Mango’s multitasking uncovered and hands on!

July 6, 2011 | By andrewbares

While you may already be using the Mango beta on your phone (officially or unofficially), none of the apps are taking advantage of Mango’s new multitasking yet. However, it’s pretty easy for an app to be updated to Mango’s 7.1 multitasking goodness! All a developer has to do is go into his app’s project settings in Visual Studio and change the target platform to Windows Phone 7.1 instead of 7.0.

This small switch changes everything. Once an app is upconverted or written specifically for 7.1, it instantly resumes and doesn’t even need any extra tombstoning code! If you are a developer, you might have already noticed this when you deployed some of your new apps to your phone. However, if you’re an end user, enjoy the video above showing off how this all works!

I created one random app targeted for 7.1, and the same app targeted for 7.0, and the difference is incredible. When you go back to the 7.1 version, it feels as if the app is integrated with the operating system since it literally resumes instantly. This even works for games, which can be seen in the video when I took a marble maze sample code and quickly upconverted it to 7.1. Before, when the game was for 7.0, it wouldn’t resume to where you were before (since there was no tombstoning code in it), but after switching the app’s project settings to 7.1, it would resume instantly and right to where you were before!

You’ll be able to have up to 5 apps open and “multitasking”, and once you open a new application, the last app will be bumped off your multitasking list. That’s probably a perfect number for everyone, and will definitely help keep the operating system running smoothly. Pair this with background music streaming and you’ve finally got a great user experience!

The end users with the Mango beta won’t be able to experience this until Microsoft starts allowing 7.1 applications in the Marketplace, so don’t get your hopes up just yet. However, if you’re a developer, you can sure have some fun deploying applications written for 7.1 and feel how smooth the resuming is!

About Andrew Bares

As an avid gamer, I see the Windows Phone as a solid platform for mobile gaming. I will review almost every WP7 game and give you an idea if it is worth your money or not! In addition to gaming, I have been using Windows Mobile since 2005, and understand just about everything there is to know about the Windows Phone platform. Xbox Gamertag: DirtSurfer07 (add me!)

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Tagged beta, mango, multitasking

http://twitter.com/dgkanatsios Dimitris Gkanatsios

One mistake here is that you still need tombstoning. 5 apps yes, but if you open up new ones those 5 will eventually tombstone.

Lulz

Yes indeed. So I don’t get it … will you be able to give certain apps a “protected” status or whatever so prevent them from falling into the tombstoning category.

On a related topic, how does WP7 handle apps when the memory is running low. Will it force close and can you protect apps from being force closed?

http://www.searingarrow.com AlienSix

Ironically your last question is answered at the end of this video xD

http://wmpoweruser.com/a-geek-dive-into-windows-phone-7-5/
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

No, you cannot protect apps.

http://twitter.com/arnehelseth Arne Helseth

Is 5 actually a hardcoded number? I’ve had 6 or 7 listed before, so I’m thinking it’s determined by RAM usage rather than a hardcoded number of apps. Either that, or there’s a bug in Mango which will keep certain apps loaded for longer.

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

Did you have any IE9 tabs open? I think IE tabs don’t count as separate app (even though they are shown separately).

Geoffrey

Messaging & Emails as well I believe.

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

Do you also count Start/Tiles screen? Because it does not count towards the limit.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Eh, they never tombstoned when I tried it. I just opened my test app, and then opened Angry Birds and Doodle Jump, and my test app still instantly resumed. And if you opened up more than 5 apps, the ones at the end wouldn’t tombstone, they would just disappear and you wouldn’t be able to resume to them.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Eh, they never tombstoned when I tried it. I just opened my test app, and then opened Angry Birds and Doodle Jump, and my test app still instantly resumed. And if you opened up more than 5 apps, the ones at the end wouldn’t tombstone, they would just disappear and you wouldn’t be able to resume to them.

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

Basically the apps are tombstoned after they go past that 5 apps range.

Also, for many complex apps support of multi-tasking is a bit more complex than just recompiling – for example they need to restart HTTP requests, reopen sockets and so on.

Anonymous

Awesome video with the shirtless pic and texts about blazing

Noyb

Thatz what I thought too! Naked dude and text messages about smokin pot. Thatz hilarious! lol

Ben Chia

wow… very nice.
was wondering how come the magic number isn’t 7 though.. it would have tally with the wp7 theme.
GP007

5 seems to be a good number though one thing that would help is if we can close apps from within the task-switching UI so we can make sure that that one app stays in there.

http://www.facebook.com/lukas.graefe Lukas Gräfe

Would be a nice addition, however you can close an app: You just have to go to that app and press back multiple times until it closes

Anonymous

I love your experiments!!
http://profiles.google.com/todor.kainy Todor Tsvetkov

I wanted to ask…. how are the scrolling in Mango? I recall that MS said that the scrolling on all apps will be smooth with the Mango update without any need of new codes? Does this “feature”appears in this build of Mango or not … there is nobody speaking of this =

http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

It’s there and it works very well.
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

It’s there and it works very well.

http://profiles.google.com/todor.kainy Todor Tsvetkov

Thanks! But someone must make a comparison =
http://profiles.google.com/todor.kainy Todor Tsvetkov

Thanks! But someone must make a comparison =

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

That could be arranged and could be my next article, thanks!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Just wrote an article comparing the scrolling in Mango to NoDo, it should be up on WMPowerUser soon. You can also check our WMPowerUser YouTube channel and watch the video comparing the scrolling right now if you want!

http://profiles.google.com/todor.kainy Todor Tsvetkov

Thanks! But someone must make a comparison =

Anonymous

Actually, that was my biggest complaint pre-Mango. The scrolling is 95% improved. Touch responds quickly and as you’d expect, even in 7.0 apps. There are a couple of apps that still have some scroll lag, but they are the exception to the new rule.

