Regression in GrapheneOS? Apps are aggressively killed by OS in the background

vodka

GrapheneOS Turn off developer options if it's enabled, and figure out which apps are causing the issue by exhausting memory or whatever else is happening.

Developer options are off.

I posted a video of typical behavior above: https://i.imgur.com/vxlpmN0.mp4
Stuff like this happens all the time on my 9a with GrapheneOS, I've tried with the same apps in the same configuration on stock OS and it does not happen.
I've reinstalled GrapheneOS on my 9a and tested this on a completely clean install, installed a couple apps, and switching between them will kill the 3rd or 4th app when switching between them. Reinstalling the stock OS and testing the same apps, and it does not happen.

GrapheneOS It would happen on the stock OS if you had it set up similarly to GrapheneOS. It's due to your configuration, not GrapheneOS. GrapheneOS does not manage this differently.

Well, it doesn't.

One bad example is Nextcloud, opening the app, signing in which opens a browser, switching to Aegis to get a 2fa code, switching back to browser, putting in the 2fa code, going back to nextcloud, nextcloud has been killed in the background. This happens both with secure app spawning enabled and not.
The same thing on stock os? No problem. Works just fine.

Tandara

vodka I'm pretty sure someone else already mentioned this: Hardened Memory Allocator is causing some apps to work in weird ways. Try disabling that for the affected apps.

ricky56789

vodka Did you end up getting this figured out? I had the exact same issue without changing any settings. Seems strange that apps and settings were being blamed and this definitely isn't the same on stock Android.

Turning off secure app spawning seems to be working for me so far...

DohnJoe

vodka One bad example is Nextcloud, opening the app, signing in which opens a browser, switching to Aegis to get a 2fa code, switching back to browser, putting in the 2fa code, going back to nextcloud, nextcloud has been killed in the background.

vodka It is still an issue making GOS borderline unusable on my Pixel 9a.

I happen to use the very same apps (Nextcloud, Vanadium and Aegis), and doing the very same procedure, I cannot reproduce this error.

Sometimes I lose my private tabs in Vanadium, but that is very rare (less than once per month I would say) and I think it's not related to your issue.

If it can helps, I have all the the hardening set up on these applications.
I also use a lot of PWA instead of the apps and I can still use them after a couple of app switches, so Vanadium seems to cope well with being in background.

I don't know if it is actually relevant or not, I only use Main Profile and Private Space.
I installed a work profile just recently for test purposes and it didn't engraved the situation for me.

Maybe you want to check if these things are the same for you?

Tandara

ricky56789 There is no point in comparing to Stock Pixel OS. GOS is based on AOSP and Pixel OS adds proprietary optimizations on top of AOSP. If anything, we should be blaming Google for not shipping them to AOSP.

vodka

ricky56789
It is still an issue making GOS borderline unusable on my Pixel 9a.

It's relatively fine on my Pixel 10 Pro Fold, still MUCH worse than stock PixelOS.
I'm guessing the only reason it's not infuriatingly bad on the 10 Fold is because it has sufficient ram to not make whatever is so much more aggressive on GOS make it bad. It's still definitely an issue still though, but at least I can switch between 3 apps without one of them dying, most of the time.

GrapheneOS

ricky56789 It's not an issue for most GrapheneOS users. Why is it that it's an issue for you but not most of our users if not your specific setup?

GrapheneOS

Tandara No, there aren't proprietary optimizations for these things in the stock Pixel OS which aren't present in GrapheneOS.

GrapheneOS

vodka It's not an issue for the vast majority of our userbase. There's something wrong with your install.

vodka

GrapheneOS It's not an issue for the vast majority of our userbase. There's something wrong with your install.

It's weird that it would be an issue with my install when I can do a complete fresh reinstall of the OS and still replicate it, on 3 different devices.

DohnJoe I happen to use the very same apps (Nextcloud, Vanadium and Aegis), and doing the very same procedure, I cannot reproduce this error.

I use IronFox and not Vanadium, and I can reproduce it most of the time even on a fresh install, though sometimes it does not happen. I only use a main profile.
I'd say about 3/4 times it does happen and the first of 3 apps is killed by the time I go back to it.

I've also tested other things, for example I tested running Stardew Valley (a game) and leaving it running while letting the phone idle with display off for an hour. (tested multiple times, fresh installs of both OS)
Pixel 7 Pro with GOS: Game killed, has to start back up
Pixel 7 Pro with PixelOS: Game still idling in the background, resumes instantly
Pixel 9A with GOS: Game killed
Pixel 9A with PixelOS: Game still idling in the background, resumes instantly

Johnnyloans

DohnJoe

What phone do you have if I may ask?

DohnJoe

Johnnyloans

Nice try NSA! 👀

A Pixel 6 that I started to use as remote camera after its retirment and a Pixel 8 pro.
Chose it for hdmi specifically.

Johnnyloans

DohnJoe

haha, thanks

DohnJoe

vodka I use IronFox and not Vanadium

I mean, why not trying a different browser?
Vanadium is shipped with the OS, I would say it's the "most compatible"?

vodka I'd say about 3/4 times it does happen

I get the frustration, did you try with temporary removing battery optimization?
After all the login is a thing you do once only, after that you can reintroduce battery optimization.

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