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Other How much shorter do iPhones last in general with Background app refresh on instead of off ?
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I haven't tested it. I just looked at my settings and the only thing I had turned off was Facebook and that probably was due to privacy concerns. I have the Max size phone so battery life isn't a worry but for those with the Mini I know it's an issue. From my understanding low power mode does this when you activate it.
From my experience what kills battery is being in an area with poor cell reception. If your carrier doesn't have good signal where you go and you find your signal cutting out that is rough on the battery. When I switched from T-mobile to Verizon I noticed a big difference when I traveled outside the city.
From my experience what kills battery is being in an area with poor cell reception. If your carrier doesn't have good signal where you go and you find your signal cutting out that is rough on the battery. When I switched from T-mobile to Verizon I noticed a big difference when I traveled outside the city.
Facts spoken right here. Nothing kills battery more than poor signal.
I keep all my apps turned on for Background App Refresh. It helps apps update and perform as we want them to. I've done it both turned off, and turned on. Didn't notice any battery use difference.
It's designed for Apps which update with new information from the internet when they are opened. For example with Facebook, with Background refresh off, when you open the App the first thing it does is takes a few seconds to download the latest posts for your timeline/feed/whatever it's called this year. With Background refresh on, the feed is constantly updated in the backgroud so when you open the App it's ready to go. It just boils down to how much those few seconds waiting to download information when opening an App like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp etc bothers you.
Largely depends on:
1. The number of apps
2. The amount of data transferred
3. The strength and type of mechanism used to transfer data (eg spotty 3G vs strong Wi-Fi)
As a matter of principle, if I don’t expect an app to do anything when I’m not using it (eg a calculator) then I turn it off. If I want its data to be completely up to date the next time I launch it and not have to manually sync (eg a podcasts app), then I leave it on. If I’m overseas and roaming, I’ll use Low Power Mode which turns off background app refresh and more.
You can also check out your App Privacy Report to see what endpoints your app has been connecting to which will give you an idea of how much (un)necessary data was transferred when you weren’t explicitly using it.
1. The number of apps
2. The amount of data transferred
3. The strength and type of mechanism used to transfer data (eg spotty 3G vs strong Wi-Fi)
As a matter of principle, if I don’t expect an app to do anything when I’m not using it (eg a calculator) then I turn it off. If I want its data to be completely up to date the next time I launch it and not have to manually sync (eg a podcasts app), then I leave it on. If I’m overseas and roaming, I’ll use Low Power Mode which turns off background app refresh and more.
You can also check out your App Privacy Report to see what endpoints your app has been connecting to which will give you an idea of how much (un)necessary data was transferred when you weren’t explicitly using it.
Interesting to hear this. I am sort of the opposite, I keep them all off except Notes because I use it and “hope” / dream / whatever that it updates better this way between several devices I use it on. However, I agree with this comment based on a lot of years of trying to turn stuff on and off in Bkg Refresh, that there seems to be no noticeable difference at all.
Macrumors should do a test with it on and off.
Wishful thinking though.
Wishful thinking though.
This might be totally different for Weather, but it seems like in both on / off settings, the behavior in Weather is same. (Maybe not exactly but very close.) You’d think something as simple as the weather could be updated periodically but I always have to swipe to a second city and swipe back, to make sure the data is updated.
Here's the thing. Background App Refresh does use a small amount of battery. But having it on for battery intensive apps that run in the background helps them run in the background more efficiently, using less resources. It sort of balances out. Either way, it's not enough for concern about battery life. There's better ways to manage battery use.
The funny thing is the best time to use it is if the signal is poor because stuff will be loaded while the signal is better, but trying to preload on a poor signal drains the battery even more