If you’ve just got a new iPhone and installed lots of apps, you may wonder: how do I close background apps on iPhone? While iOS is designed to manage apps efficiently, sometimes you may want to manually close apps to improve performance or fix unresponsive apps.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the exact steps to close background apps in iPhone, explain when (and when not) to close them, and share tips to boost performance and battery life.
Why Close Background Apps on iPhone?
Apple’s iOS keeps apps suspended in the background rather than running continuously, which usually doesn’t slow down your phone. However, there are times when closing apps can help:
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Fixing Unresponsive Apps – If an app freezes, force quitting it often solves the issue.
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Saving Battery Life – Apps using location services, music streaming, or background refresh may drain your battery.
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Improving Performance – Too many active apps can sometimes slow down older iPhone models.
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Freeing Memory – Closing apps can temporarily free up RAM, useful on devices with limited memory.
👉 Expert Tip: Constantly closing apps is not always necessary. Apple recommends only closing apps when they are unresponsive or consuming extra battery.
How to Close Background Apps in iPhone
The process depends on whether your iPhone has a Home button or uses Face ID.
✅ For iPhones with Face ID (No Home Button):
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Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause in the middle.
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You’ll see all running apps in a carousel view.
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Swipe left or right to find the app you want to close.
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Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it.
✅ For iPhones with a Home Button:
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Double-tap the Home button.
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A list of running apps will appear.
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Swipe left or right to view them.
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Swipe up on the app preview to close it.
That’s it! The app is now completely closed.
Additional Tips to Save Battery and Improve iPhone Speed
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Turn off Background App Refresh under Settings > General.
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Disable Location Services for apps that don’t need it.
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Lower screen brightness and enable Low Power Mode.
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Keep your iOS updated for better performance and security.
FAQs: Closing Background Apps in iPhone
Q1. Do I need to close background apps on iPhone regularly?
No. iOS automatically manages apps. Only close them if an app misbehaves or drains battery.
Q2. Does closing apps save battery life?
Sometimes. Closing apps using GPS, music, or background refresh can save battery, but closing all apps frequently won’t improve battery much.
Q3. Will closing apps make my iPhone faster?
It may help temporarily on older iPhones with less RAM, but iOS is optimized to handle memory efficiently.
Q4. How do I know which apps are draining battery?
Go to Settings > Battery to check which apps consume the most power.
Q5. Can closing apps cause problems?
Not usually, but reopening apps after force quitting may use more battery than leaving them suspended.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to close background apps in iPhone is useful for troubleshooting, saving battery, and managing performance. While you don’t need to close apps all the time, it’s handy when apps freeze or drain resources.
💡 Pro Tip: Combine app management with battery-saving settings to get the best performance from your iPhone.
👉 Try closing background apps today and notice the difference in responsiveness and battery life!