How to block autorun programs on Android. Disable autoloading programs in Android

Shows that the topic of receiving the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message remains relevant to this day. As you can see, many newbies are faced with a problem: they do not receive the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message in their applications. In this article I will try to summarize the data from the official documentation, the experience of many developers from stackoverflow.com, as well as my own experience. So, how to defeat this “insidious enemy” called “ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED”?

1. Theory

1. In the manifest, in the “manifest” element, specify the permission:

2. In the manifest, in the “application” element, register your receiver to receive the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message:

   
   or

   
   Use the correct full or relative class name for your broadcast receiver. In the description of the receiver, do not indicate the attributes “enabled”, “exported”, etc. unless necessary. The default settings and attributes are quite sufficient.

3. Your broadcast receiver code:

   Public class BootCompletedReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver ( public BootCompletedReceiver() ( ) public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) ( if (intent.getAction().equals(Intent.ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED)) ( // your code here ) ) )
   If your receiver is only used for the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message, then the "if" check is not necessary. However, sometimes developers use the same receiver for different messages. In this case, filter the messages by checking them inside the onReceive method.

4. The application must be installed on internal memory. The Android OS is designed in such a way that the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message is sent to applications before mounting external memory. Therefore, applications installed on external memory will never receive this message. To tell the system not to install an application on external memory, you do NOT need to set the "@android:installLocation" attribute to "auto" or "preferExternal" in the manifest. By default, i.e. if this attribute is not specified, the OS will install your application on internal memory only. However, according to the official documentation, it is better to explicitly specify the value "internalOnly" so that you and other developers are not tempted to specify a different value in the future.

5. After installation or force stop, the application must be launched at least once for the system to “remember” this application to send it the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message. This behavior was implemented in Android 3.1 for security purposes. What's the point? All newly installed applications are in the “stopped” state (not to be confused with Activities, since the OS manages this state differently for applications and Activities). The application “goes” into the same state when the user forcibly stops it in the phone settings. While the application is in this state, it will not be launched by the system for any reason (for example, through ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED), except, of course, by the user itself. Thanks to this innovation, a considerable part of the “viruses and Trojans” stopped working, because It is no longer possible to start automatically after installation.

   The exception is system applications: see user comment kolipass.

6. Features of Fast boot mode in HTC devices. It is known that HTC devices do not reboot in the classical sense, but use the so-called. Fast boot mode (this is a form of hibernation), saving the OS state to disk. Therefore, the ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED message is not sent by the system, because no reboot actually occurs (). Instead of ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED, the system can send the following messages:

   
   In your application, specify the above messages in addition to ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED in the “receiver” tag. In addition, it is necessary to register permission in addition to paragraph 1:

2. Practice: errors and operating features

3. Debugging the receiver in the emulator and on real devices.

Results

The receiver code will usually be like this:

Public class BootCompletedReceiver extends BroadcastReceiver ( public BootCompletedReceiver() ( ) public void onReceive(Context context, Intent intent) ( if (intent.getAction().equals(Intent.ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED)) ( Toast toast = Toast.makeText(context.getApplicationContext( ), context.getResources().getString(R.string.your_message), Toast.LENGTH_LONG); toast.show(); Log.d("myapp", context.getResources().getString(R.string.your_message) ; // your code is here ) ) )
I hope this article will help beginners overcome the “insidious enemy” called “ACTION_BOOT_COMPLETED”.

From the article you will learn

Autostart of applications is a process accompanied by the spontaneous loading of an application, or one of its parts, to perform tasks in the background. Background mode is the active operation of a process in a closed state. That is, even if you don't use the program, it works. Most programs now work in Android according to this principle.

To make it even clearer, let's give an example from life. For example, any messenger or social network client you know can work in the background, regularly checking for new messages, replies, likes, posts, and so on. Even if your messenger or client is closed, you can receive a notification that a new message has arrived. In order for a client or messenger to find out about a received notification, it has to work in the background, constantly checking for the presence of these same messages. Even if the smartphone screen is turned off and all recently launched processes are closed, the messenger or client will work.

What programs are running in the background?

