Do apps "time out" and close on their own?

Oddest thing... I've noticed that my background apps will sometimes randomly close on their own.

Example being maybe I'll have open Messages, Browser, BlackBird, Lemma, Pictures, Evernote. I walk away for 30 minutes, and when I come back only Browser and Lemma might be open still. Or some other random combination of apps. There's no real pattern that I can find, it's not like it's certain apps that always close or always stay open. Even built-in apps like Messages will close.

But they don't crash or anything, it doesn't happen to apps I'm actually using in the foreground. Just apps sitting dormant in the background.

I've naturally tried restarting, etc.

Just wondering if there's some sort of "memory cleanup" process the PB runs which shuts down apps which haven't been used in awhile??

You have it - the PB can close apps as part of its Housekeeping. It usually happens if memory runs low. But it usually happens when you are using it and something takes more memory than it has. But I GUESS it could happen, say, if a Message or other app tries issuing a Notification (new mail or Calendar event) and there's insufficient memory - it might close/kill another process. In my experience it does not happen as much as it use to, now that the Android Player opens separate windows for apps.

Let's see what others think.

I have just recently started experiencing this. I was wondering if it could have anything to do with a new app Stereo Tube Music (which I use constantly now). Did you happen to just download it?

Originally Posted by Techno-Emigre

I have just recently started experiencing this. I was wondering if it could have anything to do with a new app Stereo Tube Music (which I use constantly now). Did you happen to just download it?

Nope, don't have that app. I don't have many apps actually. I've tried to narrow it down to a particular app (memory leak maybe?), but haven't found a culprit or pattern. It's not always one app that closes either, sometimes I'll come back to find that only 2 apps are running when 6 were up when I left. Sometimes only one closes. It's weird.

One concern is I can't rely on the PlayBook as an alarm clock because of this, as I can't trust that it will stay running. I have my phone of course, but still that's kinda ashame. Though maybe foreground apps never close? I dunno... I hate not knowing the logic behind it.

Nice to know it's Not Just Me... sorta, lol ;)

If you left the browser open, with Youtube or something like that in it. I could well imagine it would gradually suck up memory and force closed some of the other apps as a result.

It's also possible that a given app could choose to exit on its own, after a time period, but I don't believe any do. It would be a feature the developer chose to implement.

This is standard behaviour for the latest version of BlackBerry Tablet OS (2.1.0.1088). The memory manager automatically performs some housekeeping and if available memory reaches a critical point some applications will be terminated. How the memory manager decides which applications to terminate after waking up from stand-by mode for instance is not clear - perhaps least recently used?

Originally Posted by katesbb

One concern is I can't rely on the PlayBook as an alarm clock because of this, as I can't trust that it will stay running. I have my phone of course, but still that's kinda ashame. Though maybe foreground apps never close? I dunno... I hate not knowing the logic behind it.

If you only have the alarm clock application and a music streaming application running at bedtime you should not worry about the alarm clock application shutting down. I regularly have the web browser with multiple tabs open and Battery Guru running and even after waking up from stand-by mode both applications are still running. When I have music streaming via Internet radio in a web browser on the tablet it plays all night and the other applications such as Battery Guru and BlackBerry Bridge mode email are unaffected. Memory management for the BlackBerry Tablet OS is a black box.

Originally Posted by katesbb

Nope, don't have that app. I don't have many apps actually. I've tried to narrow it down to a particular app (memory leak maybe?), but haven't found a culprit or pattern. It's not always one app that closes either, sometimes I'll come back to find that only 2 apps are running when 6 were up when I left. Sometimes only one closes. It's weird.

One concern is I can't rely on the PlayBook as an alarm clock because of this, as I can't trust that it will stay running. I have my phone of course, but still that's kinda ashame. Though maybe foreground apps never close? I dunno... I hate not knowing the logic behind it.

Nice to know it's Not Just Me... sorta, lol ;)

I don't know if the "ALARM" attached to the Time/Date would be affected by closing apps since it is the inherent clock for the PB. Some folks don't know it exists - tap the Time in the Top Center of the Desktop and you get a Calendar and can set a recurring Alarm.