Closing apps on your iPhone is a fundamental skill that ensures your device runs smoothly and conserves battery life. While iOS is designed to manage background processes efficiently, knowing how to manually close apps can help resolve minor glitches and free up memory. This guide provides a detailed walkthrough of the methods available, catering to both new and experienced users.
Why You Might Need to Close Apps
Although iPhones are optimized to handle multitasking without user intervention, there are specific scenarios where closing an app becomes necessary. An app might become unresponsive, consume excessive background data, or cause your iPhone to overheat. Recognizing these signs is the first step toward maintaining peak performance.
Signs of an Overburdened App
The app is frozen or not responding to input.
Your battery drains significantly faster than usual.
The device feels warm to the touch during idle moments.
You experience lags or delays when switching between applications.
The Swipe-Up Method (Without a Home Button)
For modern iPhones featuring Face ID, such as the iPhone X, iPhone 12, and iPhone 15, the process relies on the gesture-based navigation system. This method involves accessing the App Switcher and terminating the card view of the application.
Step-by-Step Instructions
From the bottom edge of your screen, swipe up slightly and pause in the middle of the display.
The App Switcher will appear, showing cards of your recently used apps.
Locate the app you wish to close. You can swipe left or right to find it if it is not immediately visible.
Finally, simply flick the card upward off the top edge of the screen to force the app to close.
The Home Button Technique (With a Home Button)
For older models like the iPhone 8, iPhone 7, or iPhone SE (1st and 2nd generation), the physical home button requires a different approach. This method involves pressing the button to activate the switcher and then using a specific motion to discard the app.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Press the home button at the bottom of your screen to bring up the App Switcher.
You will see screenshots of your open apps arranged horizontally.
Find the app you want to close and swipe it upward toward the top of your screen.
Release your finger once the app card disappears, indicating it has been closed.
Managing Apps with 3D Touch (Older Models)
Devices prior to the iPhone X that support 3D Touch or Haptic Touch offer a shortcut to close multiple apps quickly. This technique allows you to close several applications in succession without returning to the home screen repeatedly.
How to Force Quit Using Pressure Sensitivity
Press firmly (or press and hold) on the app preview card within the App Switcher.
A menu will pop up with options such as "Snap Window" and "Close."
Tap the "Close" button, and the app will shut immediately.
Repeat this process for any other apps you wish to terminate.
Best Practices and Misconceptions
It is a common misconception that regularly closing all background apps significantly improves battery life. In reality, iOS suspends background activity for most apps, meaning they are not actively using resources. Force quitting an app only to reopen it later can actually waste battery because the system must reload the app from scratch.
