Tengrinews.kz – Apple and Google claim that smartphones automatically manage background apps. Tengrinews.kz explains when you should close an app and when the habit of "swiping everything away" actually does more harm than good.
The habit of closing all apps
Many users regularly clear their list of running apps on their phone: they open the multitasking menu and swipe all the cards up. It seems that this helps "free up" the phone, speed it up, and save battery life.
However, experts - and even the developers of mobile operating systems - explain that, in most cases, there’s no need to do this. Modern operating systems like IOS and Android automatically manage background apps: when you switch from one app to another, the previous one pauses and doesn’t consume resources, even though its state is saved in memory.
When memory is running low, the system will automatically unload the least important processes. Moreover, both Apple and Google have officially confirmed that forcefully closing apps doesn’t improve device performance or save battery life.
Google’s Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer directly advised to “let Android work on its own” - the operating system will decide when to remove an app from memory. Apple’s software engineering chief Craig Federighi, in a personal message to a user, noted that he himself doesn’t close apps unless necessary.
How Android and iOS manage background apps
In iOS, a minimized app goes into a “suspended” state - it stays in memory but doesn’t perform any tasks. This is officially described in Apple’s documentation.
In Android, a priority system is used: active apps get the highest priority, and older ones are pushed out of memory. This behavior is also detailed in Android’s documentation. The operating system automatically "kills" background processes when more space is needed. The user doesn’t need to do this manually.
Why you shouldn’t close apps manually
Both systems optimize memory and battery. Apple recommends closing apps only if they freeze. In normal circumstances, closing them doesn’t help and might even be harmful. Wired reports that unloading apps is a placebo: the systems are already doing it right. CNET adds that restarting an app consumes more energy than keeping it in memory.
Manually freed memory is not a gain: the phone uses RAM as a cache. If you close an app, the system has to reload it when it’s launched again. This is slower and consumes more energy.
When you should close apps
- If the app freezes or stops responding.
- If the app unexpectedly consumes battery - this can be checked in settings under "Battery".
- If background functions remain active, such as GPS or music.
In all other cases, it’s better to leave background apps alone - the system handles it.
Why the habit of "swiping everything" is harmful
As Wired notes: constantly closing apps can actually increase battery consumption because the system has to reload them. Apple also emphasizes that this is pointless. You’re not speeding up your phone - you’re just wasting resources on restarting apps.
By leaving an app in the background, you allow the phone to instantly resume it. Closing it forces the phone to do extra work.
Close apps only when they are truly bothering you - when they freeze, overheat the device, or drain the battery. In all other cases, let the phone do its job. It will handle it better.
Earlier, we shared a study showing that simply turning off mobile data can significantly improve focus, mental well-being, productivity, and even slow down age-related brain changes.