Autorun Manager - Prevent Automatic Startups

Features & Use

As most Android users will tell you, it’s usually a good idea to prevent unwanted apps from starting up automatically in the background without your knowledge. But that doesn’t mean that you should strive to kill all auto-starts because a few apps may be actually vital and essential to your phone. The Android autostart and the Windows taskbar are not the same thing – a common misconception among Android newbies. Apps can create so-called event listeners (also know as intents) that are there to track certain activity (e.g. incoming calls, internet connections, start up etc.) and are part of the installation package. These intents are necessary for your phone to ring for incoming calls or to receive text messages without having to start up your messenger. These kinds of processes are integral to your phone and must not be killed.

While there may be certain important automatic start ups, there’s also a lot of rubbish that autostarts and saps your precious battery life. More often than not it’s the app’s developers that include an autostart feature in the installation package without you ever noticing it. That’s why Facebook, for example, starts up every time I turn on my off even if I’m not actually using it.

There are two possibilities for getting rid of these unwanted apps: you either delete the embedded event listener (requires root permission) or you simply close the app after it starts up (no root needed). There are some apps available for both options: AutoStarts for the former and Startup Auditor for the latter.

With Autorun Manager you can kill two birds with one stone because it works both ways and even outperforms its competitors!

Without Root (Basic Mode)

Here you can disable multiple apps right after start up. This doesn’t display all the intents, but only the ones that say boot completed. In regular English, this means that only apps that start up directly after booting are shown. In addition, you have the option of configuring the app to recognize automatic restarts and automatically kill the app when this occurs. With most other apps of this kind, automatically killing the apps leads to an endless cycle of start-kill-start-kill that is both frustrating and very bad for your battery life. Thankfully, Autorun Manager can determine when this type of vicious cycle happens and mark an app as such. This way you’ll know to avoid disabling that app.

With Root (Advanced Mode)

This allows you to deactivate intents yourself. Turning off the intents means that the app won’t start up in the first place. This gets rid of all your problems altogether. It’s not al fun and game, though, so please keep one thing in mind: make sure to undo any changes made by Autorun Manager before uninstalling it. Otherwise these changes will be permanent and you will no longer be able to reverse them even if you reinstall Autorun Manager. Fortunately, the app lists all changes in the settings under Advanced Mode.

Another big plus: unlike other apps, you can restore everything back to its original clicks in just three clicks Advanced tab -> Menu Button -> Restore Everything. Done!

Bottom Line:

Autorun Manager is unbeatable in its category. The app includes everything you could ever ask for. Without a doubt the best autostart killer on the market.
 

Screen & Controls

Despite being such a complex app, Autorun Manager is surprisingly easy to use. You don’t need to be an Android guru to figure out the ins and outs of this app. The default settings are set up to protect from damages by other people using your phone. All the system apps are hidden you have to turn on the Advanced Mode yourself in the settings.

Bottom Line: Great intuitive controls and efficient layout. 
 

Speed & Stability

Awesome performance in terms of speed and reliability as well. Not only does Autorun Manager run smoothly, but it scans all your intents in record time. Crashes? None whatsoever.

Price/Performance Ratio

Autorun Manager can be downloaded for free from the AndroidPIT App Center.