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How to Stop Apps from Running in Background – Improve Performance

How to Stop Apps from Running in Background

Is your phone’s battery draining faster than usual? Are your apps constantly sending notifications, even when you’re not actively using them? The culprit could be background app activity. Many apps continue to run processes even when you think they are closed, consuming valuable battery life, eating up your data, and potentially compromising your privacy. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to stop background apps from running and reclaim control over your device’s performance and resources.

We’ll explore methods to stop background apps on both Android and iOS devices. By implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve battery life, enhance device performance, and gain greater control over your data usage. Let’s dive in!

Why Stop Apps from Running in Background?

Understanding the reasons why you should stop background apps is crucial before delving into the methods. Here are the key benefits:

Extended Battery Life: Background app activity is a major drain on battery power. By limiting background processes, you can significantly extend the time between charges. Imagine being able to use your phone all day without constantly worrying about finding an outlet!
Improved Device Performance: Apps running in the background consume RAM and CPU resources, slowing down your device. Disabling unnecessary background activity frees up these resources, resulting in smoother performance and faster app loading times.
Reduced Data Usage: Some apps constantly communicate with servers in the background, even when you’re not using them. This can lead to unnecessary data consumption, especially if you have a limited data plan.
Enhanced Privacy: Certain apps might track your location or collect data in the background without your explicit knowledge. Limiting background activity can help protect your privacy.

Stopping Background Apps on Android

Android offers various ways to manage background app activity. Here’s a breakdown of the most effective methods to stop background apps:

Using the Force Stop Feature

The easiest way to temporarily stop background apps is to use the “Force Stop” feature. This completely closes the app, preventing it from running any background processes until you open it again.

Open your device’s Settings app.
Go to Apps or Application Manager (the exact name may vary depending on your Android version and device manufacturer).
Find the app you want to stop.
Tap on the app’s name.
Tap on the Force Stop button. You might see a warning message; confirm that you want to force stop the app.

Important Note: Force stopping an app is a temporary solution. The app might restart automatically if it’s designed to run in the background or if you open it again. It’s useful, however, for quickly killing resource-intensive apps that are causing problems.

Restricting Background Data Usage

Android allows you to restrict background data usage for individual apps. This prevents the app from using mobile data when it’s running in the background.

Open your device’s Settings app.
Go to Apps or Application Manager.
Find the app you want to restrict.
Tap on the app’s name.
Tap on Data Usage or Mobile Data.
Toggle off the Background data or Allow background data usage option.

By restricting background data, you can effectively stop background apps from consuming your mobile data when you’re not actively using them. They will still function normally when you are actively using the app and connected to Wi-Fi.

Using Battery Optimization

Android’s battery optimization feature is designed to help you manage battery usage and stop background apps from draining your battery. You can choose from different optimization levels for each app:

Optimized: This is the default setting, and Android automatically determines when to restrict background activity to save battery.
Restricted: This option severely limits background activity and is the most aggressive battery-saving setting. It might prevent the app from sending notifications or performing other background tasks.
Unrestricted: This option allows the app to run freely in the background without any restrictions. Use this setting only for essential apps that require constant background access.

Here’s how to configure battery optimization:

Open your device’s Settings app.
Go to Apps or Application Manager.
Find the app you want to configure.
Tap on the app’s name.
Tap on Battery or Battery Usage.
Tap on Battery Optimization.
Select the desired optimization level from the list. You might need to tap on “All apps” at the top to see all the apps on your device.

Experiment with different optimization levels to find the best balance between battery life and app functionality. Start with “Optimized” and then switch to “Restricted” if you’re still experiencing excessive battery drain.

Disabling Background Activity in Developer Options (Advanced)

For advanced users, Android offers a more granular control over background processes through Developer Options. You can limit the number of background processes running simultaneously.

Warning: Enabling Developer Options and modifying its settings can affect your device’s performance. Use this feature with caution.

