what do you mean?

As in, try a third .sport app. to rule out an issue with the app.

Yes, install android 7.0 It is fixed there

I had / have the same issue, after a few hours it is seeying it as an battery drain app and it closes it. (Running the newest EMUI and Android 7.0) ... so still not great, also using Strava (in combination with relive.cc)
will try the memory thing though

Well first of all, if not every app behave like that, and not everyone have that problem, its obvious its not problem of model but your specific device and lack of optimization(bigger companies are actually more know of lacking that).
Next.
I used before endomondo, now I installed it again... and no problem at all. So again, I would say that its problem of specific device and your system configuration.
I would suggest checking AGAIN those options:
Settings->battery-> options(top-right corner) and disable option "turn off energy-intensive applications"
And then go to Application list in settings-> select settings(bottom gear icon)->Special access->Ignore Optimization and there select your app.
Hard to say anything else, because its impossible to reconstruct behave of your phone, and see what cause the problem. In this case everything matter, starting from apps you use to settings you have on your device.

rudnik8 said:
Yes, install android 7.0 It is fixed there
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Akinaro said:
Well first of all, if not every app behave like that, and not everyone have that problem, its obvious its not problem of model but your specific device and lack of optimization(bigger companies are actually more know of lacking that).
Next.
I used before endomondo, now I installed it again... and no problem at all. So again, I would say that its problem of specific device and your system configuration.
I would suggest checking AGAIN those options:
Settings->battery-> options(top-right corner) and disable option "turn off energy-intensive applications"
And then go to Application list in settings-> select settings(bottom gear icon)->Special access->Ignore Optimization and there select your app.
Hard to say anything else, because its impossible to reconstruct behave of your phone, and see what cause the problem. In this case everything matter, starting from apps you use to settings you have on your device.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thnx, did the things you mentioned, will let you know next week

did not work

Few queries on Redmi 4A (simple but challenging)

I have searched internet for below mentioned queries but could not find a solution. Hope someone can help out here.
(1) How to remove the unnecessary Google apps?
I read somewhere (and on this forum as well) that this can be done through Google Playstore but I dont see the options in Google Playstore account. (Maybe it doesnt work anymore)
(2) How do I remove Mi App Store and other Mi apps?
Can it be uninstalled... or atleast disabled?
(3) What is authenticity of Security app?... remove Cheetah, Tencent?
I am not sure how reliable this pre-installed Security app is or whether it is authentic as I dont see it in Google Playstore (I dont feel comfortable to have any app in my mobile which is not on Google Playstore).
New Android devices actually dont need app/memory cleaner, etc. There are numerous negative reviews about Cheetah, etc. I saw that Security app uses engine of Cheetah, Tencent, etc. Better to remove it?
(4) I dont see many settings in Camera. Is there guide to actually understand the settings, how to use, etc?
(5) I see that there are guides thread in bit and pieces, but is there any complete PDF, user maual or user guide for Redmi 4A or MIUI 8?
Thanks!

Easy solution is to install custom ROM.
Check this, https://forum.xda-developers.com/general/general/update-redmi-4a-users-t3706184.

As I know, user manual for Redmi 4A has not yet been available on the manufacturer's official website.
But manuals for other Redmi phones, such as Redmi 5A, are available there.

1. Removal via Play Store only applicable if you're installing them via Play Store i.e. not pre-installed. If you want to remove the pre-installed ones without root then try this
2. You can't really remove any of the system app if you're on official MIUI ROM because of its stock kernel (dm-verity). Try to remove them and it'll put your phone on a bootloop on the next boot because it checks the system integrity and refuses to boot if it detects any changes to the system, including file deletion. Maaybe you can if you're rooted and you have a modified kernel installed that disables the dm-verity.
3. It's an OEM app, meaning it was from the ROM itself. The manufacturer may decide if their OEM apps will be up on Play Store, so it may or may not be available from there. Think of it like your stock launcher. And well, it's Cheetah. Disable all of its updates and configurations (virus definition, auto scan etc.) and you're good. You can just disable the cleaner engine to stop the cleaner altogether. And as mentioned earlier, don't try to remove a system app if you're on an official MIUI ROMs. Didn't want to risk yourself to putting your phone into a bootloop. Unless you can do it properly then sure thing. Make sure to take a backup beforehand.
4. Most camera settings are pretty self-explanatory, so maybe they decided to not put much on the camera 'guide'
5. No. Not all guides comes with a PDF, and there's not a single guide that covers everything. Sometimes they came like forum threads like this. The only user manual/user guide available is the booklet that came with your phone. And I'm pretty sure that's not the guide you're looking for, as that booklet only covers the very basic operations of your phone.

