How to disable multitasking in iOS 5 for iPad?

[mtheory#IM]

Hello guys,

I'm currently running a perfectly stable iOS 4.3.3 on my original iPad with disabled multitasking, - it's fast, stable and the battery is just great. I really see no need to tinker with it anymore, except that my MobileMe account expires soon and I will have to update to iOS 5 whether I like it or not.

My question is simple, - is there a way to disable multitasking in iOS 5? And what is the performance ( stability + battery ) of your iPad with iOS 5? Does it match 4.3.3 or am I going to have to say hello to crashes and bad battery life?

Really wish I could just stay on 4.3.3...sigh

thanks!

mtheory

 

[sting7k]

Apps do not run in the background. The app switcher is showing recently used apps, none of those apps are actively running. They are in suspended state.

 

[furygoalbrtis39]

Apps do not run in the background. The app switcher is showing recently used apps, none of those apps are actively running. They are in suspended state.

Yeah the multitasking is very misconstrued, people think it shows apps that are open, when it actually shows recently used apps. With exceptions to apps like Pandora

 

[mtheory#IM]

I respect your opinions, guys, but I can assure you than when I enable multitasking on my iPad it becomes x2 slower and less stable, - I wouldn't cripple my iPad's functionality unless I saw a huge difference, which I did. So is it possible to disable multitasking in iOS 5?

 

[Tanbam]

You might try giving backgrounder a try. If I remember, you can set a global close everything main profile, then add exceptions for apps that you want to run in the background.

I also agree with the OP, but I also understand the other replies. True, the apps may not actually consuming CPU cycles, but with the low-RAM devices like the original iPad, preventing apps from suspending and "wasting" precious resources makes a huge difference. The thing can get pretty sluggish when the OS is trying to decide which apps to unload.

I remember back in the 3.x days with my first iPad when you could also manually configure a swap file and offload a lot of stuff from RAM onto the storage memory. It was really nice when you could open eight tabs in Safari and switch between them without every other page having to reload.

Dealing with ever-worsening RAM issues is what finally made me upgrade to an iPad 2. It made a world of difference, enough so that I never really worry about multitasking now.

 

[sting7k]

I respect your opinions, guys, but I can assure you than when I enable multitasking on my iPad it becomes x2 slower and less stable, - I wouldn't cripple my iPad's functionality unless I saw a huge difference, which I did. So is it possible to disable multitasking in iOS 5?

You can't disable something that isn't happening, so maybe you should explain what you have done. Maybe you could find a JB thing that purges apps in suspended state from the RAM at a regular interval or something. But IMO iOS 5 does a better job of that than iOS 4 to keep things running smoothly.

How did you "disable multitasking" on iOS 4? Jailbreak apps/tweaks? You could ask in the jailbreak sections as maybe someone else has done what you are trying to do.

 

[Arelunde]

The ability to switch back and forth between apps at a touch is a great advantage. Why would you want it disabled? The apps that show up aren't active - they are available at a touch. If your iPad2 is slowing down, maybe you should do a hard reset, close open Safari pages, and pay attention to which and how many apps you have in the task bar.

 

[mtheory#IM]

@sting7k: I disabled it by editing "/System/Library/CoreServices/Springboard.app/NXXAP.plist" to

<key>multitasking</key>
</false>​

My apps stopped crashing immediately and performance ( launch, use of heavy apps ) doubled.

But the only reason I'm considering upgrading to iOS 5 is to continue using my .me email, which will be automatically converted to iCloud in a few months. But what happens to my email if I don't upgrade? Does it get stuck in limbo or can I still use my iCloud Mail in iOS4.3.3, but without any iCloud features? Any ideas?

 

[doublebullout]

The OP is correct, semantics aside. The iPad 1 does not handle "app switching" or "multitasking" (whatever you wish to call it) as well as the iPad 2 because the iPad 1 has half the RAM. It does make a difference; I wish I could disable this feature in iOS 5 as well. Manually clearing the "recent apps list" is necessary when my iPad starts to run sluggishly or when apps repeatedly crash on loading. It doesn't matter whether the apps are really running, just in hibernation, only dehydrated or actually in a saved state. The problem is real, and clearing the list fixes it. The iPad 2 doesn't have this issue.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Arelunde]

Thanks for the explanation - I hadn't realized the difference in iPad1 & 2 capabilities. It will be interesting to see what comes with the iPad3 - or whatever it will be called.