How to See What Is Running on Android?

You can view, stop and uninstall running applications with the Android Settings app.

Android is a multitasking operating system, which means that multiple programs and processes can run at the same time. The operating system manages access to system resources, such as the processor and memory, to best use the limited resources available in your Android device. You can view running applications and processes in the Applications Settings screen and monitor the storage, memory use and permissions of each. The Application Info screen for each program lets you uninstall the app or stop it.

Instructions

1. Touch the "Application Drawer" on your home screen, scroll to the "Settings" icon, and touch it. You can also launch Settings from the Menu key on your device.

2. Touch "Applications." Tap "Manage Applications."

3. Tap the "Running" tab on the Manage Applications screen. From the list of applications running on your Android device, touch an application name to view details of the program, including how much memory the application and cache are using and if it is the default app for any action on the device.

Tips & Warnings

• Tap "Applications," then "Running Services" to view the services that are running on your Android device. You can touch a service and tap "Stop" in the Stop Service pop-up window to close the service.

• Task-killer apps are available from the Android Market that will also show you what is running on your device and allow you to shut down unneeded programs.

References

• Android Developers; Multitasking the Android Way; Dianne Hackborn; April 2010
• Google; Android 2.2.1 User's Gude; Oct. 2010
• How-To Geek; How to Force Kill Android Applications Without a Task Manager; Sept. 2010

Resources

• Android