thatOneWeeaboo said:
1. If you want to remove the pre-installed ones without root then try this
2. You can't really remove any of the system app if you're on official MIUI ROM because of its stock kernel (dm-verity). Try to remove them and it'll put your phone on a bootloop.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hi thatOneWeeaboo. Thanks for your kind help. :good:
Just a basic question.. are those Google apps and Mi Apps "pre-installed ones" or "system apps"?
I read somewhere that bloatware can be removed by simple app known as "Activity Launcher".. but will have research about it... Any inputs on it?

Biker Biker said:
are those Google apps and Mi Apps "pre-installed ones" or "system apps"?
I read somewhere that bloatware can be removed by simple app known as "Activity Launcher".. but will have research about it... Any inputs on it?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Technically speaking, System Apps are 'pre-installed' and pre-installed apps isn't always a system app. If the latter is your case, you can just remove them via your Apps section in your Settings menu, no need lengthy steps or commands.
You've probably read a similar guide that I linked and the "Activity Launcher" app's purpose is to launch a certain app's activity, therefore it's isn't actually removing the bloatware. As far as I know, it is used to launch the AOSP version of the Aplication Settings that normally isn't visible within the MIUI skin. You can actually disable most Google packages and some MIUI apps within there.

skmaiti2050 said:
Check out my thread for simple solution for system apps:
https://forum.xda-developers.com/android/help/miui-8-debloater-script-t3678972
And for camera, there is a mod you can try http://en.miui.com/thread-577424-1-1.html
After that you get the manual mode. In simple, set low ISO on good lighting scenes like sunrise or outdoors and high ISO for dark places, indoors and don't use flash when high ISO is set or you'll get a distorted image.
For shutter speed, set it to shortest on daylight scenes and for night scenes set it to the longest so it will be capable of capturing more light. For focus, when taking macro set focus to lower values and taking normal shots set it 35 to 50 and for broader views and distant object set it higher values.
Hope I helped you, but quite late
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks for replying mate, but I dont think I would want to install all those zip files in my mobile. You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware. But thanks for replying!
I dont want to install anything which doesnt come from google playstore.

Biker Biker said:
Thanks for replying mate, but I dont think I would want to install all those zip files in my mobile. You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware. But thanks for replying!
I dont want to install anything which doesnt come from google playstore.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you're insisting to not install anything that doesn't come from Play Store, then try another camera app, like Open Camera. Other than that, there's isn't much you can do without installing things outside of the Store. Actually, LineageOS's stock camera, dubbed Snap Camera, is a pretty great camera app. But since it's not from the Play Store then I won't recommend it to you because, well, it's not from the Store.
Biker Biker said:
You never know if they are itself corrupted/malware/spyware.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's a pretty much a valid concern, but there's other people's testimony if things are actually working. So you can see e.g. if it's fixed your problem or make it worse by messing up stuff.
Also, not all Play Store apps are safe, though. There are some apps that collects your information/personal data without you knowing e.g. a Keyboard app that asks for your Device ID

Can't keep apps running in the background

I know this is the Mi 8 forum, but I feel that the issue I have on my Mi 9 will be common across both phones, and thought I would post here too.
I've noticed that at least two apps will mysteriously stop working in the background, causing problems:
First, most important, I use my Google Voice number, not my SIM number, so I need Google Voice to be running so that it intercepts my calls and uses the right phone number to make calls. If I open Google Voice, it will work for a few hours, maybe a day, and then GV stops working and calls start going out through my SIM number.
The other app that exhibits this behavior is Garmin Connect -- my watch gives me notifications, but then, for no reason, it will stop working. Opening Garmin Connect solves the problem.
I have ensured all permissions are set as liberally as possible, even the "allow autostart" option. Not sure what else to do. Any ideas would be great. I actually didn't have the issue with my Mi 8, but I wonder if anyone has any knowledge on how this could happen on the Mi 9.
Thanks!

