Should I force stop or disable?

Answered by Willian Lymon

When deciding whether to force stop or disable an app, it’s important to understand the differences between the two options and consider your specific needs and preferences.

Force stopping an app simply means stopping it from running in the background. This can be useful if you notice that an app is consuming a lot of system resources or if it’s misbehaving and causing issues on your device. By force stopping it, you essentially close the app and prevent it from using any more CPU or memory resources.

However, force stopping an app does not permanently disable it. The next time you open the app, it will start running again. This can be convenient if you still want to use the app occasionally but don’t want it constantly running in the background. For example, you might force stop a social media app that you only use occasionally to conserve battery life and improve overall performance.

On the other hand, disabling an app completely shuts it off and removes it from your app drawer. This can be useful for apps that you never use or don’t want cluttering up your device. Disabling an app also prevents it from running in the background, just like force stopping it, but it goes a step further by making the app inaccessible unless you enable it again.

Disabling an app is a more aggressive action than force stopping, as it effectively “uninstalls” the app without actually removing it from your device. This can be beneficial for system apps or bloatware that come pre-installed on your device and cannot be uninstalled. By disabling these apps, you can free up storage space, reduce clutter, and potentially improve device performance.

However, it’s important to note that not all apps can be disabled. Some essential system apps or apps that are integral to the functioning of your device may not have the option to be disabled. In such cases, force stopping might be your only option if you want to temporarily stop them from running.

The decision to force stop or disable an app depends on your specific needs and preferences. If you want to temporarily stop an app from running in the background, force stopping is the way to go. If you want to completely shut off an app and remove it from your app drawer, disabling it is the better choice. Just keep in mind that not all apps can be disabled, and you may need to resort to force stopping for certain system apps.