"Multitasking[...]doesn't drain battery life unnecessarily." - Apple

[204353]

I've noticed during all of this iOS 5 battery life discussion (that's not what this thread is about) that quite a few people don't fully realise the nature of Apple's implementation of multitasking.

Battery life in iOS 4/5 is unaffected by the number of apps that are 'running' in your multitasking tray.

• iOS doesn't let background apps actually stay running; it freezes them in a state that allows quick access when you return to them.
• Some background apps may be allowed to continue running background tasks (e.g. Spotify playing music), but this is more efficient than the whole app churning away.
• At some invisible point along your multitasking tray, you'll reach a point where apps are no longer loaded in the RAM (due to space constraints), which is why an app that's far enough down the list will need to fully reload when you go to it (e.g. Angry Birds won't resume your level if it's been pushed down the line too far, it'll restart).
• The only time you need to 'kill' an app is when it's malfunctioning. Closing all of your apps will have little to no effect on your battery life.

Apple is very proud of their multitasking technique, which is a great one for the majority of users who value battery life and don't need 'true' multitasking (such as the battery-sucking method in Android).

I thought I'd point this out for new users (such as those who've come from Android), since many are probably killing apps all the time in an attempt at improving battery life.

Apple's info page: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4211

 

[steve-p]

At some invisible point along your multitasking tray, you'll reach a point where apps are no longer loaded in the RAM (due to space constraints), which is why an app that's far enough down the list will need to fully reload when you go to it (e.g. Angry Birds won't resume your level if it's been pushed down the line too far, it'll restart).

Right, so what's the point of leaving them in the multitasking tray if they are no longer loaded? Who is going to go to the multitasking tray and swipe right a few times to run something from there when they can launch it much more quickly from scratch? Seems pointless that they remain there to me. If they aren't actually in RAM they should disappear from the tray.

 

[204353]

Right, so what's the point of leaving them in the multitasking tray if they are no longer loaded? Who is going to go to the multitasking tray and swipe right a few times to run something from there when they can launch it much more quickly from scratch? Seems pointless that they remain there to me. If they aren't actually in RAM they should disappear from the tray.

Well, I don't work for Apple, so I can't give you a definite reason. The point is that you don't need to compulsively empty apps from the tray. I only use the first couple of pages normally, anyway. My most recently used apps.

No one is forcing you to swipe several times to the right to get to an app you used a week ago.

 

[jcorbin]

they are still in ram. what the OP was saying is when newer apps are loaded and take up ram, the older apps will be closed out to make room. Also system tasks will always take priority. So if you have several apps running and the phone needs resources the apps will be closed to give the phone what it needs.

the overall message is don't worry about closing apps out of the multitasking tray. the system is capable of managing memory and does a pretty good job of it. just enjoy the phone and don't worry about that stuff.

 

[steveca]

if they are not running they shouldnt be in the tray, at least that is how i think it should work out...

 

[threezero]

Those that have jailbreak and instead hack to remove non background app knows that it makes much more sense to ONLY and apps running I the background stay in the multitask bar. I actually use the bar to switch between running apps when jailbroken. Now that I'm on ios5 without a jb I never open that bar except to force close apps and even that is a chore. Dumb move by apple imo.

 

[klo-mac]

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Yes I'm testing this, battery life is same even when let apps "running" background.

So if u have short battery life, it's not for random apps which are in taskbar.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

Well, I don't work for Apple, so I can't give you a definite reason. The point is that you don't need to compulsively empty apps from the tray. I only use the first couple of pages normally, anyway. My most recently used apps.

No one is forcing you to swipe several times to the right to get to an app you used a week ago.

100% agree. I love having my recent apps quickly available. I use this feature constantly.

 

[steve-p]

100% agree. I love having my recent apps quickly available. I use this feature constantly.

No-one is arguing about recently used apps. They are still in memory anyway so should be in the tray. At the moment though the tray appears to be just an enormous list of every app you have ever run, which serves no purpose at all. If apps were removed from the tray when not loaded anymore, it would offer a way of seeing which ones were actually loaded, which is impossible right now.

 

[psonice]

It's not a 'task switcher' like on windows. We don't need that any more. It's merely a list of your recent apps, for convenience. Being able to close apps form there is just a secondary feature.

Basically, it makes no difference whether you launch an app from the home screen or the recent apps list. Either way, if it's open it'll just switch to it, if not it'll open it. You don't have to close apps* because when they're in the background they're inactive, and if they're inactive they have no effect on speed, battery, or anything else. If the system needs more memory, it'll kill an app or two for you.


* actually you do have to quit an app now and then. Some apps MUST run in the background, like GPS apps and music players, and they do use resources and battery up. Normally that only happens if you close them while you're doing something though, e.g. if you plan a route on a gps app, it'll continue guiding you if you close it. If it's not guiding you it shouldn't do anything.

 

[juswest]

Actually killing apps constantly on Android is harmful.

 

[macingman]

Right, so what's the point of leaving them in the multitasking tray if they are no longer loaded? Who is going to go to the multitasking tray and swipe right a few times to run something from there when they can launch it much more quickly from scratch? Seems pointless that they remain there to me. If they aren't actually in RAM they should disappear from the tray.

It can't hurt having them in multitasking tray.

 

[SilentLoner]

Actually killing apps constantly on Android is harmful.

how?

 

[reefoid]

Actually killing apps constantly on Android is harmful.

Its not harmful, but pretty pointless. If its in the background, it shouldn't be using resources.

 

[mcdj]

No-one is arguing about recently used apps. They are still in memory anyway so should be in the tray. At the moment though the tray appears to be just an enormous list of every app you have ever run, which serves no purpose at all. If apps were removed from the tray when not loaded anymore, it would offer a way of seeing which ones were actually loaded, which is impossible right now.

Agree 100%. It's like having a giant stack of old newspapers on your coffee table. No one is reading the ones past a few days old.

 

[ericg301]

one of my co-coworkers just got a 4S as his first iphone and is convinced that he has to constantly clear our the multi-task bar to save his battery. i tried telling him otherwise, but he doesn't believe me.

 

[FreakinEurekan]

No-one is arguing about recently used apps. They are still in memory anyway so should be in the tray. At the moment though the tray appears to be just an enormous list of every app you have ever run, which serves no purpose at all. If apps were removed from the tray when not loaded anymore, it would offer a way of seeing which ones were actually loaded, which is impossible right now.

I suppose the deeper into the tray you go, the more pointless it is. But I don't see the harm in them being there, you never see them unless you purposely swipe back page after page to see them. I will frequently use apps on the 1st and 2nd page, occasionally 3rd, seldom anything beyond. But the fact that they are there doesn't bother me, because I never go look at them.