Mog0

One question is, is the app that is closed the longest running or the least recently used? I’m hoping the latter as it would be infuriating if you keep using an app for it to be closed in favour of one that you just used once.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

I’m not sure I understand your question but…

All of your last 5 used apps are all “running”, meaning that they’re frozen in your ram. However, if you don’t return to a few of those 5 apps and don’t touch them for like 3 minutes, they will “close” and tombstone.

The app you use frequently should definitely stay running vs an app you just opened once and then didnt return to.
http://www.facebook.com/lukas.graefe Lukas Gräfe

If you open a new app it will come to the front (right) of the open app list. If you open/revisit one that is already open it will jump to the front again. So apps you use frequently will stay open.

Xor

funny. I did the registry hack back in NoDo for the instant resuming, and it seems to be still there in Mango, since every app acts like your “test app”

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Yeah haha I think it really does the same thing.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Yeah haha I think it really does the same thing.
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

I think this is incorrect, because 7.0 apps do not expect to be frozen and thus can crash on resume (because when they are unfrozen things like network requests are cancelled and apps have no clue about that).

Iamkrzysiek

When we have already 5 apps opened, and want run another one there should be a way to select which app kill (tombstone ;p)

http://www.facebook.com/lukas.graefe Lukas Gräfe

You can close apps manually by going to that app and pressing back multiple times until you are out of it again

http://twitter.com/Chassit Kane Gao

My guess about multitasking in Mango is that there will be 4 levels of “multitasking”:

1. Microsoft presents. Things like IE9 and Outlook. True multitasking. Run in background fine. Do not count as the 5 precious slots.

2. “Live agent”. I don’t quite know what it is. My guess is that it’s the “core function” of certain kind of app that’s kept to run in the background when the rest of the app is shut down. Could be things like 3G data monitor, IM app, etc. The “Background” setting in Mango menu is for these kinds of apps. If you switch it off in the background settings then the app degrades to level 3 or level 4.

3. “Rapid recovery”, like what’s shown in this video. Once switched off, the app is “frozen” in the background. It doesn’t run. Switching back to the app happens instantly, and gets right where you left it. 5 slots (to save RAM).

4. Tombstones. We all know quite a lot about that.

Bash me as you will if I said anything obviously stupid…

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

1. IE9, email, the messaging hub, the people hub, and everything else counts as one of your 5 multitasking slots unfortunately.

Everything else you said is basically right!
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

1. I think they all count towards 5 slots, except tabs in IE9 which do not.
2. Live agent is a separate background process that is executed periodically on schedule to do some task (more frequently when phone is charging, less frequently on battery power, not at all when battery power is low). I think there is a limit of 18 live agents per phone (and they can be enabled/disabled/removed in apps settings and in system settings). A special case of live agent is a background audio live agent.
3. Correct.
4. Correct.

Anonymous

Very nice…. But still I cant get over the horrible background!!!!! It’s just so red, or blue or green or whatever… Can’t they make it more xbox or windows 7like…you know with the bubbles and what ever they do on windows 7….. I think this is what irritates me the most if I see the demos of the Mango features…..Anyone else or is it just me

http://www.facebook.com/lukas.graefe Lukas Gräfe

I quite like the design of WP7 and it’s plain colors, but your idea sounds interesting. Like this faded background images in the Zune desktop software.

Anonymous

exactly…they should use the Zune Desktop Background images if you play songs as a screen protection or option…. They should use the Bubbles background or something like that when you are multitasking. I mean they have a lot of good stuff…now it is time to bring it all together in one awsome phone!!!!!!!

Show Apple how it should be done
Anonymous

exactly…they should use the Zune Desktop Background images if you play songs as a screen protection or option…. They should use the Bubbles background or something like that when you are multitasking. I mean they have a lot of good stuff…now it is time to bring it all together in one awsome phone!!!!!!!

Show Apple how it should be done

Anonymous

Very nice…. But still I cant get over the horrible background!!!!! It’s just so red, or blue or green or whatever… Can’t they make it more xbox or windows 7like…you know with the bubbles and what ever they do on windows 7….. I think this is what irritates me the most if I see the demos of the Mango features…..Anyone else or is it just me
http://davidvkimball.weebly.com David V. Kimball

Legit!
http://davidvkimball.weebly.com David V. Kimball

Legit!
Mangoose

Isn’t NoDo 7.1 and Mango 7.5?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

Apparently the Mango SDK is considered 7.1, but the actual Mango release will be called 7.5
http://fxfp.com/ Alex F.

No, NoDo is 7.0, Mango is 7.5, and the SDK for Mango is 7.1 (I think it is going to be changed to 7.5 by the final release).

Andrew

Quick question….can you tell us the hardware you are using to demo this?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1300735256 Andrew Bares

T-Mobile HTC HD7