Should I open all my iPhone apps and leave them running?

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Should I open all my iPhone apps and leave them running?

Okay, I keep hearing that you're not supposed to close open apps on your iPhone because iOS handles memory management so well that it uses less battery to just leave them running. If this is true then doesnt that imply that you should just open every app on your phone and leave them all running all the time, letting the OS manage them for you? And since I have to conclude that this is true, then why isn’t this the default behavior? When you download an app, why doesn’t the OS automatically start it in the background so it’s always available as a running app? Not only would this be more efficient but it would eliminate all the confusion over whether to force close apps or not.

Posted on Feb 7, 2026 9:36 PM

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Answer 1

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Level 9

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Feb 7, 2026 10:19 PM in response to jmoore104

Apps are not running in the background, they are suspended. The battery savings comes from not having to relaunch the app, so no it does not make sense to launch every app first.
Apps that are suspended can be removed at anytime by the OS, so they are not guaranteed to remain there. Less frequently used apps will be removed first when those resources are needed by the OS..
The only time you would ever need to Force Close an app is when it is frozen or not working. That is very rarely the case so there should not be anything to be confused about. I can't remember the last time I had to Force Close an app, maybe 3 or 4 months ago.

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