Q: Is there a better way to close apps on iPad 2?

Strange, on my iPhone, 60+ Apps in recently used tray, none of them running, no glitches, no freezing.

Not once have I had to remove all apps from the recently used apps bar or dock to get an app to run properly. The only time I use it is to quit a 3rd party app that is running in the backgorund such as for the GPS navigation app I use and for a music streaming app.

Removing the Phone app or the Notes app from the recently used apps bar or dock accomplishes nothing.

My source? My source is my job. What part of my comment do you not understand?

There is no such thing as multitasking, I'll admit that, but there is an actual feature/category that lists multitasking as a feature. And you can't tell me I'm wrong because you're not tech support, it's listed in iLog and it's listed in K-Base articles.

The apps are running in the background. They affect performance, battery life and also use cellular data. Don't agree with me? I really don't care. I've solved numerous battery issues and frozen devices by resetting them and clearing the multitasking/recently used apps bar. Yes, they are synonymous. Again, you're not tech support so you really have no basis for your argument.

Julian - you left out the part where I schooled you in regards to Safari and iTunes being listed as "applications." No comment? Didn't think so.

You'd better inform Apple (you know, the company who makes these devices and the OS) that your knowledge is superior to theirs, and they are giving out false information.

Copied from the Support article I linked to above:

"Multitasking in iOS allows you to switch instantly between apps and to resume an app. When you return to an app, you can pick up right where you left off. Multitasking doesn't slow down the performance of the foreground app or drain battery life unnecessarily.

Double-clicking the Home button displays a list of recently used apps. These apps are not necessarily actively in use or open. Most applications are not taking up system resources when running in the background and instantly launch when you return to them. Certain tasks or services can continue to run in the background, and you can determine most by checking the status bar."

I'm sure they'll be very grateful for the corrections you provide...

Xstrandman wrote:

 

My source? My source is my job.

And what job is that? Spreading around false information?

Julian - you left out the part where I schooled you

You haven't schooled anyone. You probably never went to school, so I don't see how you can school anyone.

Now, how many people need to tell you that you are wrong in order for you to get off your high horse?

You can't tell exactly.

Apple designed multitasking in iOS to manage itself. The user should not need to concern themselves about what is running, what is suspended, what is in memory, what background tasks are active. The OS is built to handle all that automatically.

That's why there's no proper "task manager" in iOS. If the OS needs to free up some resources (memory or processing power) the OS will shut down the least recently used app itself.

The only time it might be necessary to manually close an app is if an app freezes (rare) or if an app is using one of the 5 background tasks app developers have access to (such as playing audio, tracking the GPS location, VOIP, or completing an upload) and doesn't provide an in-app function to stop that task.

What about video/TV apps... if I play a video, say from YouTube or some TV/streaming app, and hit Home button to get out, does it still stream data or is that suspended?

The video is quit.

Video apps will just freeze in memory so you can switch back to them and resume the video instantly.

iOS provides no background video tasks. (Music videos played in the Music app will pause both video and audio when the Home button is pressed, unlike audio tracks which will continue playing).

Hi,

I have to "lol" at the guy from "tech support". As a software developer I have a lot of experience with these people and how much they think that they know.

To the original question; I assume you are on iOS5; the recently used apps bar does just contain a list of recently used applications on the device, and there is no real way to see (without using another app) which is using resources on the device.

I believe you can notice some sluggish behaviour when you have lots of apps there because when you press the home button, an app will reside in memory still. Eventually, you might open up an app that needs 100MB memory and, instead of that memory being free, the device has to first free up some memory starting with the oldest app that is on the recently used list that's still in memory that isn't active.

This process doesn't remove those apps from the list. So a slight sluggish behaviour can be the device freeing up some RAM for your app to run.

When you do press the home button on an app, unless the developer has used the appropriate API, the maximum time an app can stay active for is 4 seconds, after that time it is suspended in memory. Some apps that use the API necessary like Skype can maintain the use of certain device functions like audio or data.

There is no native way to see which are active and which are suspended unless you know the app. There are very few that do remain active.

I find the quickest way to "close" the apps en masse to free up memory manually and make sure nothing is running (except native apps like mail and iPod and SMS) I find is, instead of closing the left most app, then waiting for all the apps to shuffle along, you can close them from right to left quicker. You can also close 2 at once if you build up the skill.

You could restart the device, this keeps the apps in recently used; but they all enter the stopped state, so no memory usage.

I'm surprised though you have noticed the time the device spends recovering memory because it's usually very quick unless you are opening a big app.

I hope this helps. If it doesn't I hope you have your answers.

But never belies that apps on the recently used bar are killing your battery or anything like that unless it's Skype and you've only just closed it.

Hi, glad I could offer help.

I would only suggest you use the feedback on the apple site to tell them this.

I've used this to report problems in iOS; I've never had an email response but the problems were fixed, because of me or not doesn't matter.

The only way for a chance to be heard is there really.

I taught my mother to close things as she was finishing, with the 4 finger guest ire to access the recently used apps bar; it's quite quick and easy to just close things as they're done with.

That's said, if you learn which apps stay active (Skype, audio players, download managers) and close them off if you don't want them to stay open (I like leaving Skype open but it does eat battery) and you don't mind a bit of (supposed to be un-noticeable) sluggishness if the memory gets full, you're pretty safe for battery without closing them all off.

Ah yes, grasshopper. But sitting there in RAM, while suspended, is still using memory, even if it can be cleared. And using memory can cause issues, especially if the app freezes. No need for LOLing, or 'wrong wrong wrong' people – I've had experience with software that freezes, and tech support people who couldn't fix it, and hardware manufacturers that don't address the issue until it's on these forums. Apple.