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Geniuses say the strangest things - software corruption by force closing apps?

jmpage2

jmpage2

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Sep 14, 2007
3,249
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So I took an iPad 3 in today for a dodgy home button problem. One of the things the Genius mentioned is that this could be caused by software corruption. He asked me if I ever force close applications, and when I told him that I did he said "don't ever ever do that, it can corrupt your software".

I was a bit taken aback by this, because I have always force closed my apps this way if needed (apps with bugs causing battery drain, etc).

He showed me the alternate way of closing an app by using the top button on the iPad in conjunction with the home button to terminate the app.

Is there actually a difference in the way apps terminate depending on which of these methods is used?

Does this guy know what the heck he is talking about?

It seems that every time I go into the Apple store the experience gets stranger.
 
couple of things ...
- dodgy home button sounds like hardware issue which is not surprising as there is no other way to go to home screen without pressing this button
- the software itself cannot get corrupted by force-close. your data/preferences/setting/etc related to the software can get corrupted. unless the software itself was written in a way that it gets updated while the program is running. but I don't think apple allows that in the app store and for good reasons.

so does the guy knows what he's talking about, only half the truth :D
 
That makes far more sense to me. He actually volunteered to replace the iPad anyway, but mentioned that software was a possibility. I don't see how software can impact home button operation since it's forbidden for an application other than iOS to interact with the home button.
 
jmpage2 said:
He showed me the alternate way of closing an app by using the top button on the iPad in conjunction with the home button to terminate the app.
Click to expand...

Mind sharing ? I know three ways to use the top button: sleep/wake, off/on and snapshot of screen.

What did he showed you ?
 
jmpage2 said:
He showed me the alternate way of closing an app by using the top button on the iPad in conjunction with the home button to terminate the app.
Click to expand...

hmm, so how exactly does he explain that?

Press both bottons together and you take a screenshot
Hold both down just reboots the device

I thought these guys are supposed to know there stuff or was he hired by John Browett? :p
 
ChristianJapan said:
Mind sharing ? I know three ways to use the top button: sleep/wake, off/on and snapshot of screen.

What did he showed you ?
Click to expand...

Yes, this is the old way of closing an app before the ability to close with the force quite in the tray became an option.

This is what you do.

1. With app open hold down the top button until the "slide to shutdown" shows up on the screen.
2. Let go of the top button.
3. Hold down the home button until the app quits.

Now, he seemed to imply that this is a 'graceful' quit instead of a 'force' quit, but I'm not so sure about that.
 
jmpage2 said:
Yes, this is the old way of closing an app before the ability to close with the force quite in the tray became an option.

This is what you do.

1. With app open hold down the top button until the "slide to shutdown" shows up on the screen.
2. Let go of the top button.
3. Hold down the home button until the app quits.

Now, he seemed to imply that this is a 'graceful' quit instead of a 'force' quit, but I'm not so sure about that.
Click to expand...

Thanks, just tried on my iPad but no function this way: the app disappear from screen but still running. Tried with Maps and a3rd party app. Did you tried ?
 
ChristianJapan said:
Thanks, just tried on my iPad but no function this way: the app disappear from screen but still running. Tried with Maps and a3rd party app. Did you tried ?
Click to expand...

The app disappears from the screen because you have just quit/exited it. The fact that it shows up in the app manager does not mean that the application was not quit.

----------
brylliant said:
He was just avoiding a replacement iPad xD
Click to expand...

He offered to replace the iPad and THEN went into his whole weird spiel about how the software could get corrupted if you use force quit on running applications, something I have never once heard before.
 
jmpage2 said:
The app disappears from the screen because you have just quit/exited it. The fact that it shows up in the app manager does not mean that the application was not quit.
Click to expand...

Not sure on that one. To my understanding as long the app shows up in the app manager it still has a running process; reduced footprint in memory and depend on the application limited access to system resources.

The Genius way is very un-intuitive; I will continue risking my apps and force them out ... :D may the force be with us
 
dontpannic said:
Open the app
Hold lock button till slide to power off appears
Release lock button and hold home button

Didn't everyone know this?
Click to expand...

yeah like from the first iPhone..why would anyone do that anymore?

OP your not doing anything wrong,i force my quit m apps with zero problems. you just got the wrong genius dude on a bad day
 
Guys! I think there's some major confusion here.

To FORCE QUIT an app:
Open the app
Hold the lock button until "Slide to power off" appears
Release the lock button and hold the home button until you are returned to the home screen.
(Pre 3GS/iOS3 devices - just push and hold the home button)

To TERMINATE or CLOSE an app:
Open the multitasking tray
Tap and hold on an app
Use the minus button to remove the app from the multitasking tray

To MINIMIZE or PAUSE an app:
Press the home button.

