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How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps

Mar 29, 2015 06:52 AM
Smartphone displaying app settings on a textured surface.

Deep down at the core of Android lies the system kernel, which serves as a bridge between software and hardware. Custom kernels can be installed in place of the stock offering, and these are generally optimized for better performance or increased battery efficiency.

If you've installed a custom kernel on your Android device, chances are you're not quite taking full advantage of it. Beyond simply installing the kernel, tweaks can be made to the CPU clock speed, performance governor, and I/O scheduler that could suit your particular usage even better.

But rather than installing a simple kernel management app that applies these tweaks system-wide, wouldn't it be nice if we could handle things like CPU voltage and clock speed on a per-app basis? Considering that some apps could use a little boost, while others don't require your CPU to be running at full speed, adjusting kernel settings to better suit particular apps could lead to better performance and battery life.

So developer Mertcan Özdemir created an app that will allow you to adjust your custom kernel settings automatically when certain conditions are met. These conditions can be almost anything—when you launch a particular app, turn your screen off, or your battery runs low, for instance—so you'll be able to control your kernel like never before.

Requirements

Download Kernel Tasker

Özdemir's app is called Kernel Tasker, and it's available on the Google Play Store for free. Search the app by name to get it installed, or head directly to the install page at this link.

Kernel Tasker app interface with options to uninstall or open.

Set Default Kernel Options

When you first launch Kernel Tasker, the app will ask for Superuser access. So tap "Grant" on the popup, then you'll be taken to the app's main menu.

Permission request prompt on a mobile device.
Kernel Tuner App Welcome Screen with Device Status and CPU Frequency Display.
Permission request prompt on a mobile device.
Kernel Tuner App Welcome Screen with Device Status and CPU Frequency Display.

From here, configure the default options for your kernel if you'd like to set them to something other than what the kernel developer adjusted them to. These settings will be applied at all times, system-wide.

To adjust your default kernel settings, head to the side navigation menu and select "Tweaker." The options in this menu will vary from kernel to kernel, but most custom settings that can be applied to your particular kernel will be available.

Mobile app interface of Kernel Tasker showing main menu options.
Settings menu for CPU and memory parameters.
Mobile app interface of Kernel Tasker showing main menu options.
Settings menu for CPU and memory parameters.

Use this menu to set default values for CPU frequencies and governors. Memory management can also be performed here on most custom kernels, so choose your I/O scheduler as well. These will be the values used when your future kernel profiles are not active.

Set Up Kernel Profiles

This app shares a name with the popular Android automation app Tasker for a reason—you can set up Profiles with certain conditions, and when these conditions are met, changes to your kernel settings will automatically be applied.

To begin setting up a kernel profile, head to the side navigation menu and choose the "Tasker" entry. From here, tap the floating + button to add your first profile.

Mobile application interface showing a navigation menu with options for Home, Tasker, Settings, and About.
Record button in a mobile app interface with an arrow pointing to it.
Mobile application interface showing a navigation menu with options for Home, Tasker, Settings, and About.
Record button in a mobile app interface with an arrow pointing to it.

Next, choose a context for your profile. This is a condition that, if met, will automatically trigger the changes to your kernel settings. So for example, if you want to speed up your processor while you're running a certain app, select "On App Launching" here, then choose the app in question from the following list.

Mobile app interface displaying action selection options.
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
Mobile app interface displaying action selection options.
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps

Next, you'll be asked to name this profile. Any name will work, as this is for your own reference. Press "OK" when you're done, then you'll be taken to the kernel configuration screen.

How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
Settings menu displaying CPU and memory parameters with sliders for adjustments.
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
Settings menu displaying CPU and memory parameters with sliders for adjustments.

From here, tick the box next to any option that you would like to adjust automatically when this profile's conditions are met. In this example, I want to prevent my CPU from running slower than a certain clock speed when I open the Maps app, so I'll tick the box next to "CPU Min." After that, adjust the associated value—here, I'm raising the minimum CPU frequency to force my CPU to run at a faster speed while using this app.

How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
CPU and Memory Parameters Settings on Mobile Device
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
CPU and Memory Parameters Settings on Mobile Device

You can make changes to any of the other available options in this same manner—just tick the corresponding box, then set the value.

Settings menu displaying CPU and memory parameters on a smartphone.
Settings menu for CPU and memory parameters on a mobile application.
Settings menu displaying CPU and memory parameters on a smartphone.
Settings menu for CPU and memory parameters on a mobile application.

When you're done tweaking the settings, scroll down to the bottom of this menu and tap "Save." On the next screen, make sure to tick the box next to your new profile to enable it.

Settings menu displaying various voltage parameters for CPU, LP, GPU, and RAM.
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps
Settings menu displaying various voltage parameters for CPU, LP, GPU, and RAM.
How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps

From now on, any time this profile's conditions are met, your kernel will automatically switch to the values you entered. In this example, when I open my Maps app, my CPU will be forced to run at a faster speed and the governor will switch to "cfq" mode automatically. When the profile's conditions stop being met (in this case, when I exit my Maps app), the kernel will go back to the default values that you configured in Step 2.

Map view displaying a location with navigation options.

Kernel Profile triggered

How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps

Kernel settings revert when leaving the app

Map view displaying a location with navigation options.

Kernel Profile triggered

How to Automatically Overclock Your Android When You Open Certain Apps

Kernel settings revert when leaving the app

You can use this app to tailor your kernel settings to your particular usage, so the possibilities are almost endless. For example, you can underclock your CPU when your screen is off to conserve battery, then have it ramp back up automatically when you turn your screen back on.

Now that you know how it all works, what profiles do you plan on creating, or have created already, with Kernel Tasker?

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