[jitspoe]

Hey,

I'm pretty new to Windows Phones and recently got the Lumia 1020. There's something that's been testing my sanity, and it's either something I alone am doing, or I'm not typing in the right search words to find out what the issue is:

Do Windows Phones "randomly" shut down background applications?

For example, I'll be reading an article online, or typing an email, or playing a game, then go off and do something else, and I can always get back to where I was, but it seems, sometimes, I'll forget, then, like a day later, be like, "Oh, yeah, I need to finish and send that email", and ... it's just GONE. I hold the back button, and only a few things are left open in the background, none of which are my partially completed email/game/whatever.

Is there some kind of time limit for how long an application will stay open? Am I somehow inadvertently closing a bunch of background apps? How do I stop this from happening?

[jitspoe]

Wow, so it looks like I got my answer immediately after posting this. I just happened to set my phone out on my desk and watched as the thing completely rebooted on its own. I guess it's not randomly closing background applications. It's randomly rebooting and acting like nothing happened! Is it defective? Should I try to get it replaced? I got it from Best Buy in December. I'm not sure how long the warranty is good for.

[MilkyTee]

You're definitely still under warranty. If Best Buy won't honour it, Nokia will look after you.

To partially answer you question though, background tasks WILL terminate if there's too many tombstoned. I think the limit is 8 or 9 windows.
And yes, your phone sounds like it's defective.

[jitspoe]

Thanks for the reply. Is there a way to increase that limit?

Also, it seems my phone has a habit of completely shutting off when the battery indicator thinks there's still about 50% of the charge left, so I guess I'll be looking at a replacement. Maybe the random reboots are a result of a faulty battery or battery charge sensor.

[MilkyTee]

Thanks for the reply. Is there a way to increase that limit?

Also, it seems my phone has a habit of completely shutting off when the battery indicator thinks there's still about 50% of the charge left, so I guess I'll be looking at a replacement. Maybe the random reboots are a result of a faulty battery or battery charge sensor.

No, unfortunately not. I think the amount of background tasks can vary, but it floats around 7 to 9. The newer iPhones can do 20+.
I'd certainly look at getting a replacement anyway buddy, that's not normal behaviour.