sshanky said:
I know this is the Mi 8 forum, but I feel that the issue I have on my Mi 9 will be common across both phones, and thought I would post here too.
I've noticed that at least two apps will mysteriously stop working in the background, causing problems:
First, most important, I use my Google Voice number, not my SIM number, so I need Google Voice to be running so that it intercepts my calls and uses the right phone number to make calls. If I open Google Voice, it will work for a few hours, maybe a day, and then GV stops working and calls start going out through my SIM number.
The other app that exhibits this behavior is Garmin Connect -- my watch gives me notifications, but then, for no reason, it will stop working. Opening Garmin Connect solves the problem.
I have ensured all permissions are set as liberally as possible, even the "allow autostart" option. Not sure what else to do. Any ideas would be great. I actually didn't have the issue with my Mi 8, but I wonder if anyone has any knowledge on how this could happen on the Mi 9.
Thanks!
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MIUI itself is a bit heavy on RAM, for one, and it's always been a bit aggressive on RAM management. Another thing, have you disabled MIUI's power saving functionality for those apps? I believe it only affects background push data, but I may be wrong. To configure said apps, go to Settings > Battery & performance > Choose apps and then select the apps in question and set to No Restrictions. There used to be an option to completely disable it, but that has since been removed. Another thing is to enable Developer options by tapping the MIUI version several times in the About phone section of the Settings app, then go to Additional settings > Developer options and disable MIUI optimizations. Read the prompt that pops up as I recall it mentioning something about affecting certain services.

Crossvxm said:
MIUI itself is a bit heavy on RAM, for one, and it's always been a bit aggressive on RAM management. Another thing, have you disabled MIUI's power saving functionality for those apps? I believe it only affects background push data, but I may be wrong. To configure said apps, go to Settings > Battery & performance > Choose apps and then select the apps in question and set to No Restrictions. There used to be an option to completely disable it, but that has since been removed. Another thing is to enable Developer options by tapping the MIUI version several times in the About phone section of the Settings app, then go to Additional settings > Developer options and disable MIUI optimizations. Read the prompt that pops up as I recall it mentioning something about affecting certain services.
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I have set the apps in question to No Restrictions, a long time ago, but that didn't help. Today, I tried another option -- Use Adaptive Battery (Limit battery for apps that you don't use often). I turned that OFF, and it appears I've been getting alerts on my Garmin watch all day. However, I made a call and Google Voice wasn't active. I was getting excited that I'd found a cure until that happened. I'll try your suggestion in developer options and report back if it works. Thanks for that idea.

No luck -- Google Voice is still stopping, even after just a few minutes. I can't make calls on my google voice number unless I first launch Voice, then go to the phone app.

sshanky said:
No luck -- Google Voice is still stopping, even after just a few minutes. I can't make calls on my google voice number unless I first launch Voice, then go to the phone app.
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Yeah MIUI 10 + Android 9.0 are worse than previous versions of MIUI, but Google apps have issues on all devices that do not use stock or near stock Android. Have you attempted to lock the app in the task manager? Open your app, for example Google Voice, then using the task manager (App switcher), long press that app and tap the lock button. Try using the phone as you normally would and see if it helps.

@Crossvxm that's a good idea. I'll try and let you know how it goes.

sshanky said:
@Crossvxm that's a good idea. I'll try and let you know how it goes.
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All you have to to do is turn off Battery restrictions.
Also, I would suggest giving the launcher "Smart Launcher: a try. Not only is it awesome but it gives you quick access to all of the permissions, and battery optimizations. You can manage all of this from the Apps list.. Press and hold on any icon and click namage ( or the gear then manage) this is much easier then searching through the system settings for autostart, permissions, battery management etc. This is one app that is worth buying. The free version is great, but the paid version is incomparable, and I own all of the popular launchers. Smart Launcher Pro 5 is absolutely the best, and highly customizable.
My biggest issue with all AOSP roms is that the battery goes up to 105F when charging on every single AOSP rom that I have tried on the Mi8. While there is no immediate risk in the long term the battery should not get hotter than room temperature.
Back to Miui, turn off battery restrictions and you will have no issues, you also have the option of clicking the pin in recents to keep the app active.