There are two types of applications running in the background, namely:

1. With auto start;
2. With active work in the background.

Autorun applications. They are activated along with the system and always work in the background. Such programs include clients, instant messengers, utilities for displaying weather, launchers, widgets, and so on. They never turn off and remain in the background.

Applications with active work in the background. These are programs that are in this mode only when actively working. For example, you started installing your favorite game from Google Play. The service will download the file even if you are currently engaged in other processes on the phone. As soon as the game is installed, the Play Market itself will unload from the background and will not appear there until the user tries to download/reinstall/update something again. Such applications include players, downloaders, torrents, browsers, and so on.

What are the consequences of apps constantly running in the background?

If you have several programs running in this mode, then this is normal. At the same time, it is quite acceptable practice that exactly those processes are launched that, it would seem, are not needed at all now. For example, you should not unload the browser from RAM, since it does not create a high load on the system, but at the same time, each launch of it will not “clog” the processor, but will only be unloaded from RAM. Also, do not remove Google services, launcher applications, widgets, instant messengers and other programs with push notifications from autorun.

The number of processes allowed to run in the background is calculated directly from the amount of RAM and their gluttony. For example, if you have 4GB of RAM, it is quite normal for you to load it at 1GB. If only 1GB is free, then it’s definitely worth turning off several programs from startup.

To calculate the rate for your device, use a simple formula: look at how many applications you have running in the background. All these utilities are shown in the settings, in the “Memory” section and are displayed as running processes. If there are a lot of them, but they all take up about 10-40 MB, then they will not cause much harm. Often, such applications hang in autorun for a faster start, to search for updates, send anonymous statistics, try to receive new notifications, and so on.

If there is an application in the background that is used very often, and it takes up a tiny amount of RAM, do not touch it. But if you launch it very rarely, and it still hangs in active tasks, feel free to disable it.

Pay special attention to programs that take up 10% of RAM. They should be turned off as much as possible. But if among them there are instant messengers, Google services and other important processes you need, then it is better to leave them. The analogy is simple: if you often use a utility or program, then you should not disable it. It is quite normal to have about 10 applications running in the background, of which 5 are not used that often.

How to disable an application from autorun?

Technically, you cannot disable an application from autorun. But you can limit its operation in the background. To do this, follow the steps below.

Instructions for Android 8, 9, 10 and higher

1. Go to the “Settings” of your smartphone and find the “Applications and notifications” item and open it.



2. Open a list of all applications by clicking on the “Application Details” tab.



3. Open the application that you think needs to be turned off in the background, that is, removed from startup. For a more convenient search, you can use the alphabetical slider on the left or the search in the top right.



4. After opening the program, click on the “Battery” tab.



5. In the “Battery” item, find the “Work in the background” slider and turn it off. We also recommend going to the “Battery” item and setting the application status to “Save battery power”.

This way, you can easily disable applications from startup by simply turning them off from running in the background.

Android is a well-thought-out operating system, so it itself recognizes processes and programs that may be running in the background and allows you to disable them. And if the application cannot work in this mode and launch automatically, this slider will not be provided initially.

Instructions for Android 7 and below

If you have an older version, then you should follow the following steps. They may also be useful for Android Oreo versions:

Using the All-In-One Toolbox

This is a multifunctional application whose main task is to optimize the operation of the Android operating system. Among the available tools, it is possible to stop the startup of some system and most user applications.

1. Install All-In-One Toolbox from the official store using the button below.
2. After the first launch, you must provide access to multimedia and other files in the device memory. To do this, click the “Allow” button.



3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and open the Startup section. Here you can disable autorun for selected applications to quickly start your device.



4. You can exclude from startup all user and system applications at once, or one or more specific ones.



How to enable application autorun?

Some users need to add the application to startup. This can be done using a third-party tool “AutoStart - No root”. The simple functionality of this utility allows you to create a list of programs that start at a specified time interval when you start the Android operating system.



That's all. In this way, you can autoload any application.

From the article you will learn

Autostart of applications is a process accompanied by the spontaneous loading of an application, or one of its parts, to perform tasks in the background. Background mode is the active operation of a process in a closed state. That is, even if you don't use the program, it works. Most programs now work in Android according to this principle.

