Epitome: César Salza/CNET en Español

How many services are running on your Android eleven device? Not apps, but services. What resources are those apps consuming and how long have they been running?

Do you know how to respond those questions? If yous're running Android x or newer, y'all can really admission the data to answer those questions. Why would you demand such information? Y'all might take constitute that your device is responding slowly. You lot could restart the telephone, but what if yous could set the trouble without resorting to that measure? You could track down the errant service and so restart it, thereby avoiding a full reboot.

How practice y'all do that? Let me evidence you.

Come across: Android xi: New features for business users (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

What you lot'll need

In order to view the running services, you'll need an Android device with at least version x of the platform.

How to enable Developer Options

The ability to view running processes in Android is establish in the Developer Options. In social club to do that, open the Settings app and locate Virtually Phone. In the About Phone department, locate Build Number (Effigy A).

Figure A

The Build Number of your device lists the appointment your version of Android was built.

Tap the Build Number entry seven times. You'll be warned when you go shut (Figure B).

Effigy B

Only four taps left until Developer Options is enabled on my Samsung Galaxy examination device.

With Developer Options enabled, you're now able to view the running services.

How to view the running services on your device

Go back to the Settings app and locate Programmer Options. For example, on the vanilla release of Android running on my Google Pixel 5, Developer Options is in Settings | Organization | Avant-garde. If it's non on your phone, you tin can always search settings for Developer Options. In one case you find Developer Options, tap the entry. In the resulting screen, you lot should come across Running Services listed (Figure C).

Figure C

The Running Services entry in Developer Options.

Tap Running Services to open the app, where you'll run across a list of all currently running services (Effigy D).

Effigy D

A listing of all running processes on my Google Pixel 5.

If y'all tap any one of those running services, the entry will open where it can be stopped and restarted. If you meet whatever of those apps consuming a suspiciously large amount of retentivity, you might want to stop and restart it.

Exercise, however, be careful. If you stop a crucial service the device might fail to operate properly (and y'all'll air current upwards having to reboot anyway). Fifty-fifty with that caveat, having the ability to view running services is a skillful tool for anyone who likes to troubleshoot their Android devices with more than just the standard apps and options. This is also a great mode for you to examination your in-firm apps that run equally background services on Android.

Subscribe to TechRepublic's How To Make Tech Piece of work on YouTube for all the latest tech advice for business pros from Jack Wallen.