Vv4 for android is in need of an update really bad. It keeps shutting down and resetting the game especially when you get really far into it. I even bought a copy of the game from the app store instead of playing the free version and it does the same thing. Please help! !!

I'm sorry that you're having trouble with the game. There are several possible reasons that the game could force close, depending upon whether you are playing the full (paid) version or the lite (free) version of the game. If you are playing the lite version of the game and the following procedure doesn't resolve the crash problems, please let me know, and I'll provide additional information related specifically to the lite version of Virtual Villagers 4: The Tree of Life.

To make sure that we eliminate all possibility of memory-related issues before we pursue other possible causes for the problem you're experiencing, please read and follow the procedures below.

Most crashes on mobile devices occur because of low memory conditions on a device, rather than a problem with our game. The amount of RAM installed in a specific device will have an effect on the frequency of app crashes due to low memory conditions. Even high-end devices with fairly large RAM amounts can encounter low memory conditions when there are many apps and open browser tabs sitting in the background. Even though these apps are not consuming processor resources, they do occupy RAM and contribute to this problem.

When too much memory is taken up by running applications, the operating system will terminate the currently running app. When that happens, it will look exactly like a game crash, since there is no message from the operating system to tell you what happened. Devices that have smaller RAM sizes (less than 300 MB or so) will experience low memory conditions more frequently than devices with 512 MB or more. Please note that there are two types of memory in your device. RAM is the memory that is used to actually run apps, which differs from the memory that is used to install apps (such as the SD card or phone memory).

You can prevent many crashes by making sure that you close any apps that you aren't actually using before playing the game. With multi-tasking operating systems like Android OS, tapping the home function does not completely close an app and free the memory that it was using. Tapping Home places the app in the background, where it can still consume system resources. Whenever you want to make sure that sufficient memory is available for running apps, you should use the application management function in your device's Settings panel to close any apps you don't need running. This will make more memory available to run the game. If you're not sure how to close running apps, or if you are interested in more information about memory management on smartphones, please read the information below the break.

Note: If this procedure doesn't correct the problem, please reply to this email so that we can resolve the issue.
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Current smartphone operating systems are multitasking operating systems that are capable of running many tasks at once. When using a device that supports multitasking, such as most current smartphones and tablets, using the Home function does not close the app that was running at the time. Instead, the app is put into the background, where it often continues to run some of its processes. These processes vary from app to app, as does the amount of memory required to run them. The operating system manages all of the running tasks, but it doesn't always leave enough free memory to launch additional applications or processes, since most mobile devices have significantly less application memory than a typical laptop or desktop computer.

This situation will, unfortunately, require the user to manually clean up memory. The easiest method is to completely power off the device (as opposed to suspending or sleeping the device) and power it back on, but applications can be individually closed to free up memory. There are a number of ways to determine what apps are running in the background and individually close them. Those methods vary, depending upon the operating system that your device is running and any manufacturer or carrier customizations that have been made. Your device's user manual should explain how to manage installed and running applications.

You can also find many useful references on the Web for managing applications on smartphones and tablets, such as this one at eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_5808183_close-apps-android.html).

Sorry. Its not apps running in the background as I usually just play this game without playing anything else.
Will there be any updates soon? There's lots of people complaining about the same thing in the play store comments on the game.

You didn't state specifically if you were playing the full version or the lite version (they are separate apps). There is a bug in the lite version that causes the game to crash when it reaches the population limit, however, the full version does not have that problem.

If you have followed all of the above in my previous post (with the full version) and it still doesn't resolve the problem, please tell me the make and model of your device.