Enable Developer Options: Go to Settings > About Phone. Find the Build Number and tap on it repeatedly (usually 7 times) until you see a message saying “You are now a developer!”.
Go back to the main Settings menu. You should now see a Developer Options entry.
Tap on Developer Options.
Scroll down to the Apps section.
Find the Background process limit option.
Select the desired limit from the list. You can choose from “Standard limit,” “No background processes,” or a specific number of processes.

Setting the background process limit to “No background processes” will effectively stop background apps from running altogether. However, this might cause issues with certain apps that rely on background processes for essential functionality. It’s generally recommended to start with a small number, like “At most 1 process” and increase if needed. Remember to test the apps you use regularly after making this change.

Reviewing App Permissions

Pay close attention to the permissions you grant to apps. Some apps request permissions that are not necessary for their core functionality, potentially allowing them to access your data or run processes in the background without your knowledge.

Open your device’s Settings app.
Go to Apps or Application Manager.
Find the app you want to review.
Tap on the app’s name.
Tap on Permissions.
Review the list of permissions and revoke any that seem unnecessary or suspicious. For example, a simple calculator app shouldn’t need access to your location or contacts.

By carefully reviewing and managing app permissions, you can prevent apps from accessing your data or running processes in the background without your consent. This is an important step in ensuring your privacy and security.

Stopping Background Apps on iOS (iPhone/iPad)

iOS handles background app activity differently than Android. While you can’t completely force stop apps from running in the background (except by completely closing the app from the app switcher), you can control their background refresh behavior.

Disabling Background App Refresh

The “Background App Refresh” feature allows apps to update their content in the background, even when you’re not actively using them. Disabling this feature can significantly improve battery life.

Open the Settings app.
Tap on General.
Tap on Background App Refresh.
You can either disable Background App Refresh completely by toggling the switch at the top of the screen, or you can disable it for individual apps by toggling the switches next to their names.

Disabling Background App Refresh for all apps is the most effective way to stop background apps from consuming battery life. However, this might prevent some apps from receiving real-time updates or notifications. You can selectively enable Background App Refresh for apps that you need to have constantly updated.

Managing Location Services

Apps that use location services can drain your battery even when you’re not actively using them. You can control how apps access your location data in the Settings app.

Open the Settings app.
Tap on Privacy.
Tap on Location Services.
Review the list of apps and their location access permissions:
- Never: The app will never have access to your location.
- While Using the App: The app will only have access to your location when it’s actively running in the foreground.
- Always: The app will have access to your location at all times, even when it’s running in the background.
Change the location access permissions for each app to the most restrictive setting that still allows the app to function properly. For example, a weather app might need access to your location “While Using the App,” but a game probably doesn’t need any location access at all.

Limiting location access can significantly stop background apps from draining your battery and potentially compromising your privacy.

Closing Apps Properly

Unlike Android, iOS doesn’t have a direct “Force Stop” button. To completely close an app on iOS, you need to use the app switcher.

On iPhones with Face ID (no home button): Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold your finger in the middle of the screen until the app switcher appears.
On iPhones with a Home Button: Double-press the Home button to open the app switcher.
Swipe left or right to find the app you want to close.
Swipe up on the app’s preview to close it.

Completely closing an app from the app switcher prevents it from running any background processes until you open it again. This is a more aggressive approach than simply disabling Background App Refresh.

Reducing Motion and Transparency

iOS uses animations and transparency effects that can consume battery power. Reducing these effects can help extend battery life.

Open the Settings app.
Tap on Accessibility.
Tap on Motion.
Toggle on the Reduce Motion option.

Disabling transparency effects can also help. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size and toggle on Reduce Transparency.

While these settings don’t directly stop background apps, they reduce overall resource usage, which can indirectly improve battery life.

Conclusion

By implementing the strategies outlined in this article, you can effectively stop background apps from draining your battery, slowing down your device, and consuming unnecessary data. Remember to regularly review your app permissions and background app refresh settings to ensure that you’re in control of your device’s resources. Whether you’re on Android or iOS, taking proactive steps to manage background activity can significantly enhance your mobile experience.

Start experimenting with these tips today and enjoy longer battery life, smoother performance, and greater peace of mind knowing that you’re in control of your device. Good luck!

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