8 ms·

Maybe I'm just a corner case, but the "Spotlight, multitasking" section didn't address whether Apple has changed the refresh settings when multitasking between

by subdane 12y ago

Maybe I'm just a corner case, but the "Spotlight, multitasking" section didn't address whether Apple has changed the refresh settings when multitasking between apps. Not a day goes by that I don't switch between open apps (say, Mail and Safari) only to watch the browser content disappear under my fingers while it decides to hit the network and refresh the screen with the same content. This is especially frustrating when out of network/wifi range which happens frequently in NYC.

Sephiroth87 12y ago
That simply mean that the app was killed usually for memory reasons, you see the old content because the app shows you a screenshot that was taken before going in the background, and then starts again, thus refreshing
- EpicEng 12y ago
  Who cares why it happens? I've gone back and forth between iOS and Android over the years and it never happens to me on my Android devices. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses obviously, but this used to piss me off to no end on iOS.
  - sigzero 12y ago
    Did you file something with Apple? That is a genuine gripe.
  - scott_karana 12y ago
    It's kinda strange, honestly: 2011's state-of-the-art Android phones (Galaxy S2) had 1GB RAM, and yet Apple is still stuck on that maximum, while Android has long moved on to 2GB on flagships. Kind of a shame :(
    - positr0n 12y ago
      The Galaxy Note 3 has 3GB of RAM and that was released a year ago.
    - encoderer 12y ago
      And yet they continue to pack more power into a smaller package. So how do you explain it? Ram is cheap and small. Yes it uses power but not all that much and certainly it would be worth it for a more powerful device. The only logical explanation I can come to is... more RAM won't make a meaningful impact on the experience. More ram is the cure-all on a desktop but that's not apples-to-apples.
      - jayd16 12y ago
        >And yet they continue to pack more power into a smaller package. Well, not this time =p
        macwarlock 12y ago
        The A8 is fabbed using a new 20nm process, so part of the phone is more power in a smaller package.
      - EpicEng 12y ago
        >more RAM won't make a meaningful impact on the experience Except when it would, as in, the case we are discussing right now.
    - mwcampbell 12y ago
      Perhaps Apple can afford to keep iiOS devices at 1 GB of RAM and thus save battery life because iOS uses automatic reference counting rather than garbage collection, so applications' memory high watermarks stay lower. I imagine that's what Drew Crawford would argue, anyway (see http://sealedabstract.com/rants/why-mobile-web-apps-are-slow/ http://sealedabstract.com/rants/why-mobile-web-apps-are-slow...).
      - scott_karana 12y ago
        Why would they save any notable battery life? I was under the impression that RAM had only negligible differences in consumption per-module, and capacity per-module has increased dramatically. Besides, the main source of power usage is the screen.
        mwcampbell 12y ago
        Isn't RAM more of a factor for power consumption when in standby?
        scott_karana 12y ago
        I understand that additional RAM chips onboard would cause increased power consumption, but I am confused about why a chip with the same physical footprint and more storage would cause increased standby consumption. Does a DRAM refresh for a denser chip draw substantially more power, or something? (Legitimate question, I am obviously not an expert and I'd just love to learn more about this)
        mwcampbell 12y ago
        I'm no expert either. Honestly, I was just guessing. I observed that Apple was sticking with 1 GB of RAM for the third iPhone model in a row, and figured there must be a good reason. But maybe they're just being cheap because they think it doesn't matter.
  - jarin 12y ago
    iOS is a little more strict about how applications use memory. Apps need to expect to be terminated at any time and be able to suspend their state with a few seconds' notice. The reason is to give you better battery life and fewer issues caused by limited available memory.
    - gtg092x 12y ago
      That's not a reason, that's an excuse. The solution is that Apple implements a reliable pause and resume system so that its multitasking experience isn't inferior.
  - alsetmusic 12y ago
    > Who cares why it happens? People who are curious about system internals. Probably some of the people who read a site like HN. Even my dad likes to understand where these limitations originate and he's not a 'computer person' (though he is an engineer in another field).
    - EpicEng 12y ago
      I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. No one is going to do a 180 and say "oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it doesn't bother me anymore." It's still a PITA and there's no good reason for it anymore. I get great battery life on my M8 and don't have to deal with this stupid quirk.
      - enraged_camel 12y ago
        >>I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. Of course it matters. If you understand why, you can take steps to mitigate it or work around it. In this particular case, one workaround is to close unused programs and browser tabs every now and then to clear up memory so that the active tabs don't go through a forced-refresh. This is what I do on my 4S, and I haven't had to deal with the problem the OP describes in a long time despite being a "heavy" user.
        EpicEng 12y ago
        Right... or I could just use a phone which doesn't force me to micro-manage my memory usage. That's a workaround at best, not a solution. iOS has always been subpar in regards to multi-tasking.
        mwfunk 12y ago
        Good luck with that.
        12y ago
  - alsetmusic 12y ago
    > Who cares why it happens? People who are curious about system internals. Probably some of the people who read a site like HN. Even my dad likes to understand where these limitations originate and he's not a 'computer person' (though he is an engineer in another field).