Hi @tsongming, I've done everything possible to deactivate restrictions. I've done it the way you mentioned and other ways as well. I did try locking the app as mentioned by @Crossvxm and it might have done the trick -- will know more in a few days. I use Nova Launcher (paid version) and it has the same features you mentioned about Smart Launcher, where I can get to the settings instantly.

sshanky said:
Hi @tsongming, I've done everything possible to deactivate restrictions. I've done it the way you mentioned and other ways as well. I did try locking the app as mentioned by @Crossvxm and it might have done the trick -- will know more in a few days. I use Nova Launcher (paid version) and it has the same features you mentioned about Smart Launcher, where I can get to the settings instantly.
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I run MIUI stock 10.3.3.0 with Sphinx Kernel and root. I also use Hangouts, Google voice, and Google message without issues. It's like tsongming mentioned. Turn off the adaptive battery and remove battery restrictions on each app. Also make sure they get all permissions.
Something to note , when I used Canting Kernel, I had lots of apps turn off in background including my Fossil sport watch connection. Going back to Sphinx Kernel took care of issue, probable too aggressive memory killer in Canting. Stock Kernel might have same issue idk.
./

When I had my Mi 8, I had no issues. This seems to be something new with the 9. I've disabled adaptive battery, I've provided all permissions to the app, I've removed all power restrictions. I'm not rooted, so I can't change kernel right now. It appears that locking the app might have helped a bit, but I wish I didn't have to do it.

How To Guide S21 Ultra Debloat

Found a couple of handy articles listing most of the bloat packages in Galaxy phones:
How to Remove Samsung Galaxy S20 Bloatware? - KrispiTech
How to Remove Samsung Bloatware without Root (ADB)
If you want to remove bloatware on your Samsung Galaxy S10, S20, Note 10 or Galaxy Tab, here is a list of safe to remove Samsung bloatware.
technastic.com
more tips and ready to use scripts:
Ultimate Samsung S9 and S9+ Debloat Guide
The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are truly fantastic flagship phones – unfortunately they do come with a bit of bloatware, either from your carrier or
appuals.com

Thanks, looks good. What happens on updates and factory reset, does everything get restored again?

anro15 said:
Thanks, looks good. What happens on updates and factory reset, does everything get restored again?
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OTG updates and rebooting won't change anything, what's uninstalled will stay uninstalled, but factory reset will reset the phone to its original 'factory' condition.

thanks for this, very helpful

does any one know if these lists to debloat are broken down into usable groups to warn if you intend to use a certain a certain application , eg samsung pay you cannot remove the following items, etc. I've had issues in the past that removing a few items caused others to malfunction. i just don't want to get debloat happy and cause kept items to fail.

johnp357 said:
does any one know if these lists to debloat are broken down into usable groups to warn if you intend to use a certain a certain application , eg samsung pay you cannot remove the following items, etc. I've had issues in the past that removing a few items caused others to malfunction. i just don't want to get debloat happy and cause kept items to fail.
Click to expand...
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Ppl have different priorities, a relevant app for someone might be disregarded by others so you have to do it on your own. Best way to find out is to google the entire package name "com.xxxx.xxxxx.etc..." and look for the answers.

Wouldn't it be nice if Samsung acted like a respectable manufacturer and not some back alley pimp?
It's not like these junk filled phones are cheap.

blackhawk said:
Wouldn't it be nice if Samsung acted like a respectable manufacturer and not some back alley pimp?
It's not like these junk filled phones are cheap.
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I know I have bought package disabler pro something like twice. With my S21 ultra (which I decided to keep - pathetic me) has anybody had experience with using it with Android 11? I don't want to throw money at them again although it has worked well in the past.