To make it even clearer, let's give an example from life. For example, any messenger or social network client you know can work in the background, regularly checking for new messages, replies, likes, posts, and so on. Even if your messenger or client is closed, you can receive a notification that a new message has arrived. In order for a client or messenger to find out about a received notification, it has to work in the background, constantly checking for the presence of these same messages. Even if the smartphone screen is turned off and all recently launched processes are closed, the messenger or client will work.

What programs are running in the background?

There are two types of applications running in the background, namely:

1. With auto start;
2. With active work in the background.

Autorun applications. They are activated along with the system and always work in the background. Such programs include clients, instant messengers, utilities for displaying weather, launchers, widgets, and so on. They never turn off and remain in the background.

Applications with active work in the background. These are programs that are in this mode only when actively working. For example, you started installing your favorite game from Google Play. The service will download the file even if you are currently engaged in other processes on the phone. As soon as the game is installed, the Play Market itself will unload from the background and will not appear there until the user tries to download/reinstall/update something again. Such applications include players, downloaders, torrents, browsers, and so on.

What are the consequences of apps constantly running in the background?

If you have several programs running in this mode, then this is normal. At the same time, it is quite acceptable practice that exactly those processes are launched that, it would seem, are not needed at all now. For example, you should not unload the browser from RAM, since it does not create a high load on the system, but at the same time, each launch of it will not “clog” the processor, but will only be unloaded from RAM. Also, do not remove Google services, launcher applications, widgets, instant messengers and other programs with push notifications from autorun.

The number of processes allowed to run in the background is calculated directly from the amount of RAM and their gluttony. For example, if you have 4GB of RAM, it is quite normal for you to load it at 1GB. If only 1GB is free, then it’s definitely worth turning off several programs from startup.

To calculate the rate for your device, use a simple formula: look at how many applications you have running in the background. All these utilities are shown in the settings, in the “Memory” section and are displayed as running processes. If there are a lot of them, but they all take up about 10-40 MB, then they will not cause much harm. Often, such applications hang in autorun for a faster start, to search for updates, send anonymous statistics, try to receive new notifications, and so on.

If there is an application in the background that is used very often, and it takes up a tiny amount of RAM, do not touch it. But if you launch it very rarely, and it still hangs in active tasks, feel free to disable it.

Pay special attention to programs that take up 10% of RAM. They should be turned off as much as possible. But if among them there are instant messengers, Google services and other important processes you need, then it is better to leave them. The analogy is simple: if you often use a utility or program, then you should not disable it. It is quite normal to have about 10 applications running in the background, of which 5 are not used that often.

How to disable an application from autorun?

Technically, you cannot disable an application from autorun. But you can limit its operation in the background. To do this, follow the steps below.

Instructions for Android 8, 9, 10 and higher

1. Go to the “Settings” of your smartphone and find the “Applications and notifications” item and open it.



2. Open a list of all applications by clicking on the “Application Details” tab.



3. Open the application that you think needs to be turned off in the background, that is, removed from startup. For a more convenient search, you can use the alphabetical slider on the left or the search in the top right.



4. After opening the program, click on the “Battery” tab.



5. In the “Battery” item, find the “Work in the background” slider and turn it off. We also recommend going to the “Battery” item and setting the application status to “Save battery power”.

This way, you can easily disable applications from startup by simply turning them off from running in the background.

Android is a well-thought-out operating system, so it itself recognizes processes and programs that may be running in the background and allows you to disable them. And if the application cannot work in this mode and launch automatically, this slider will not be provided initially.

Instructions for Android 7 and below

If you have an older version, then you should follow the following steps. They may also be useful for Android Oreo versions:

Using the All-In-One Toolbox

This is a multifunctional application whose main task is to optimize the operation of the Android operating system. Among the available tools, it is possible to stop the startup of some system and most user applications.

1. Install All-In-One Toolbox from the official store using the button below.
2. After the first launch, you must provide access to multimedia and other files in the device memory. To do this, click the “Allow” button.



3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and open the Startup section. Here you can disable autorun for selected applications to quickly start your device.



4. You can exclude from startup all user and system applications at once, or one or more specific ones.



How to enable application autorun?

