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iPhone Do you kill apps from multi-tasking on iPhone?

Do you kill app(s) from multi-tasking after finish to use?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 146 59.6%

  • Never!

    Votes: 99 40.4%
  • Total voters
    245
J

Jonytheblue

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 25, 2013
30
0
Hi everyone,

I just wondering that how many people always kill app(s) from multi-tasking on iPhone?
Me: everyday
How about you?

If you not kill the app from multi-tasking, I would like to know why.
 
Last edited:
M

Markyyy

macrumors regular
Aug 1, 2013
142
3
I do on my iPad. Mainly because I have to with one app (colloquy) because it often crashes when you re-open it without having manually closed it. It's a pretty big bug that's been present for years which they still haven't fixed ;( and the userlist is incorrect because it will show chatters who arent present anymore, and won't show chatters who've arrived since you were last in the app.

But this has made me paranoid about other apps, so I tend to close them all if I know I'm done using them, ready for the next time I need them. Plus, everyone says it saves RAM for apps that you are currently using.

It's reassuring to get rid of all open apps. Feels like you're using a freshly booted computer.
 
B

bransoj

macrumors 68000
Jul 31, 2013
1,541
725
Nope, only time i ever do it is if the app has crashed or doesnt seem to be working properly.
 
D

Dented

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2009
1,119
899
Never routinely, it's a massive waste of time. The only time I kill apps is where they're clearly malfunctioning in some way - ie frozen.

I've had iPhones since 2008 and IOS multitasking since it first came out (IOS 4 on the 3GS, for me) - a collection of about 300 apps, many of which are constantly filling up my recent apps list - and I've never had a problem with performance or battery life.

Just use it like Apple designed it and don't trick yourself into thinking it works like multitasking on other devices - it doesn't.
 
SMIDG3T

SMIDG3T

Suspended
Apr 29, 2012
3,859
2,316
England
Jonytheblue said:
Hi everyone,

I just wondering that how many people always kill app(s) from multi-tasking on iPhone?
Me: everyday
How about you?

If you not kill the app from multi-tasking, I would like to know why.
Click to expand...

Yep, every night, before I go to sleep.
 
J

jabingla2810

macrumors 68020
Oct 15, 2008
2,271
938
Jonytheblue said:
Hi everyone,


If you not kill the app from multi-tasking, I would like to know why.
Click to expand...

Because unless an app has crashed, there is no point.

It's a placebo effect, mainly, because we have been brought up with PC's that get bogged down by having too many apps open.

iOS releases memory when the current app requests it in two ways.

1) A well coded app will release as much memory as is possible can, while staying in a 'frozen' state, and if iOS still doesn't have enough memory to run the current app well, it will completely kill the background app in question.

2) Apps that aren't coded well, receive the same request to free as much memory as possible, and when iOS doesn't receive any, the app is killed.

The only time when closing an app that hasn't crashed may have an effect on battery is location based apps. However, unlike the olden days, location aware apps aren't necessarily using GPS, but instead triangulation of cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots, something the phone does quite frequently anyway, and doesn't consume much power. This is why location based reminders and Google Now don't use much extra battery power, in fact it's not noticeable.

Some location based apps do use the GPS, and when put into the background they are given a 10 minute window of tracking location further before that right is taken from them, and they go into a sleep state.

Having apps in the recently used list means it's faster to open them and resume where you left off, but closing these apps all the time you are probably using more battery than leaving them open, by forcing the phone to release memory, and forcing the phone to start the app from fresh each time.

That's my thoughts anyway.
 
The Doctor11

The Doctor11

macrumors 603
Dec 15, 2013
5,974
1,406
New York
The second I push the home button once I press it twice. I'm just do by force of habbit and it does make a speed difference on my iPhone 4
 
M

merrickdrfc

macrumors 6502
Jan 8, 2011
473
131
Doncaster / Berlin
Absolutely pointless, except for on older devices with constrained memory on the newer OS's (i.e. iPad 1st Gen on iOS 5) is a lot smoother when forcibly releasing memory by closing the apps in the multitasking drawer.
 
luckydcxx

luckydcxx

macrumors 65816
Jun 13, 2013
1,158
419
bransoj said:
Nope, only time i ever do it is if the app has crashed or doesnt seem to be working properly.
Click to expand...

Dented said:
Never routinely, it's a massive waste of time. The only time I kill apps is where they're clearly malfunctioning in some way - ie frozen.

I've had iPhones since 2008 and IOS multitasking since it first came out (IOS 4 on the 3GS, for me) - a collection of about 300 apps, many of which are constantly filling up my recent apps list - and I've never had a problem with performance or battery life.

Just use it like Apple designed it and don't trick yourself into thinking it works like multitasking on other devices - it doesn't.
Click to expand...

jabingla2810 said:
Because unless an app has crashed, there is no point.

