How to Close Apps on Android Phones
Are you having problems closing an app, and you need to shut it down without uninstalling it? Well, we’re here to give you a few tips on how to close apps on Android devices. But before that, here are a few things you should know:
On the latest Android phones, it isn’t necessary to close apps running in the background. Your modern Android OS handles RAM management and the systems running for you. Changing that can do more harm than good, and it will also drain your battery life faster. People spend 90% of their mobile time on apps, so when apps don’t work correctly, it feels like it’s a waste of time.
On some older Android phones, the memory can’t handle apps running simultaneously, causing the phone to slow down. Although, optimizing your phone can help your old phones adjust to the newer software. Shutting down apps is advisable if the app crashes, freezes, or slows down.
Here are a few methods on how to close apps on an Android phone.
How to Kill Apps on Android Devices
Here are a few methods to close your apps on Android. Please remember that frequently closing your apps can make your device run even slower.
Now, without further ado, let’s get started!
Method 1: Close Apps Using The Recent Applications Menu
If you’re looking for the fastest way to shut down apps on your device, using the recent apps menu is the way to go. Take note that clearing the apps through this menu won’t kill the services provided by the app, meaning you’ll still get notifications.
1. Launch the recent apps menu.
Depending on your device, there are different methods to access this menu. Some of you need to swipe up from the bottom of the home screen, tap a square icon on the bottom of your screen, or select an actual button on the phone.
2. Look for the app you want to shut down.
Swipe upwards or downwards (left or right on some devices) to find the app you wish to close.
3. Tap, hold, or swipe to close the app.
If your apps listed horizontally, you need to swipe upwards to do this. But if your apps are on a vertical orientation, swipe left or right to close the app.
If you wish to shut down all of your running apps, there is a “CLOSE ALL” or “CLEAR ALL” feature so that you don’t have to close all of them manually.
Method 2: Forcefully Stopping Apps
Using the Force Stop feature on your device also kills the background processes and services of the app. So if your app is always crashing or you’re having similar problems with it, force stop your app and clear the cache afterward.
1. Go to the Apps menu.
Navigate to your Settings from the notifications bar or your app drawer. Scroll down and tap on Apps.
2. Select the app you wish to shut down.
Modify the menu and show all the apps on your device. From there, look for the app that is causing the problems and select it.
3. Choose Force Stop.
On the app page that you’re in, look for the Force Stop button, and select the button. If you have decided that the app isn’t necessary for you, you can also uninstall it from there.
4. Confirm.
Once you kill a running app, it won’t restart and run its processes unless you start the app yourself. This way, the app won’t keep on bugging you even though you didn’t uninstall it.
FAQs
Do you need to close apps frequently?
Android manages all the apps running on your device and its RAM allocation, so you don’t need to close apps most of the time. Constantly disrupting this process can have detrimental effects on your device, so unless the app crashed or you’re having problems with it, there is no need to shut down these apps.
When should you forcefully close applications?
Using the Force Stop feature stops all processes and services from the app until you open it again. So, you should only kill these apps if they froze or you’re having problems with it.
Using the Force Stop feature stops all processes and services from the app until you open it again. So, you should only kill these apps if they froze or you’re having problems with it.
Well, if you manually killed an app, it stops all background processes and services up until you open it again. So, to allow it to run again, you need to open the app manually.
Conclusion
To clear things up, your Android device optimizes all of your active apps and RAM management well for a much smoother experience on your phone. Letting apps run in the background allows it to load faster the next time you open it.
Now, forcefully killing apps disrupts how Android runs these processes and how it optimizes your device. But we understand that some of you are looking to free up some memory for storage or fix an app on your phone.
So, whatever reason you have to close your background apps on Android, we hope that these methods helped you do your thing.
Did we miss anything? If so, please share your thoughts and leave a message in the comments section below!
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