You might have noticed your iPhone or iPad battery draining faster than usual, or your device feeling a little warm even when you’re not actively using it. Often, this is because apps are continuing to run tasks in the background. While this feature is helpful for things like getting new messages or tracking your location for navigation, sometimes you need to give your device a fresh start.
Learning how to properly manage these background processes is a simple but powerful way to take control of your device’s performance and battery life. It’s a quick process that can make a noticeable difference.
Why Apps Run in the Background
Background activity isn’t always a bad thing. Your phone is designed to multitask. An app might be refreshing to show you the latest news, finishing a music upload, or waiting for a call. iOS is generally good at managing this, but if an app is misbehaving or you simply want to ensure it’s completely closed, taking manual action is the best step.
The Simple Way to Close an App
To fully close an app running in the background, you’ll use the App Switcher. Don’t worry, it’s not complicated. On an iPhone or iPad without a Home button, simply swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle. If your device has a Home button, just double-click it. You’ll see all your recently used apps displayed as cards.
Swipe left or right to find the app you want to close. Then, swipe the app’s card all the way up and off the top of the screen. This action force-quits the app, stopping all its background activity until you open it again.
When a Simple Restart Helps
If you’re experiencing general slowness or multiple apps seem to be acting up, sometimes the best solution is to restart your entire device. This clears the device’s temporary memory and stops all background processes at once. To restart, hold the side button and either volume button until the power-off slider appears. Slide to power off, wait a moment, then press the side button again to turn it back on.
Managing Background App Refresh
For more long-term control, you can manage which apps are allowed to refresh in the background. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Here, you can turn the feature off entirely or choose which specific apps can use it. This is a great way to preserve battery life for apps you don’t need constant updates from.
By taking a few moments to manage your background apps, you can help your device run more smoothly and efficiently. It’s a small habit that can have a big impact on your daily experience.
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