Closing apps

[Alex Mason86]

How do I stop wp8.1 from closing apps when they go to back ground?

For example I was watching a video in mytube and I had to go do something. Came back 20 minutes later and where on my iPad I can just open the YT app and continue, on mytube it started over. Had to go find the video again and remember where I got up to.

The wpcentral app is the same. Wherever I come back to the app it starts over from scratch instead of resuming at the feature I was reading.

Even here maps is the same. I got at route ready and by the time i got to the car it'd gone and I had to start over.

This doesn't happen on ios. Why does it happen here? What am I doing wrong? Why do apps not save their state?

 

[Pete]

Long-press on the back button and you'll go to the task list. Swipe left and right to run through the recently used apps and tap the one you want to resume.

The app should open with the same screen as you had before.

 

[Alex Mason86]

Yeah I was kinda aware of that... I haven't managed to train myself in doing it that way round yet. I still default to the windows button. However, I am sure apps disappear even when you do try to operate the phone as intended. Been a few times where I've been hunting through that multitask screen to find the app I wanted has gone.

Besides, there is no home screen in that multi-task menu so how does one get back to the home screen without pressing the windows key which in turn kills the app?

Its taking me a long time to get used to this thing. In operation it just doesn't feel that natural or simple in some instances. I'd just like to hit the home button and have the app stay, just like Android, Just like iOS (There is no need to be different for the sake of it, good ideas are good ideas and they shouldn't be afraid of copying). I guess they do it to keep memory free and increase battery life, but I cant say I've noticed other platforms have much issue keeping apps in memory or even just saving state. The phones got 2Gb of ram and a quad core cpu and a 3400mAh battery for god sake! should be able to keep a whole bunch of apps open!

I see you have a surface 2... how do you find it? Sorely tempted by one. A tablet with the option of being able to do something useful in Excel!

 

[Pete]

Yes, the Windows Phone only keeps a few recently used apps in memory. I guess that it's done this way to prevent lag/performance issues. Personally, I've never really had a problem with it.

I've found that the Surface 2 to be excellent for my purposes as my go-to laptop (I've not touched my Levono ultrabook in months). It's superb with the Office 2012 suite and works perfectly with my Office 365 business subscription. The downsides for most people seems to be that you can't run regular Windows applications and that it's Windows 8. You do have a surprisingly large amount of control through - most of the time I entirely forget that it's "only" a tablet OS.

 

[Alex Mason86]

Thats a shame. Maybe in future releases they can really allow the more powerful hardware to keep more things "open". I really don't like coming back to something (even after a few days) and it not being there.

Re: The surface; Yes I get the feeling many people do not really understand the RT version of windows 8. It should be viewed purely as a tablet experience with the added bonus of some basic desktop functionality to give a more functional product.

Really they should have called it Windows Tablet 8.1, in that way it brings up connotations of Windows Phone which, in turn, would probably correct peoples expectations. As it stands they see "Windows 8" and they see that desktop mode and immediately think its just like Windows on their PC. They are then disappointed to find nothing will run. I think I may get one as a take-with personal device for work jaunts. A tablet for leisure but if I really need to I have a 90% functional office suit with which to do something if I need to.

 

[Will6371]

Yeah I was kinda aware of that... I haven't managed to train myself in doing it that way round yet. I still default to the windows button. However, I am sure apps disappear even when you do try to operate the phone as intended. Been a few times where I've been hunting through that multitask screen to find the app I wanted has gone.

Besides, there is no home screen in that multi-task menu so how does one get back to the home screen without pressing the windows key which in turn kills the app?

Its taking me a long time to get used to this thing. In operation it just doesn't feel that natural or simple in some instances. I'd just like to hit the home button and have the app stay, just like Android, Just like iOS (There is no need to be different for the sake of it, good ideas are good ideas and they shouldn't be afraid of copying). I guess they do it to keep memory free and increase battery life, but I cant say I've noticed other platforms have much issue keeping apps in memory or even just saving state. The phones got 2Gb of ram and a quad core cpu and a 3400mAh battery for god sake! should be able to keep a whole bunch of apps open!

I see you have a surface 2... how do you find it? Sorely tempted by one. A tablet with the option of being able to do something useful in Excel!

If your used to ios then windows will not feel as natural.

If you are looking at a video then just pause it and tap the windows key and it will go back to the home screen. Then if you want to go back to it then tap and hold the back button and it will bring up all the background screens.

I just tried on my 1520 and I had a couple of videos and 6 different screens in the background that opened exactly where I had left them and that was including here.

Works perfectly and I'm sure that if I was to go to ios now it would feel less natural to use.

I also have the Surface and they do work better as I have it set to just bring up the different tasks by swiping from the left side of the screen in

 

[Alex Mason86]

I will try that method then.

I know it will remain in the short term, what I am talking about is leaving say a YT video in myTube and then coming back say a day later to resume (its an odd habit I agree, but I do it often with web pages, pdf documents, podcasts etc, I can leave them for a week sometimes and come back and just continue like it was 5 minutes ago. I'm one of these that often gets distracted and will be occupied with other interesting things before coming back to finish).

I am not sure WP8 is going to keep an app in suspension for a week is it?

 

[Chris_Germany]

Windows key shouldn't kill the app!
That's the only thing you can do.
If deva don't use fast resume, you cant so anything

 

[Alex Mason86]

Windows key shouldn't kill the app!
That's the only thing you can do.
If deva don't use fast resume, you cant so anything

Ahh that will be it then. Can't say I am suprised. MS seem to be bending over backwards for Devs and in return they're dragging their heels. Some official apps that are great on other platforms are bobbins on WP! The app situation must hopefully change soon, MS really are doing things right, its the devs who are holding us up.