Background refresh is not evil

Discussion in 'iPhone' started by supersalo, Sep 30, 2014.

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  1. supersalo, Sep 30, 2014

    supersalo macrumors 6502

    supersalo

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    #1
    Background app refresh doesn't allow apps to run willy-nilly.

    The OS decides when to let the apps run in the background. It analyzes your usage of each app and adjusts accordingly. For example, if you usually check Facebook on your lunch hour, the system will let Facebook retrieve data in the background run before lunch each day.

    The OS is actually quite stingy about background refreshes. As an app developer, you're not even allowed to say when you want background refreshes to happen. You can only specify the interval between refreshes. And if you can't be cute and say "10 seconds between refreshes", because that is less than the system minimum interval (which isn't specified because it depends on your usage and how often the phone is awake).

    So you can leave background refresh on. It won't cause battery drain.

    Now, apps that use location services while in the background are an entirely different story.

    If you're interested in more detail, Double Encore has a nice summary here: http://www.doubleencore.com/2013/09/ios-7-background-fetch/
     
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  2. Fattytail, Oct 2, 2014

    Fattytail macrumors 6502a

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    #2
    Very useful to know, thanks. People keep advising me to turn off background app refresh. But it's so useful that I don't really want to.
     
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  3. ROLLTIDE1, Oct 2, 2014

    ROLLTIDE1 Suspended

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    #3
    Background app refresh is the devil ;)
     
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  4. CoilTap, Oct 2, 2014

    CoilTap macrumors regular

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    #4
    Yeah, and on top of all that, the process gives your app 30 seconds to do all its work and report success or it terminates the application.

    So, between the "intelligent" scheduling per app based on usage and the limited time box in which the app can run, background refresh's impact is pretty minimal.
     
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  5. ajm222, Oct 2, 2014

    ajm222 macrumors 6502a

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    #5
    So I can turn this back on. What are the best ways to save battery then? Turn off all location services and maybe auto brightness?
     
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  6. ROLLTIDE1, Oct 2, 2014

    ROLLTIDE1 Suspended

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    #6
    and bluetooth
     
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  7. jlake02, Oct 2, 2014

    jlake02 macrumors 68020

    jlake02

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    #7
    Yes, this will drain the battery.. the only question is how much. I'll keep most of my apps OFF and use them when I want them. With LTE the wait isn't long anyway.




    :apple:
     
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  8. supersalo, Oct 2, 2014

    supersalo thread starter macrumors 6502

    supersalo

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    #8
    I would definitely use auto-brightness.

    I turn on Location Services as well. If you notice the Location Services triangle in your Status Bar a lot, go into the Privacy section of Settings and see which one is using it (it will have a purple triangle next to the name).

    Be sure to turn on the icon for Location Services too (it's off by default).
     
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  9. itsmemuffins, Oct 2, 2014

    itsmemuffins macrumors 68030

    itsmemuffins

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    #9
    I don't turn anything off. Battery life is never a concern.

    Only app I turn background refresh off is Facebook. It's such a sloppy app God knows if I should leave background on or off for Facebook.
     
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  10. VSMacOne, Oct 2, 2014

    VSMacOne macrumors 601

    VSMacOne

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    #10
    Facebook has been the worst offender of all the apps I've ever used with Background Refresh. That's why I turned it off for FB and recently I've been using their Paper app.
     
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  11. itsmemuffins, Oct 2, 2014

    itsmemuffins macrumors 68030

    itsmemuffins

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    #11
    Is paper that much better?
     
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  12. VSMacOne, Oct 2, 2014

    VSMacOne macrumors 601

    VSMacOne

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    #12
    MUCH better in my experience. Easier on the battery and includes the messages option which the main app no longer supports.

    ----------
     
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  13. itsmemuffins, Oct 2, 2014

    itsmemuffins macrumors 68030

    itsmemuffins

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    #13
    Thanks.
     
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  14. kovey, Oct 2, 2014

    kovey macrumors 6502a

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    #14
    Background activity is only a drain on android. Those clowns are the ones that are constantly trying to kill all background activities.
     
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  15. bandofbrothers, Oct 2, 2014

    bandofbrothers macrumors 601

    bandofbrothers

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    #15
    I like it so much Ive downloaded it and I'm in the Uk. :)
     
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  16. heisenberg123, Oct 8, 2014

    heisenberg123 macrumors 603

    heisenberg123

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    #16
    I have it off and apps like facebook load and update in a second, what exacly does this background refresh actually do?
     
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  17. supersalo, Oct 8, 2014

    supersalo thread starter macrumors 6502

    supersalo

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    #17

    Check out the link I posted earlier.
     
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  18. JoeTomasone, Oct 8, 2014

    JoeTomasone macrumors 6502a

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    #18
    I have yet to see an app that DOES take advantage of Background Refresh.. Or, better stated, I have yet to see evidence that an app did anything in the background all on it's own except for Mail. Every time I have ever run Facebook, it most certainly hadn't previously updated itself; it was usually right where I left it with the same content loaded.

    What am I missing?
     
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