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

Most apps do not run in the background, they are just in a suspended state.

No, there isn't a better way to do it, because it doesn't seem that difficult to tap a button twice.

Very few 3rd party apps run in the background since there is no reason or benefit for the overwhelming majority of 3rd party apps to do so. An app being in the recently used apps bar or dock does not mean it is running in the background, it means it was recently used.

For included apps such as Safari, no open websites are updated in the background. The Mail app will continue to receive mail if you are accessing an account that supports push access for received messages or you have Fetch set to automatic, so removing these apps from the recently used apps bar or dock accomplishes nothing in this regard.

http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/04/19/iphone-os-4-multitasking-explained-agai n/

> So it seems that when you run an app and hit the Home button to leave the app, it continues to run in the background

Wrong. The vast majority of apps do not run in the background at all. Only a very small number of particular types of apps run in the background. Search apps as VOIP, music players, and GPS navigation.

The rest are just frozen in memory. You do not need to worry about closing down apps. If the OS needs to free up some memory it will automatically close the least recently used app.

It would be nice if Apple included a preference to automatically close all apps on shutdown. And these apps do take up memory. Their status and 'frozen state' have to be retained in memory for the app to be restored. Look at your memory usage, and then manually close the apps and your available memory will increase.

Most 3rd party apps are quit when leaving the app, but some apps such as games that have been updated to do so will be frozen when leaving the app so you can begin where you left off when re-launching the app.

What problems do you have with an app being in a frozen state taking up RAM?

Wrong. Pretty sure when you hit the home button to leave an app it goes to your multitasking bar. And yes, this goes for more apps than just "VOIP, music players, and GPS navigation." Apps from the app store go to this list as well.

This is no different than using a Mac. You can hit the red "X" to close an appliation, but that doesn't actually "quit" it. Very different than using a PC.

The Apps do go to the Multitasking Bar, but it does NOT mean they are "running". Unless specifically required to run in he background, they are quit.

It is a recently used apps bar or dock and the number of 3rd party apps that run in the background are very few and far between since there is no reason or benefit for the overwhelming majority of 3rd party apps to run in the background. All apps in the recently used apps bar or dock are not running in the background.

http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/04/19/iphone-os-4-multitasking-explained-agai n/

No, YOU are wrong.

The bar that appears when you double-press the Home button is NOT a multitasking bar. It is the recently-used apps list. Apps listed here are NOT all running in the background. Neither are they ALL in memory. It is simply a list of the most recently used apps, in chronological order of when you used them. Want proof? Restart yor phone and don't run ANY apps and bring up the bar. If it showed only running apps, it would be empty straight after a restart. It's not.

Read this from Apple themselves: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4211

You clearly don't understand the concept of multitasking or 'closing apps' on either iOS or a Mac. (On a Mac, clicking the red X closes the window, not the app as you incorrectly state).

Read the link below to educate yourself on iOS multitasking:

http://whenwillapple.com/blog/2010/04/19/iphone-os-4-multitasking-explained-agai n/

Wrong wrong wrong. You clearly don't understand how the device functions. I can call it multitasking because that's what us tech support advisors call it. We even have a "multitasking" option in our database to log issues that pertain to this feature. So, get over it. It's called multiasking, regardless if that's what is truly is or does. Technically, there is no real "multitasking" application for the device, yet the category is still there.

Good job quoting Apple support articles because it's not like I have access to them on a daily basis.

Clicking the red X closes the window/application. And yes, it's called an application because I'm pretty sure things like safari and itunes are listed under Applications when you open finder. So, point for me - moron.

Also, the list of recently used apps also indicates what apps are still running on the device. Yes, these apps are draining battery, affecting performance and also, in some small manner, use data. So, again, you're wrong.

Plenty of people have their devices freeze up or act weird because they have 30+ apps running in the background. Please don't act like you know what you're talking about. It's one thing to act smart on a forum/community board and it's another to actually work with these products on a daily basis.

And... are you just making this up as you go, or do you have a source? Julian is correct.

What ARE you talking about? Clearly you can't read either!

You are TOTALLY wrong on iOS multitasking and the recently-used apps list (accessed by double-pressing the Home button).

You think you know better than Apple's own support articles? You don't. Idiot.

You really do need to educate yourself before continuing to make yourself look like a fool. And god help anyone you give tech "support" to.

You are as wrong as wrong can be.

The apps in the multitasking bar may not be running in the background per se but they don't half hog memory. Try using an app like System and see how much memory is freed up when you shut the apps in the multitasking bar. The only way I can get some of my apps to run properly is to regularly delete all the apps in the bar, a ridiculous situation, why can't they just shut completely when you close them down ?

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