Quick Summary: Closing apps on your iPhone is simple! Swipe up from the bottom of your screen to see all open apps, then swipe them upwards to close. This helps manage performance and battery life. Let’s explore the easy steps!
Ever feel like your iPhone is running a little slower than usual? Or perhaps you’re curious about what’s happening behind the scenes on your device. Many of us have wondered if leaving apps open in the background affects our iPhone’s performance or battery. It’s a common question, and you’re not alone if you find yourself a bit unsure. Sometimes, apps can get stuck, or simply running too many at once can slow things down. But don’t worry! Mastering how to close apps on your iPhone is a straightforward skill that can make a big difference. Think of it like tidying up your digital workspace. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the simple, step-by-step process, explaining why and when you might want to do this, and even share some handy tips. Get ready to feel more in control of your iPhone experience!
Why Close Apps on Your iPhone?
Closing apps on your iPhone isn’t always necessary, as iOS is quite good at managing background activity. However, there are several good reasons why you might want to manually close an app:
- Improving Performance: If an app is misbehaving, freezing, or causing your iPhone to slow down, closing it and reopening it can often resolve the issue. It’s like giving the app a fresh start.
- Saving Battery Life: While iOS is efficient, some apps can continue to use battery in the background, especially if they are location-aware or running complex processes. Closing them completely can help conserve power.
- Freeing Up Memory (RAM): Every app you open uses a portion of your iPhone’s Random Access Memory (RAM). If you have many apps open, your iPhone might struggle to switch between them smoothly. Closing unused apps frees up this memory, allowing your iPhone to operate more efficiently.
- Ensuring Updates: Sometimes, an app might not update correctly if it’s stuck in the background. Closing and reopening can prompt it to check for updates again.
- Privacy Concerns: If you’re particularly concerned about an app accessing your data when you’re not actively using it, closing it provides an extra layer of assurance that it’s not running in the background.
How to Close Apps on iPhones with Face ID (iPhone X and later)
For newer iPhones that don’t have a Home button, the process is a simple swipe gesture. This is the most common method you’ll use on modern iPhones.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Access the App Switcher: From your Home Screen, swipe up from the very bottom of the screen and pause in the middle. You’ll see a carousel of all your currently open apps.
- Locate the App to Close: Swipe left or right through the app previews until you find the app you want to close.
- Swipe Up to Close: Once you’ve found the app, simply swipe its preview card upwards, off the top of the screen. The app will disappear, indicating it has been closed.
- Repeat for Multiple Apps: You can repeat this process for as many apps as you wish to close.
It’s important to note that you don’t need to close every single app every time. iOS is designed to manage this efficiently. However, if you notice a specific app causing issues or you want to ensure maximum battery life, this method is very effective.
How to Close Apps on iPhones with a Home Button (iPhone SE, iPhone 8 and earlier)
If your iPhone has a physical Home button, the method for closing apps is slightly different, using a double-press of this button.
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Activate the App Switcher: Double-press the Home button quickly. This will bring up the App Switcher, showing all your open apps as large cards.
- Find the App to Close: Swipe left or right on the screen to browse through the open applications.
- Swipe Up to Close: Once you see the app you want to close, swipe its card upwards, off the screen. The app will vanish, confirming it’s closed.
- Close Multiple Apps: You can continue to swipe up on other app cards to close them as well.
This method has been the standard for many years and is familiar to anyone who has used older iPhone models. The principle remains the same: accessing a view of open apps and then dismissing them.
Closing Multiple Apps at Once
While you can close apps one by one, some users look for a way to close many apps simultaneously. However, Apple’s iOS does not provide a direct “close all” button for a simple, one-tap solution to close every single app in the App Switcher. This is a deliberate design choice by Apple, aimed at preserving battery life and ensuring apps are ready to resume quickly when you need them. Forcing all apps to close constantly can actually consume more battery as they have to relaunch and reinitialize.
However, you can close multiple apps relatively quickly by using a three or four-finger swipe gesture on an iPad, but this feature is not available on iPhones. On an iPhone, the most efficient way to close multiple apps is still to swipe them up individually, but you can do this rapidly if you need to.
When Should You NOT Close Apps?
It’s a common misconception that you should constantly close all your apps to save battery or improve performance. For the most part, this is unnecessary and can even be counterproductive. Here’s why:
- iOS Memory Management: Your iPhone’s operating system (iOS) is very smart. It intelligently manages which apps are running in the background and suspends those that are not actively in use. When you switch back to an app, it can often resume exactly where you left off without needing to reload. This is much faster and uses less battery than completely closing and reopening the app.
- Battery Drain from Relaunching: Constantly closing and reopening apps forces them to load from scratch. This process, especially for complex apps, can consume more battery power than letting iOS manage them in a suspended state.
- App States: Many apps are designed to maintain a certain state even when in the background. For example, a music app might continue playing, or a navigation app might keep track of your location. Closing these abruptly can interrupt their intended function.
Think of it this way: iOS keeps apps “paused” in the background. When you need them again, it’s like hitting the “play” button, which is quick and efficient. If you close them, it’s like shutting down your computer and then starting it up again – it takes more effort and resources.
When SHOULD You Close Apps?
Despite the efficiency of iOS, there are specific situations where manually closing an app is beneficial:
- App Not Responding: If an app freezes, becomes unresponsive, or you encounter an error message, closing it forcefully and reopening it is often the quickest way to fix the problem.