Some users need to add the application to startup. This can be done using a third-party tool “AutoStart - No root”. The simple functionality of this utility allows you to create a list of programs that start at a specified time interval when you start the Android operating system.



That's all. In this way, you can autoload any application.

The Android platform, like other operating systems, begins to work slower after a certain time. On expensive premium devices, the decrease in performance is practically not felt, because they have a powerful processor and more than enough RAM. But not everyone can afford such gadgets, so for many this problem is more relevant than ever.

There can be many reasons for decreased performance, but the most likely and common one is usually only one - the work of third-party programs in the background. That is, such applications run automatically when the system starts and load the processor and RAM, thereby directly affecting the speed of the device.

The only effective option in this case is to disable autostart of applications on Android and work without lags or slowdowns. But not everything in this matter is as simple as it seems at first glance, and the platform and program developers often throw up problems.

Should I disable autorun applications?

If you install a dozen programs on the platform every day, then, in principle, there should be no problems here. Because the platform itself must, so to speak, fight for RAM. That is, if the gadget’s performance begins to decline, the system automatically closes unused applications to stabilize the OS.

You can disable auto-starting programs in Android manually, but these will be counterproductive measures, and in some cases they are simply not necessary. But it also happens that some program does not want to be closed, even through the efforts of the platform itself. As a result, the processor is overloaded, the RAM is cluttered, and performance along with the battery charge tends to zero.

Features of the procedure

But you shouldn’t disable autorun of applications on Android for everyone. There are also necessary exceptions, such as official applications from Google and some working anti-virus programs. Of course, the Android platform has good foolproof protection, and if you unknowingly try to stop system or really important processes, the system will warn you, and very persistently.

But the sad truth is that a good half of the programs downloaded from the Internet (usually gaming and illegal) settle in autorun and prevent the operating system from working normally. And, as mentioned above, the only option is to simply disable automatic launch of applications on Android. This is exactly what we will try to do, since there are enough tools to solve this problem.

So, let’s figure out how to disable autorun applications on Android and do it as painlessly as possible for both the platform itself and the user. Let's consider the main options for solving the problem and the features of different OS versions.

Disabling autorun on Android 4.x.x

Before you disable autostart programs in Android, you need to find out which applications are consuming (and whether they are consuming at all) operating system resources. To do this, you need to go to the gadget settings and open the “Applications” or “Application Manager” section.

It’s worth mentioning right away that disabling autorun of unnecessary processes in Android 4.2.2 using local means is only a temporary solution, and to make fundamental changes you will need third-party software.

Process Features

Next, you need to find the “Running” tab and familiarize yourself with it. You shouldn’t touch Google’s Play Market email clients and programs with a specific Android icon, but you need to take a closer look at the rest. The amount of RAM used is displayed next to each application. Based on this indicator, one can determine the gluttony of the software. To disable it, you need to select the unwanted application and tap on “Force Stop”, and then answer “Yes” or “Ok”.

If some suspicious utility is running, then it is also better to disable it. Autostart of applications on Android will start after each reboot of the gadget, so the procedure will have to be repeated again and again. But there is no need to restart the operating room often, so this temporary solution suits many people quite well. As mentioned above, it will be possible to remove startup programs in Android only with the help of third-party task managers.

Disabling autorun on Android 6.x.x

With Marshmallow firmware, everything is not so simple. It’s not clear why, but the developers included the ability to disable autorun of applications on Android 6.0.1 and in versions higher, as they say, to hell with it. In principle, the new Android is very good in terms of optimization, flexibility of user settings and visual component. But the system functionality is hidden very well.

Before you disable autorun applications on Android 6.x.x, you need to enable developer mode. In the menu, go to “Settings”, then “Device information”, and then you need to click several times on the “Build number” item. After this, the developer mode is activated and special functionality is available.

Features of the procedure

After this, you need to go to “Settings” again, and the “Developer Options” item will appear there. Click on it and select the “Running services” section. Here, by analogy with previous generations of the Android OS, there is a list of active applications. You can view the total running time of programs, the disk space they occupy, and the amount of RAM.

To disable the process, you need to tap on the active application and select “Turn off”. After which the program should close. But this procedure, again, is a temporary solution to problems, and after a reboot everything will be the same. You can completely get rid of an application in startup by simply deleting it or using specialized third-party utilities. We will consider the most intelligent representatives of the latter below.

