So, I recently discovered i could turn off apps on my iPhone.
Are there some that I should just leave on? are there some that should be turned off regularly? do some pull more energy from the battery even when I’m not using the phone?
so many questions.
They don’t use any power - don’t turn them off. The only time you should do so is when you need to force one to close because it’s acting up.
More specifically, most of those apps aren’t even running. That list (hit the home button twice quickly to see it) isn’t a list of running apps so much as it’s a list of recently used ones.
Despite frequent claims to the contrary, it IS possible to write a truly multi-tasking app on iOS (i.e. one that has full computational ability when it’s not in the foreground), but it’s very, very hard to get such an app past Apple’s submission gate-the developer has to justify why they need to be doing that. If you have such an app, you’d probably know it, and I can’t think of any off the top of my head. That’s the only kind of app that would net you a big gain by shutting it down.
Much more common are apps which either have to finish up a task (like saving themselves) when put in the background. These are allowed a few seconds to do their work, and then shut down by the OS. Other apps are awakened intermittently (usually to fill an audio buffer, like the “Music” apps or Pandora, or to do something like check for mail.). These are also constrained in their resource use by the OS. Those can sometimes have a small battery drain effect, because they may need to activate some component of the iOS device that isn’t otherwise in use, but they shouldn’t be using more than they need to get the job done (and again, Apple checks this sort of stuff.)
All of the above being said, this comes up a lot in iPhone/iPad circles, and there’s a lot of superstition around it. Some folks claim they get huge battery life increases by “turning off all the apps they’re not using”, or killing specific apps. But when actually put to the test, these supposed battery gains disappear, and nobody ever seems able to point to specific apps, or explain how an app that’s not even in memory can be using resources. Humans think they see patterns in random data all the time. If it makes you happy to shut the apps down, go ahead – but it’s almost certainly not necessary or helpful (remember that the ability to even do it is hidden, most folks never do it at all and are perfectly happy with their devices.) I’ve never seen a reproducable case where it helps, personally, and I use a LOT of apps.
I use a GPS app on my phone and there’s a definite drain if I leave it on even if it’s not in use. I find the same for the personal hotspot.
A GPS app won’t draw power; leaving GPS connectivity on does.
Hotspot mode is not an ‘app’ in this context - turning it on will definitely result in increased power to the wifi adapter, as it broadcasts an SSID that other wifi devices in range could pick up. You should certainly leave this on when you don’t need it.
Also, if you leave it on, some other person may try to connect their device to your hotspot. If the password is random enough, they may not get in, but that’ll draw power on your iphone too, just for it to negotiate the authentication attempt.
What’s more, if an app is indeed running in the background, at least it used to be that it had to notify you of such activity by showing an indicator in the top bar. Like the solid arrow for GPS or a play symbol for music.
Yes - but of course, GPS apps generally stay connected to GPS even when they’re running in the background (by design, so you can record tracks without the app being open). It’s easy to forget to disconnect them when you don’t need them, which leads to battery drain.
Not long after I got my iPhone, I wondered why the battery was losing about 30% charge overnight. The reason was that when I closed down a GPS app (the excellent Viewranger), I didn’t disconnect from GPS first. The app has since been tweaked so that it only stays connected to GPS if you are actually recording a track, so you no longer have to remember to disconnect.
Personally, I close apps I don’t use regularly. Some apps I use regularly are Safari, Mail, Phone, Messages, etc.
I’ve noticed sometimes if my Internet doesn’t work, closing all apps fixes it. I think some apps were causing it.
Arghh. You DO need to close your apps if they are GPS apps that keep the receiver running, displaying the location services icon showing at upper right, and draining your battery unacceptably.