peterg21 said:
I know I have bought package disabler pro something like twice. With my S21 ultra (which I decided to keep - pathetic me) has anybody had experience with using it with Android 11? I don't want to throw money at them again although it has worked well in the past.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm running a 10+/Pie. This is the one I've been using for years with no issues.
Home - Package Disabler
The only NON-root solution that let’s you disable any unwanted packages that come pre-installed / installed with your phone / tablet.
www.packagedisabler.com

blackhawk said:
I'm running a 10+/Pie. This is the one I've been using for years with no issues.
Home - Package Disabler
The only NON-root solution that let’s you disable any unwanted packages that come pre-installed / installed with your phone / tablet.
www.packagedisabler.com
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Click to collapse
OK. That is the one I have seen outside the play store but was somewhat reticent to buy. But not expensive - not going to bankrupt me - so let me try this. Thanks (for the moment )

peterg21 said:
OK. That is the one I have seen outside the play store but was somewhat reticent to buy. But not expensive - not going to bankrupt me - so let me try this. Thanks (for the moment
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All appears fine as before with this app. Disabled what I normally disable. Let's see how this works out.

peterg21 said:
All appears fine as before with this app. Disabled what I normally disable. Let's see how this works out.
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It's a very useful app. It allows you to set a widget that when an entry is checked it will toggle the apk(s) on/off by touching the widget
Uses very little battery. Runs clean and stable.
Something else unique about it is for troubleshooting when you clear an apk's data it leaves no nulls (presumably) behind.
It can completely clear a system apk's data that clearing the data in Settings will not.
That saved me a reload once and also allowed me to isolate the system apk that was causing the issue.

My Verizon branded hardly had anything on it out of the box. The second it hit the internet I got about 15 games and a ton of crap out of the blue.
What is Verizon calling that DT ignite app now? I can't find it.

felloffthetruck said:
My Verizon branded hardly had anything on it out of the box. The second it hit the internet I got about 15 games and a ton of crap out of the blue.
What is Verizon calling that DT ignite app now? I can't find it.
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Package block Verizon updates. That's what I do with my AT&T 10+ variant.
It continues to run fast and happily on Pie.
Not missing Q one little bit or using excessive bits to get a file opened!

felloffthetruck said:
My Verizon branded hardly had anything on it out of the box. The second it hit the internet I got about 15 games and a ton of crap out of the blue.
What is Verizon calling that DT ignite app now? I can't find it.
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Click to collapse
Have you disabled Verizon App Manager within the settings. I had the same issue you did. From Google-ing around, I found that this app can install apps without your permission (according to reddit)

mprunty said:
Have you disabled Verizon App Manager within the settings. I had the same issue you did. From Google-ing around, I found that this app can install apps without your permission (according to reddit)
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Yes, just found it and disabled it.

felloffthetruck said:
Yes, just found it and disabled it.
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If you don't disable updates Verizon can alter your firmware as they see fit.
Verizon like AT&T are partnered with Samsung, let that stink in for a few seconds.
Verizon gives active input to firmware updates from Samsung. To the point were the interface may be quite different from a stock Samsung... and not necessarily for the better.
The last updates are usually the worst; been there, done that.
Not taking that ride again

blackhawk said:
I'm running a 10+/Pie. This is the one I've been using for years with no issues.
Home - Package Disabler
The only NON-root solution that let’s you disable any unwanted packages that come pre-installed / installed with your phone / tablet.
www.packagedisabler.com
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just purchased it but am scared id disable something and mess **** up. is there a tutorial somewhere where it shows what to disable and what to keep in order to things to run smooth aswell. ty

kazlow said:
i just purchased it but am scared id disable something and mess **** up. is there a tutorial somewhere where it shows what to disable and what to keep in order to things to run smooth aswell. ty
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
What works for one person may not work for another as there many variants of the same model.
It's best if you try to learn what the apk you're disabling does. Some have dependencies.
Some will boot loop the device if not able to run on boot up. I'm also using Karma Firewall so sometimes instead of disabling an apk I simply firewall block it to retain better functionality and ease of use. I have no easy solution that fits all. Learn by doing.
You should always be ready to do a reload with all critical your data backed up.
It's rarely needed but it can be needed at any moment with little or no warning.
That said I've never crashed an OS using a package disabler however your results may vary
I use my SD card as a data drive. I can do a full restore anywhere, anytime with little or no internet connection in about 2 hours.
Without an SD card your backup alternatives are less attractive...

There is literally zero data showing that debloating brings a any value or efficency at all