Greenify

This is one of the most popular utilities for managing the startup of your mobile gadget. The software can be used with or without administrator rights (root). In the first case, the application will disappear from startup once and for all, and in the second, you will have to make a couple of clicks after rebooting the gadget.

After installation, the utility will leave its widget on the desktop. By clicking on it, you will go to the working area of ​​the program. To exclude unnecessary applications from the startup list, just click on the plus at the bottom of the screen and add the problematic program to the list of prohibited ones. With root rights, once is enough, but without them you will have to open Greenify and confirm previously performed actions.

The program interface is simple, understandable, and even a novice in this matter can handle it, not to mention experienced users. The product is distributed under a free license, but there is also a paid version with extended functionality. The latter will be useful to advanced users, but ordinary modifications will be enough for ordinary users.

Autostarts

This application allows you to gain complete control over startup. Using the utility without receiving administrator rights is pointless, because the programs will be back in their places every time you reboot.

The software carefully and with due meticulousness puts everything on the shelves. In the menu you can configure what will be launched before, during and after loading the operating system. All processes are deciphered in as much detail as possible, which makes it possible to determine their interference with the platform with byte accuracy.

The interface is simple and the tools are intuitive. In addition, the application is completely Russified, so no problems should arise. Here in the menu you can free up memory on internal and external drives, as well as play with the battery consumption settings. The last point allows you to disable a good half of the system processes when the charge is low and return them when the charge is high. Thresholds are easily adjusted in percentages.

The product has both paid and free modifications, but, as in the case of Greenify, the first is completely unnecessary for ordinary users.

Read how to remove applications from startup on Android devices. Why do you need to do this, how does it help optimize and speed up the operation of phones.

The Android operating system is full of surprises. When buying a new smartphone, you may encounter extremely slow software. This may be due to the large number of applications that are in startup. In this article we will talk about how to correct the situation. And for novice users, we will tell you what the startup section is and why it is needed.

Any operating system consists of a large amount of software. Some applications are launched at the user's command, but many of them start along with the operating system itself. That is, they are in the so-called “autoload”. Moreover, over time, additional programs are added there, downloaded from Google Play. This is done for several reasons. Let’s say messengers need constant work to receive messages in a timely manner. Well, some programs are included in startup so that their launch does not take much time. Let's look at some popular examples:

• Calculator - used relatively rarely, so it should not be in startup.
• WhatsApp - this messenger works in constant mode, it must start along with the operating system.
• Gallery - here everything depends on the user’s desires. This application does not have to be in startup, but staying in this section will speed up the launch of the program when it is still needed.

Do not forget that the more applications are in startup, the more RAM is consumed. Owners of Android-based smartphones with at least 4 GB of RAM do not need to read our article. The rest should familiarize themselves with the information presented - freeing up RAM will lead to some acceleration of the device.

If on a computer you only need to enter the word “Startup” in the search bar of the Start menu to get to the corresponding section, then in the case of Android everything is a little more complicated. The fact is that the “green robot” by default gives us only user rights, not administrator rights. In this regard, you can guess as much as you like where Android startup is hiding - this section will remain inaccessible. But this does not mean that we have absolutely no ability to remove this or that application from startup.

How to remove an application from startup?

Many users believe that it is enough to regularly use one or another optimizer - for example, CCleaner. But in fact, such programs free up RAM only partially - they are not capable of managing Android startup, which means closed programs will soon start again. Unfortunately, this means that the task becomes more complicated - you will have to work manually. That is, you will have to go to a special section where you need to go through all the programs that you want to remove from startup.

If you do not have root rights, you have only one option - the so-called disabling applications. In some versions of the operating system, this is also called stopping the program. To do this, do the following:

1. Go to the "Settings" section. To do this, click on the corresponding icon in the menu or notification panel.
2. Go to the “Applications” subsection. It may also be called "Application Manager" or something similar.
3. Here you will see a list of programs installed on your smartphone. Click on the application you would like to stop.
4. In the menu that opens, click on the “Stop”, “Stop” or “Disable” button.