by subdane 12y ago

Sephiroth87 12y ago

That simply mean that the app was killed usually for memory reasons, you see the old content because the app shows you a screenshot that was taken before going in the background, and then starts again, thus refreshing

EpicEng 12y ago
Who cares why it happens? I've gone back and forth between iOS and Android over the years and it never happens to me on my Android devices. Both platforms have their strengths and weaknesses obviously, but this used to piss me off to no end on iOS.
- sigzero 12y ago
  Did you file something with Apple? That is a genuine gripe.
- scott_karana 12y ago
  It's kinda strange, honestly: 2011's state-of-the-art Android phones (Galaxy S2) had 1GB RAM, and yet Apple is still stuck on that maximum, while Android has long moved on to 2GB on flagships. Kind of a shame :(
  - positr0n 12y ago
    The Galaxy Note 3 has 3GB of RAM and that was released a year ago.
  - encoderer 12y ago
    And yet they continue to pack more power into a smaller package. So how do you explain it? Ram is cheap and small. Yes it uses power but not all that much and certainly it would be worth it for a more powerful device. The only logical explanation I can come to is... more RAM won't make a meaningful impact on the experience. More ram is the cure-all on a desktop but that's not apples-to-apples.
    - jayd16 12y ago
      >And yet they continue to pack more power into a smaller package. Well, not this time =p
      - macwarlock 12y ago
        The A8 is fabbed using a new 20nm process, so part of the phone is more power in a smaller package.
    - EpicEng 12y ago
      >more RAM won't make a meaningful impact on the experience Except when it would, as in, the case we are discussing right now.
  - mwcampbell 12y ago
    Perhaps Apple can afford to keep iiOS devices at 1 GB of RAM and thus save battery life because iOS uses automatic reference counting rather than garbage collection, so applications' memory high watermarks stay lower. I imagine that's what Drew Crawford would argue, anyway (see http://sealedabstract.com/rants/why-mobile-web-apps-are-slow/ http://sealedabstract.com/rants/why-mobile-web-apps-are-slow...).
    - scott_karana 12y ago
      Why would they save any notable battery life? I was under the impression that RAM had only negligible differences in consumption per-module, and capacity per-module has increased dramatically. Besides, the main source of power usage is the screen.
      - mwcampbell 12y ago
        Isn't RAM more of a factor for power consumption when in standby?
        scott_karana 12y ago
        I understand that additional RAM chips onboard would cause increased power consumption, but I am confused about why a chip with the same physical footprint and more storage would cause increased standby consumption. Does a DRAM refresh for a denser chip draw substantially more power, or something? (Legitimate question, I am obviously not an expert and I'd just love to learn more about this)
        mwcampbell 12y ago
        I'm no expert either. Honestly, I was just guessing. I observed that Apple was sticking with 1 GB of RAM for the third iPhone model in a row, and figured there must be a good reason. But maybe they're just being cheap because they think it doesn't matter.
- jarin 12y ago
  iOS is a little more strict about how applications use memory. Apps need to expect to be terminated at any time and be able to suspend their state with a few seconds' notice. The reason is to give you better battery life and fewer issues caused by limited available memory.
  - gtg092x 12y ago
    That's not a reason, that's an excuse. The solution is that Apple implements a reliable pause and resume system so that its multitasking experience isn't inferior.
- alsetmusic 12y ago
  > Who cares why it happens? People who are curious about system internals. Probably some of the people who read a site like HN. Even my dad likes to understand where these limitations originate and he's not a 'computer person' (though he is an engineer in another field).
  - EpicEng 12y ago
    I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. No one is going to do a 180 and say "oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that. I guess it doesn't bother me anymore." It's still a PITA and there's no good reason for it anymore. I get great battery life on my M8 and don't have to deal with this stupid quirk.
    - enraged_camel 12y ago
      >>I think you missed the point. I like understanding the why as well, but it doesn't actually matter. Of course it matters. If you understand why, you can take steps to mitigate it or work around it. In this particular case, one workaround is to close unused programs and browser tabs every now and then to clear up memory so that the active tabs don't go through a forced-refresh. This is what I do on my 4S, and I haven't had to deal with the problem the OP describes in a long time despite being a "heavy" user.
      - EpicEng 12y ago
        Right... or I could just use a phone which doesn't force me to micro-manage my memory usage. That's a workaround at best, not a solution. iOS has always been subpar in regards to multi-tasking.
        mwfunk 12y ago
        Good luck with that.
        12y ago
- alsetmusic 12y ago
  > Who cares why it happens? People who are curious about system internals. Probably some of the people who read a site like HN. Even my dad likes to understand where these limitations originate and he's not a 'computer person' (though he is an engineer in another field).