The biggest problem with this thread is that people are using the wrong terminology.

FORCE QUIT is used when an app has completely frozen and either won't let you return to the springboard or are unable to use the app at all.

TERMINATE/CLOSE is used when a background multitasking app is still running a stream (download/audio/video/process) and you want to stop it doing so.

MINIMIZE/PAUSE is used most of all.

You don't need to close apps from the multitasking tray - when they are there it does not necessarily mean they are using battery or data - 90% of the time they are completely suspended.

So, with that in mind, what is the genius telling you not to do?

----------
jmpage2 said:
Yes, this is the old way of closing an app before the ability to close with the force quite in the tray became an option.
Click to expand...

No it definitely isn't!

You are not describing a Force Quit when you are closing apps from the multitasking tray, you are simply closing the app or removing is suspend file.
 
Software can definitely impact the home button functionality. If the button physically sticks or does not depress, then it's hardware. If it clicks normally but sometimes doesn't go to the home screen, then it could be software.

Also, the Genius was right. Force quitting apps isn't a great idea as it doesn't give the app a chance to save it's data. That won't corrupt the app, but could definitely corrupt any user data within the app. It is a better idea to close apps using the multitask menu in the way that he showed you.
 
well then all my 8 or whatever iDevices i used over the years should be corrupted because i always completely close an app . its one of my OCDs, i cant sleep knowing theres an app still open in the tray
 
dontpannic said:
Guys! I think there's some major confusion here.

So, with that in mind, what is the genius telling you not to do?

----------



No it definitely isn't!

You are not describing a Force Quit when you are closing apps from the multitasking tray, you are simply closing the app or removing is suspend file.
Click to expand...

What the genius is saying is that terminating apps from the system tray should never be done, it can corrupt the software and could somehow affect the home button operation.
 
jmpage2 said:
Does this guy know what the heck he is talking about?
Click to expand...

No.

While it's possible that you could "Kill" an App just as it was saving some data, the chances of that happening are very slim and even if that happened, the App should be designed to handle it. At worst, YOUR data within the App could become corrupt, but not the App itself. In any case, it would have no impact on the operating system (and Buttons).

Genius Bar staff are not trained to understand issues like that.
 
Daveoc64 said:
No.

While it's possible that you could "Kill" an App just as it was saving some data, the chances of that happening are very slim and even if that happened, the App should be designed to handle it. At worst, YOUR data within the App could become corrupt, but not the App itself. In any case, it would have no impact on the operating system (and Buttons).

Genius Bar staff are not trained to understand issues like that.
Click to expand...

At the same time you can't possibly expect Apple to be able to hire people that do know about these issues. Most of this stuff is learning in engineering/software university and those people aren't going to take genius pay.

It is funny when genius pretend to know all about this stuff when really they are completely wrong.
 
jmpage2 said:
Does this guy know what the heck he is talking about?

It seems that every time I go into the Apple store the experience gets stranger.
Click to expand...

You've nailed it.

Does he know what he's talking about... he's an Apple Anointed Genius. :eek:

The title of your thread is priceless "Geniuses Say The Strangest Things".

Now _that's_ worthy of being a sticky... so we can ramp up the humor around here.
 
bushido said:
well then all my 8 or whatever iDevices i used over the years should be corrupted because i always completely close an app . its one of my OCDs, i cant sleep knowing theres an app still open in the tray
Click to expand...

So you didn't have OCD prior to the release of the first iPhone? I'd give up them all up if it cured an actual illness.


OP, he's telling you some BS it seems.
 
My experience with Apple's 'Geniuses' have long ago told me that quite a lot of them are clueless morons who make up bulls--t ridden reasons over a problem, even if you already know what the problem is and have told them.
 
jessica. said:
So you didn't have OCD prior to the release of the first iPhone? I'd give up them all up if it cured an actual illness.


OP, he's telling you some BS it seems.
Click to expand...

huh? u know what i mean ...

OCD in that context is just an exaggerating saying on the internet

i have lots of those, pens need to be in line on a table, i cant sleep knowin my closet door is open, the "breathing led" on the mbp is also driving me up the wall ... and dont even get my started on a messy iTunes library
 
ixodes said:
You've nailed it.

Does he know what he's talking about... he's an Apple Anointed Genius. :eek:

The title of your thread is priceless "Geniuses Say The Strangest Things".

Now _that's_ worthy of being a sticky... so we can ramp up the humor around here.
Click to expand...

Ha ha, it would make for a very entertaining thread to compile all the crazy things they say into a single combined thread.
 
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