Clearing app cahe

pianoman · Apr 8, 2012

zig9449 said:
No, not all apps in the switcher are paused in RAM.

Just the ones that were opened within a certain period of time. I know this.

Otherwise, every time you closed an app, and opened again, it would reload every time. But they don't.....they don't because they are pauses in RAM.

I already understand that, Zig. You didn't understand my post. Again - please read carefully before responding.

eddieg said:
I disagree with you saying when you close apps in the switcher it doesnt affect RAM well i have system status and when i close down all apps in the switcher it does free up a small amount of ram.

You are mistaken. I'm sorry. If you see a change in RAM it's from some other reason. There is ZERO correlation between the app switcher and RAM usage. You can disagree all you want but the lack of any connection between the app switcher and RAM is a matter of engineering and is an indisputable fact.

Now what "can" be happening is what Zig described - that by the time you check the RAM allocation another "paused" app in RAM closed down after its time allocation was up in paused mode. But any correlation would be pure coincidence.

eddieg · Apr 8, 2012

I dont think im mistaken if i have a few apps in the switcher and i check the ram then close all the apps in the switcher and recheck the ram it will free up a bit of ram could you explain this.

zig9449 · Apr 8, 2012

It makes absolutely "no sense" that quitting an app would not free any RAM. Everything you do effects RAM. There is almost nothing that does not. Plain and simple. It is common sense that if an app IS paused in RAM, and you quit it...that that used RAM gets freed. Common sense.

Semel · Apr 8, 2012

zig9449 said:
It makes absolutely "no sense" that quitting an app would not free any RAM. Everything you do effects RAM. There is almost nothing that does not. Plain and simple. It is common sense that if an app IS paused in RAM, and you quit it...that that used RAM gets freed. Common sense.

Originally Posted by eddieg
I disagree with you saying when you close apps in the switcher it doesnt affect RAM well i have system status and when i close down all apps in the switcher it does free up a small amount of ram.

You two are talking past each other.You both agree on the same point yet you are arguing

eddieg · Apr 8, 2012

No i agree with Zig its the other guy i dont agree with.

Semel · Apr 8, 2012

eddieg said:
No i agree with Zig its the other guy i dont agree with.

Oh I see.My mistake

zig9449 · Apr 8, 2012

Semel said:
Originally Posted by eddieg
I disagree with you saying when you close apps in the switcher it doesnt affect RAM well i have system status and when i close down all apps in the switcher it does free up a small amount of ram.

You two are talking past each other.You both agree on the same point yet you are arguing

Yeah.........I'm thinking the same thing. I wonder what were arguing about.lol.

pianoman · Apr 8, 2012

zig9449 said:
It makes absolutely "no sense" that quitting an app would not free any RAM. Everything you do effects RAM. There is almost nothing that does not. Plain and simple. It is common sense that if an app IS paused in RAM, and you quit it...that that used RAM gets freed. Common sense.

Zig, with due respect, is English your first language? I think you may just be misunderstanding me. Again, I agree with you 100% - that quitting an app frees RAM. Yes! Absolutely!!! Agreed.

Where you're incorrectly understanding the mechanics of the iPhone is in your belief that removing apps (clicking "-" key after they're jiggling) from the app switcher "closes" the app. It DOES NOT!! The app switcher is only a list of "shortcuts" to the apps. It is not a list of loaded apps into RAM. It is simply a list of all apps ever opened since the last time you cleared the app switcher. When you clear an app from switcher it is NOT removing an app from current operation. If it were such a list then in would clear RAM. But it's not a list of "paused" apps nor a list of active apps. That's the part you and other people are misunderstanding. And it's why the myth got started.

eddieg · Apr 8, 2012

Im sorry but it does clear ram atleast on my iphone it does.

Semel · Apr 8, 2012

pianoman said:
Zig, with due respect, is English your first language? I think you may just be misunderstanding me. Again, I agree with you 100% - that quitting an app frees RAM. Yes! Absolutely!!! Agreed.

Where you're incorrectly understanding the mechanics of the iPhone is in your belief that removing apps (clicking "-" key after they're jiggling) from the app switcher "closes" the app. It DOES NOT!! The app switcher is only a list of "shortcuts" to the apps. It is not a list of loaded apps into RAM. It is simply a list of all apps ever opened since the last time you cleared the app switcher. When you clear an app from switcher it is NOT removing an app from current operation. If it were such a list then in would clear RAM. But it's not a list of "paused" apps nor a list of active apps. That's the part you and other people are misunderstanding. And it's why the myth got started.

In other words,even if there is 50 apps showing on the app switcher bar,it wil have no effect at how fast or slow the system is running?

zig9449 · Apr 8, 2012

pianoman said:
Zig, with due respect, is English your first language? I think you may just be misunderstanding me. Again, I agree with you 100% - that quitting an app frees RAM. Yes! Absolutely!!! Agreed.

