Should I close apps on iPhone 13?

Answered by Robert Dupre

As an AI language model, I can provide you with a detailed answer to the question of whether you should close apps on your iPhone 13. The practice of closing apps on iPhones has been a topic of debate among iPhone users for a while now. Let’s delve into the reasons why you might want to close apps and whether it is necessary for optimizing your iPhone 13’s performance.

Firstly, it’s important to understand how iOS manages apps in the background. When you switch from one app to another on your iPhone 13, the previous app may still remain in the background, but it is typically frozen, using minimal system resources and not actively running. This is part of iOS’s multitasking capabilities, allowing you to quickly resume using an app where you left off without having to relaunch it entirely.

Closing apps on your iPhone 13 can be useful in certain situations. For example, if an app becomes unresponsive or glitchy, force-closing it and relaunching it can often help resolve the issue. This is particularly true if the app has been running for a long time or has encountered a memory-related problem. Closing the app and reopening it essentially gives it a fresh start, which can sometimes improve its performance.

Another scenario where closing apps can be beneficial is when you need to free up system resources. If you have many apps running in the background, it can potentially consume a small amount of battery life and system memory. However, it’s worth noting that iOS is designed to intelligently manage resources and prioritize active apps, so the impact on battery life and performance is usually minimal.

Closing apps can also be useful if you want to ensure your privacy and security. Some apps may continue to run in the background and access data even when you’re not actively using them. By closing these apps, you can prevent them from collecting or transmitting data without your knowledge or consent.

However, it’s important to note that force-closing apps on your iPhone 13 too frequently can have downsides as well. When you force-close an app, you remove it from the device’s RAM, and the next time you launch the app, it needs to reload all its data, which can take additional time and energy. This can potentially have a negative impact on your overall user experience, especially if you frequently switch between apps.

Additionally, if you’re using the Background Refresh feature on your iPhone 13, force-closing apps might actually hinder its functionality. Background Refresh allows apps to update their content in the background, so when you open them, the latest information is readily available. If you force-close these apps, you may prevent them from refreshing in the background and lose the benefits of this feature.

While it’s not necessary to constantly close apps on your iPhone 13, there are situations where it can be beneficial. If an app becomes unresponsive or glitchy, force-closing it and reopening it can often help. Closing apps can also be useful for freeing up system resources, ensuring privacy, and security. However, excessive force-closing of apps may have downsides, such as longer loading times and potential interference with Background Refresh. iOS is designed to manage apps efficiently, so in most cases, you can trust the system to handle app management effectively without the need for regular manual closing.