How to Close Apps on iPhone

How to Close Apps on iPhone 16 Pro Max. Why There’s No “Close All” Button in iPhone.

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If you’re new to iPhone or just got the iPhone 16 Pro Max, you might wonder how to close apps and why Apple does things differently than Android. Here’s everything you need to know about managing apps on your iPhone.

How to Close Apps on iPhone Gestures and Force Closing Apps.

How to Close Apps Normally

1. Swipe up from the bottom (and hold slightly in the middle) to open the app switcher
2. Swipe left or right to find the app you want to close
3. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it

Note: On iPhone 16 Pro Max running iOS 18.3.2, this works exactly like previous models.

When to Force Close an App

Only force close apps when:

• An app freezes or stops responding
• An app behaves strangely
• You need to reset an app’s state

To force close:

1. Open the app switcher as above
2. Find the problematic app
3. Swipe it up off the screen (just like normal closing)

Why There’s No “Close All” Option

Apple designed iOS to:

• Automatically manage background apps efficiently
• Keep frequently used apps ready for faster reopening
• Actually save battery life by not fully restarting apps constantly

Closing all apps can:

• Make your phone work harder when reopening apps
• Potentially use more battery in the long run
• Slow down your experience

What Actually Helps Battery Life

Instead of closing apps, try these:

1. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh
2. Disable refresh for apps that don’t need it
3. Check Settings > Battery to see which apps use the most power

How iOS Manages Apps Differently Than Android

• iOS “freezes” background apps in a paused state
• Android keeps more apps actively running in background
• Apple’s approach is why iPhones need less RAM than Android phones
• Both systems work well – just differently

When You Might Want to Close Apps

Consider closing:

• Apps you won’t use again soon
• Apps that are acting up
• Memory-intensive apps (like games) when done playing

But for most everyday apps:

• Just leave them in the app switcher
• iOS will manage them automatically

Tested on iPhone 16 Pro Max

This information applies to:

• iPhone 16 Pro Max (Model A3296)
• iOS 18.3.2
• Works the same on all recent iPhone models

The bottom line? You can stop worrying about constantly closing apps on your iPhone. The system is designed to handle things for you. Focus on using your phone rather than managing it!

What do you think about Apple’s approach? Do you miss the “Close All” button from Android, or have you gotten used to the iPhone way? Let us know in the comments.

Remember: If you’re having actual performance issues, a restart (Settings > General > Shut Down) often helps more than closing apps.