Where you're incorrectly understanding the mechanics of the iPhone is in your belief that removing apps (clicking "-" key after they're jiggling) from the app switcher "closes" the app. It DOES NOT!! The app switcher is only a list of "shortcuts" to the apps. It is not a list of loaded apps into RAM. It is simply a list of all apps ever opened since the last time you cleared the app switcher. When you clear an app from switcher it is NOT removing an app from current operation. If it were such a list then in would clear RAM. But it's not a list of "paused" apps nor a list of active apps. That's the part you and other people are misunderstanding. And it's why the myth got started.

Yeah, man, I know that. What you are not understanding is that i know that.

I know that the apps in the switcher are just a recent list.

However, any app opened is paused in RAM. The only way an app gets removed from its paused state (yet staying in the switcher) is when the iPhone needs more RAM. It will free the apps paused state.

You are saying that I am saying that "all" apps in the switcher are paused RAM....and I'm not saying that. However the "most recently" opened apps are paused in RAM, and get freed from the paused state only when the phone needs more RAM....which could be so many reasons the phone would need more RAM.

pianoman · Apr 8, 2012

zig9449 said:
I know that the apps in the switcher are just a recent list.

From your earlier posts - that was not at all clear. (Reread your post #4 - it's wrong information). I'm glad you understand it now - if that's what you mean.

However, any app opened is paused in RAM. The only way an app gets removed from its paused state (yet staying in the switcher) is when the iPhone needs more RAM. It will free the apps paused state.

I agree 100%. But it's entirely "beside the point". That statement has never been in question in this thread - at all. I've never disagreed with it once and it has nothing at all to do with the App Switcher function which is the subject of this thread. An application's paused state is "off topic" to this thread. For you to keep bringing it up is confusing to the thread, Zig. What a paused app in RAM does and what the APP switcher does are entirely unrelated. So it's confusing to talk about them both. And earlier in the thread you indicated that there was a connection. That's why I corrected you early on.

You are saying that I am saying that "all" apps in the switcher are paused RAM....

I am NOT. You are putting words in my mouth. I have NEVER said that and do NOT believe it.

and I'm not saying that.

Great! Because that would be incorrect.

However the "most recently" opened apps are paused in RAM, and get freed from the paused state only when the phone needs more RAM. ...which could be so many reasons the phone would need more RAM.

Again - I agree with you 100%. But that has never been in question in this thread. It's like you are moving the question away from the original point of the thread. That's where things got confused. The only thing that matters for the purpose of this thread is to make sure we dispel the myth that the App Switcher function has anything at all to do with apps paused in RAM. They are entirely unrelated. I don't know how more clearly I can explain it - and you've said (now) that you agree with that. So I guess all is clear now.

Here is what you stated in post #4 of this thread in response to LaurenRae

zig9449 said:
LaurenRae said:

I double click the Home button, and the open apps show up at the bottom of the screen. I press and hold any of those apps until they shake and little red circles with a minus sign (-) appear. I click on the minus sign of any app I want to close, then press anywhere but the bottom of the screen to close out of that mode.

Click to expand...

All that does is quit the paused state that the apps are in freeing a small amount of RAM.

That statement of yours, Zig, is 100% WRONG!! That's why I had to correct you! Clearing the App Switcher does NOT clear any RAM nor does it quit the paused state of an App. You gave misinformation there and that's why I responded to this thread. You seem to be changing your mind here later in the thread and backing away from that statement of yours that I highlighted in RED. Do you still believe your statement there in red? If you do - it is an incorrect understanding. That's my main point and the only reason I spoke up in this thread.

pianoman · Apr 8, 2012

Semel said:
In other words,even if there is 50 apps showing on the app switcher bar,it wil have no effect at how fast or slow the system is running?

EXACTLY!! Now - the one aspect of Zig's input to this thread that is completely correct and I agree with him - is that it's in the nature of iOS multitasking to leave certain apps paused in RAM until RAM is needed. And also correctly Zig stated that after a period of time of non-use of one or more apps paused in RAM the RAM clears itself to make space for any new app launched.

The problem is - that, unless you're jailbroken, there is no way to release any RAM or any of those apps that are in a paused state. The APP switcher certainly does NOT do it as so many incorrectly believe. (the myth - I've been talking about). If you're jailbroken there are several apps that can clear apps in the paused state or in what's called "background processing". But the App Switcher - is merely a "list of" and "shortcut to" recently used apps. It's not an indicator of or clearer of apps paused in RAM in any way.

eddieg said:
Im sorry but it does clear ram atleast on my iphone it does.

Your statement is 100% false, Eddie. I'm sorry. If you can prove it - show screen shots of your RAM use before and after clearing. No - that could be doctored. You'll need to make us a Finder movie that will show your steps. Unless you can prove it with a Finder video it's just your word against the word of many other experienced users and devs who know otherwise. This myth goes on because people want to believe something that think they're "feeling" in the iOS responding better after clearing that window. But entirely perceptual and nothing's really happening after you clear that window. I've proved it again and again in my testing. It can be so confusing for newer people to the forum when they hear these things that just aren't correct.

But I think we're getting near beating a dead horse - aren't we? ;-)

eddieg · Apr 8, 2012

Go download system status in the app store and see for yourself. Im not gonna record a video when it would be a lot easier for you to download the app.