Stop Doing This On Your iPhone!

When it comes to smartphone habits, there’s one ritual that many of us perform without a second thought: closing background apps on our iPhones. It’s become almost second nature, fuelled by the belief that it saves battery life and boosts performance. However, recent revelations suggest that this practice might be nothing more than a myth.

For years, Apple users have been under the impression that closing background apps is essential for preserving battery life and keeping their devices running smoothly. The logic seems sound – fewer apps running in the background should equate to less strain on the battery, right?

In reality, most background apps on your iPhone are not actively running. Instead, they are effectively frozen, with the system merely displaying a snapshot of the app’s last state for quick access. This means that swiping up to close these apps does little to conserve battery power or improve performance. Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering says that force-closing apps has minimal impact on battery life or performance.

The Alternative Solution

So, if closing background apps isn’t the solution, what can iPhone users do to optimise their device’s performance and battery life? The answer lies in managing background app refresh settings.

Background app refresh is a feature that allows apps to update content in the background while you’re not using them. While this can be useful for certain apps, it can also contribute to battery drain, especially if too many apps are allowed to refresh in the background unnecessarily.

Here’s how to turn off background app refresh on your iPhone:

1. Open Settings: Tap on the Settings app on your iPhone’s home screen.
2. Navigate to General: Scroll down and tap on “General” to access general settings.
3. Select Background App Refresh: Within the General settings, you’ll find “Background App Refresh.” Tap on it to proceed.
4. Toggle Off Background App Refresh: You’ll see a list of apps with options to enable or disable background app refresh for each one. To turn off background app refresh entirely, toggle off the switch at the top of the screen.

By disabling background app refresh, you can reduce unnecessary background activity and potentially extend your iPhone’s battery life. Plus, it’s a more effective solution than constantly closing background apps, which may actually use more energy than leaving them open.

So, the next time you find yourself swiping up to close background apps stop! Rather sort out your background app refresh settings to help you save battery and ensure that your device runs smoothly and efficiently for longer periods.