That's all, now this program will not load with the operating system. But from now on you won’t find it on the menu either. Do you want to turn it on again? Then you will have to go to the same section, now going to the “Stopped” tab (to do this, you need to swipe once or twice with your finger from right to left).

The authors of SmartBobr recommend disabling the Facebook client in this way if you do not use this social network, and the pre-installed application cannot be removed from your smartphone. You'll be surprised at how much longer your battery life will be after this. The fact is that this program collects large amounts of data about the user, which affects energy consumption.

What to do if you are not allowed to disable applications?

It is quite possible that the “Stop” button is inactive. That is, it cannot be pressed. This may be due to several reasons:

• The application is a system application, and you do not have root rights to close it. It is not recommended to disable such processes, as this can lead to unstable operation of the operating system and even complete shutdown of the device.
• Android blocks the ability to stop applications due to your lack of developer rights - this happens in some versions of the operating system.
• The virus program disguised itself as a system process, thus blocking the possibility of stopping it.

The last two problems can usually be solved not only by obtaining root rights, which is labor-intensive and not available to owners of all smartphones, but also by activating developer rights. After enabling this mode, some hidden Android functions become available. In particular, the above-mentioned program menu will indicate how much energy it consumes, what auxiliary processes are used, and everything in the same spirit. To activate developer mode, do the following:

1. Visit the “Settings” section by clicking on the corresponding icon, usually made in the form of a gear.
2. Go to the “Phone Information” subsection. It may also be called “Device Information”, this is most relevant for tablet computers.
3. Next, you should quickly click on the “Build Number” item several times.
4. Wait for the message “You are now a developer” or something like that to appear on the screen. After this, return to the main Settings menu.
5. Almost at the very bottom you should see a new subsection. It may be called "Developer Options" or "Developer Settings".

That's it. In this subsection you can find the “Running Applications” item. In fact, this is the same link that leads to the “Application Manager”. Only now will you be able to see absolutely all the programs that are currently running, including many system processes. All that remains is to click on the unwanted application, and then tap on the “Stop” button. If even in this case it remains inactive, this means that the system considers closing this process unacceptable. Of course, if you have root rights, you can close such an application. But, we repeat, we do not advise you to do this.

If you are the proud owner of a smartphone or tablet with root access, then special applications have been developed for you that allow you to work with the startup section. However, it is impossible to advise anything specific in this case. The fact is that everything here depends on the implementation of a specific version of the operating system. Some utilities work with some of them, with others - with others, with others - with others. Still, we will advise you several options.

The program works great on some popular smartphone models. It provides extensive functionality associated with deep settings of the operating system. The application also includes a startup manager.

Also, if you have root rights, you can try installing BootManager. It is a startup module that runs in the Xposed Framework. This means that you will first need to install the Xposed Installer program, which can be found either on the developer’s website or on the w3bsit3-dns.com forum. After installation, you need to go into the program and click on the “Download” item. Here you can easily find the BootManager module, then download and install it on your device.

BootManager provides absolutely complete control over the startup of applications and services. Including this startup manager for Android can almost kill a smartphone, because if you have root rights, it will not be difficult to disable system processes that are extremely important for the functioning of Android. So be careful! Do not remove from startup those programs whose purpose you do not know anything about.

By the way, don’t forget to use the Internet! If you see some strange process in startup, but its name doesn’t mean anything to you, then try entering it into Google or Yandex. It is possible that the search engine will help you by revealing the purpose of the process.

We can recommend to owners of “rooted devices” another startup program for Android. It's called Autostarts. Unlike the analogues discussed above, it can be downloaded from Google Play, which is very convenient. However, the utility is paid - you will have to spend approximately 61 rubles to purchase it. Its other drawback is its ascetic interface - greetings from the distant past. But this is unlikely to scare you if you have reached almost the end of our article about autoloading on Android.

The program allows you to control which applications and services will be loaded simultaneously with the operating system. But its functionality does not end there. Additionally, the utility offers to control events that cause the launch of certain processes. In short, this is a good choice for those who love to conduct various experiments with their device.

Conclusion

Perhaps this is where our story about autoloading on Android can end. We tried to mention all the easiest ways to eliminate certain applications from startup so that they do not consume a certain amount of RAM.