- Suspected Battery Drain: If you notice your battery draining unusually fast and you suspect a particular app is the culprit (e.g., a social media app that’s always updating location or content), closing it can help diagnose and alleviate the issue. You can check battery usage in Settings > Battery to identify potential power-hungry apps.
- After a Major Update: Sometimes, after your iPhone or an app receives a significant update, closing all running apps and restarting your iPhone can help ensure that all the new code is loaded correctly.
- When You’re Finished with an App and Want to Save Power: If you’ve used an app extensively and won’t be using it again for a long time, closing it can be a proactive measure to ensure it’s not consuming background resources.
- Troubleshooting: When troubleshooting general iPhone issues, closing all apps is often one of the first steps recommended by support resources. For example, Apple Support often suggests this as a basic troubleshooting step. (Apple’s official guide on closing apps details this).
Understanding Background App Refresh
It’s also important to understand Background App Refresh. This is a feature that allows apps to fetch new content and update themselves even when you’re not actively using them. For example, a news app might download the latest headlines, or a social media app might check for new notifications.
While useful, Background App Refresh can consume battery and data. You can manage this setting for individual apps:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Background App Refresh.
- You can toggle it off entirely, or choose which apps are allowed to refresh in the background.
This setting is separate from manually closing apps, but managing it can also contribute to better battery life and performance. If you want to be extra sure an app isn’t running, disabling Background App Refresh is a more targeted approach than closing the app.
Visualizing App Usage: A Comparison
To help you understand when closing apps might be useful, let’s look at a quick comparison. This table highlights the typical state of apps on your iPhone.
| App State | Description | Impact on Battery | Impact on Performance | When to Close? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | The app you are currently using. | High | High | Only if frozen/buggy. |
| Background (Suspended) | App is paused, ready to resume quickly. iOS manages this state. | Low to Moderate | Minimal | Rarely needed. |
| Background (Active Refresh) | App is actively fetching data or performing tasks. | Moderate to High | Moderate | If battery drain or data usage is a concern for that app. |
| Closed (Manually) | App is completely shut down and removed from memory. | Very Low (until reopened) | Very Low (until reopened) | When app is buggy, frozen, or suspected of high battery drain. |
As you can see, the “Background (Suspended)” state is what iOS aims for most of the time. It’s efficient and keeps apps ready. Only when an app is misbehaving or you have specific concerns is manually closing it the best option.
Tips for Managing Your Open Apps
Here are some extra tips to help you manage your apps effectively:
- Don’t Overthink It: For everyday use, let iOS manage your apps. You don’t need to close them after every use.
- Check Battery Usage: Regularly check Settings > Battery to see which apps are consuming the most power. If an app you rarely use is at the top, it might be worth closing or investigating its Background App Refresh settings.
- Restart Your iPhone: If your iPhone feels sluggish overall, a simple restart (turning it off and on again) can often clear out temporary glitches and improve performance, similar to closing all apps but also refreshing the system.
- Keep iOS Updated: Apple constantly refines iOS to improve performance and battery management. Ensure you’re running the latest version of iOS by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
- One-Handed Use: When closing apps with Face ID iPhones, if you find it hard to reach the bottom of the screen, you can enable “Reachability” in Settings > Accessibility > Touch > Reachability. Then, a quick swipe down on the bottom edge of the screen will bring the top of the display down to you.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How often should I close my apps?
For most users, closing apps is not necessary on a daily basis. iOS is designed to manage background activity efficiently. You only need to close apps if they are misbehaving, frozen, or if you suspect they are causing significant battery drain.
Will closing apps save my battery life?
Closing apps can save battery life in specific situations, particularly if an app is malfunctioning or actively consuming power in the background (like using GPS constantly). However, constantly closing and reopening apps can actually use more battery than letting iOS manage them in a suspended state.
What’s the difference between closing an app and turning off Background App Refresh?
Closing an app completely shuts it down. Turning off Background App Refresh prevents an app from fetching new content or updating itself when you’re not using it, but the app itself might still be running in a suspended state, ready to be reopened quickly.
Can I close all apps at once on my iPhone?
No, there is no built-in “close all” button on iPhones. Apple’s design encourages users to let the system manage background apps for better efficiency and faster resuming.
If an app is frozen, what should I do?
If an app freezes or becomes unresponsive, the best course of action is to close it manually using the App Switcher (swipe up from the bottom and pause on Face ID iPhones, or double-press the Home button on iPhones with a Home button) and then reopen it. If the problem persists, try restarting your iPhone.
Does closing apps free up storage space?
No, closing apps does not free up storage space. Storage space is used for app data, photos, videos, and system files. Closing apps only affects the memory (RAM) they are using while running.
Are there any risks to closing apps too often?
Yes, closing apps too frequently can lead to increased battery consumption because apps need to fully relaunch and reload their data each time. It also means you lose the ability to quickly resume your last activity within the app.
Conclusion
Mastering how to close apps on your iPhone is a simple yet valuable skill. Whether you’re using the swipe-up gesture on newer models or the double-press of the Home button on older ones, the process is designed to be intuitive. Remember, while iOS is incredibly efficient at managing your apps, there are specific times when manual intervention is beneficial – like when an app is acting up or you’re aiming for maximum battery conservation. By understanding when and why to close apps, and by keeping features like Background App Refresh in mind, you can ensure your iPhone runs smoothly and efficiently. Keep exploring, keep learning, and enjoy your iPhone!
