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How to tell what apps are "running" in multitasking pane?

My understanding of how the ipad works is that when one presses the home button, the open app closes. However, when multitasking using the bar, how does one determine which apps are actively running versus which apps are simply displayed as part of the recently used apps list? I often have multiple safari windows plus a few apps open at one time. (I know I can view the safari windows by hitting the "windows" icon on the menu bar.

I'd like to be able to conserve battery life by killing background apps when necessary. But there is no "task pane" to see what's open at any given time.

Any help appreciated,

Message was edited by: keyboardoperator

MacBook Air 11 (wife), iPad2 64GB WiFi (shared), Acer Win 7(main machine)

Posted on Mar 18, 2011 10:58 AM

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Posted on Mar 18, 2011 11:10 AM

No, when one presses the home button the open app does not necessarily close if it is capable of multitasking (for example Pandors radio).

The recent apps bar is really for selecting among recent apps. That is to say it is a way to switch between apps without having to go to the app screens to find the app.

Note only a subset of apps are actually capable of multitasking and these are rather obvious when they are running. There is an indicator to the left of the battery level indicator which indicates this (>).

Message was edited by: JimHdk
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Mar 18, 2011 11:10 AM in response to keyboardoperator

No, when one presses the home button the open app does not necessarily close if it is capable of multitasking (for example Pandors radio).

The recent apps bar is really for selecting among recent apps. That is to say it is a way to switch between apps without having to go to the app screens to find the app.

Note only a subset of apps are actually capable of multitasking and these are rather obvious when they are running. There is an indicator to the left of the battery level indicator which indicates this (>).

Message was edited by: JimHdk

Mar 18, 2011 11:20 AM in response to keyboardoperator

There are not many apps that can actually run in background. Things like Pandora or the iPod app will continue to stream audio in background, but presumably you would notice if they were running then. Some apps may be able to use the location services in the background, but you will see a little purple arrow icon in the top right of the screen then (right next to the bluetooth and battery icon) if they are running.

Most apps in the recent tasks bar are not running - they are just cached so they will load faster when next launched.

Mar 18, 2011 11:58 AM in response to dlg_az

dlg_az wrote:
Double-click the home button and the task bar appears at the bottom; any running apps are located there. Long press any icon and the little delete icon shows up for each icon; press and it closes.

This is the problem. There is no distinction between running and recently used. At least not visually.

Or maybe I don't have any apps running in the background. I've never seen anything up by the battery icon.

Mar 18, 2011 12:08 PM in response to JimHdk

JimHdk wrote:
No, when one presses the home button the open app does not necessarily close if it is capable of multitasking (for example Pandors radio).

The recent apps bar is really for selecting among recent apps. That is to say it is a way to switch between apps without having to go to the app screens to find the app.

Note only a subset of apps are actually capable of multitasking and these are rather obvious when they are running. There is an indicator to the left of the battery level indicator which indicates this (>).


Let me give an example. I just opened an app called My First Puzzle Toys. From the app home screen there is no close or exit option. With the app open, if I touch the home button on the bottom of the bezel, does this close it? Or is it still running? Similarly, if I double click the home button and choose Safari from the list, are both then running? Another example: I just double clicked the home button and launched Labryinth. The game's home screen has no exit choice. If I double click the home button and choose Safari, is Labrynith still running?

Maybe I just don't understand how this os works. Do apps not use memory if they are not actively shown on the screen?

Message was edited by: JimHdk
JimHdk wrote:
No, when one presses the home button the open app does not necessarily close if it is capable of multitasking (for example Pandors radio).

The recent apps bar is really for selecting among recent apps. That is to say it is a way to switch between apps without having to go to the app screens to find the app.

Note only a subset of apps are actually capable of multitasking and these are rather obvious when they are running. There is an indicator to the left of the battery level indicator which indicates this (>).

Message was edited by: JimHdk

Mar 18, 2011 12:30 PM in response to keyboardoperator

As mentioned, there are very few apps that can run in background - the iDevices simply do not support true multitasking. Most apps that can run will be obvious - they will continue to produce audio output, or like location services, there will be an icon or some such. The very, very few exceptions are Apple's own apps like mail, where, if you use push mail or timed fetch, it will be running in the background to get your mail.

Other than that, yes, when you click the home button when using Safari, it quits. The items in the task bar are simple cached which allows them to load faster, since their previous state is retained. But they are not actively doing anything.

Mar 18, 2011 12:36 PM in response to Michael Black

Michael Black wrote:
As mentioned, there are very few apps that can run in background - the iDevices simply do not support true multitasking. Most apps that can run will be obvious - they will continue to produce audio output, or like location services, there will be an icon or some such. The very, very few exceptions are Apple's own apps like mail, where, if you use push mail or timed fetch, it will be running in the background to get your mail.

Other than that, yes, when you click the home button when using Safari, it quits. The items in the task bar are simple cached which allows them to load faster, since their previous state is retained. But they are not actively doing anything.

Thats what I was wondering. Thank you for the clarification.

How to tell what apps are "running" in multitasking pane?

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