It's a placebo effect, mainly, because we have been brought up with PC's that get bogged down by having too many apps open.

iOS releases memory when the current app requests it in two ways.

1) A well coded app will release as much memory as is possible can, while staying in a 'frozen' state, and if iOS still doesn't have enough memory to run the current app well, it will completely kill the background app in question.

2) Apps that aren't coded well, receive the same request to free as much memory as possible, and when iOS doesn't receive any, the app is killed.

The only time when closing an app that hasn't crashed may have an effect on battery is location based apps. However, unlike the olden days, location aware apps aren't necessarily using GPS, but instead triangulation of cell towers and Wi-Fi hotspots, something the phone does quite frequently anyway, and doesn't consume much power. This is why location based reminders and Google Now don't use much extra battery power, in fact it's not noticeable.

Some location based apps do use the GPS, and when put into the background they are given a 10 minute window of tracking location further before that right is taken from them, and they go into a sleep state.

Having apps in the recently used list means it's faster to open them and resume where you left off, but closing these apps all the time you are probably using more battery than leaving them open, by forcing the phone to release memory, and forcing the phone to start the app from fresh each time.

That's my thoughts anyway.
Click to expand...

merrickdrfc said:
Absolutely pointless, except for on older devices with constrained memory on the newer OS's (i.e. iPad 1st Gen on iOS 5) is a lot smoother when forcibly releasing memory by closing the apps in the multitasking drawer.
Click to expand...

before iOS 7 and having the option of background app refresh, did you never use location services? just by having the maps app or passbook open in the background it will destroy your battery.
 
D

Dented

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2009
1,119
899
luckydcxx said:
before iOS 7 and having the option of background app refresh, did you never use location services? just by having the maps app or passbook open in the background it will destroy your battery.
Click to expand...


If it was obvious (from the arrow in the status bar) that they were polling location unnecessarily then I might. But that's a different issue to routinely closing all apps just for the sake of it.
 
maflynn

maflynn

macrumors Haswell
May 3, 2009
73,470
43,392
Generally no, the only time I will kill an app, is because something is occurring that I don't want it too.
 
B

bransoj

macrumors 68000
Jul 31, 2013
1,541
725
luckydcxx said:
before iOS 7 and having the option of background app refresh, did you never use location services? just by having the maps app or passbook open in the background it will destroy your battery.
Click to expand...

Location Services was on all the time, never really noticed a problem providing you ended the app correctly by ending routing or finishing off the tracking in something like RunKeeper. The fact it placed an arrow on the status bar meant i could see if it was running GPS but if you close the app correctly it was fine. No need to mess about closing an app, double clicking, ending app....repeat....
 
dannyyankou

dannyyankou

macrumors G5
Mar 2, 2012
13,011
27,997
Westchester, NY
I try not to, but if my phone is starting to run slow because of processes in the background, I'll close a few apps. So none of these options really apply for me.
 
mattopotamus

mattopotamus

macrumors G5
Jun 12, 2012
14,666
5,879
never. The reason is b.c of things others already have mentioned. IOS 7 handles the killing of apps for you if need be. I never notice a difference in battery if I manually kill them.
 
0

0000757

macrumors 68040
Dec 16, 2011
3,894
850
I do when it makes me feel overwhelmed.

For instance I have 26 apps so if they're all open I'll close the ones I hardly ever use.
 
S

Skika

macrumors 68030
Mar 11, 2009
2,999
1,246
Nah, no need to. Only when i suspect suspicions behavior i close an app. My multitasking tray is usually a long spaghetti.
 
C

cynics

macrumors G4
Jan 8, 2012
11,959
2,154
There is no in between option in this poll.

I don't close apps immediately after using them. But I will close apps I'm not going to be using for a while so I can get to the apps I use a lot more quickly via the multitasking tray.

I don't like the clutter is the only reason I close rarely used apps.
 
P

Puonti

macrumors 68000
Mar 14, 2011
1,510
1,135
I've been routinely closing apps while trying out Saga, exactly because of the way iOS handles memory. From what I can tell Saga doesn't perform its intended function as well as I'd like it to if it gets unloaded, which will eventually happen if I keep opening (and not closing) other apps.
 
D

Dented

macrumors 65816
Oct 16, 2009
1,119
899
chrf097 said:
I do when it makes me feel overwhelmed.



For instance I have 26 apps so if they're all open I'll close the ones I hardly ever use.
Click to expand...


That's the thing, you never have 26 apps open. Never. You might have 26 apps in your recent apps list, but only a few will ever be open at the same time, the others are automatically frozen or shut down altogether. That's how IOS works.

I have around 300 apps on my phone and never clear out the list. It makes no difference.
 
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