background app refresh

NO. It is very smart at controlling the apps. The only time that an app may even refresh is when it is either active on the screen or when it is sitting in the multitasking area. If you double tap the home button you can see all the apps "in the background" . Any app that is closed, by swiping it off the screen, will not receive any background updates regardless of what the settings are.

This is unique to iOS 7.

The apps that end up in the background multitasking area and have Background refresh for the individual app turned on will refresh their data as follows: 1) when you are actively using wifi and/or have strong cellular signal and you actively bring an app from the multitasking area to the foreground; 2) after an automatic time delay set by iOS 7 that coordinates all open background applications that need refreshed by connecting to the cellular network or internet together in order to limit the number of times the network needs to be accessed. Normally an app won't be given permission to fetch data on its own.

The downside to this is that if you accidentally close (swipe) an app or you don't realize an app is closed that app will not get any updates until it is opened again. This is a feature built into iOS 7 that cannot be changed.

yes, it saves battery life. it even says in the page where you turn it off

It actually says it "may" conserve battery. They say that generically incase an app glitches or is a heavy data app like navigation or pandora. Also, you can switch apps off that you don't want auto-updated. And, if all of your apps are closed (not in multitasking) Background refresh doesn't apply as settings won't make any difference.

The question here is generic, “Does turning off background app refresh saves battery” so the generic answer is “yes”,it does. Like what you said if the user leaves a map app open in the background it’s going to use data and location services which leads to more battery consumption. The user has to do the right settings and have to close the apps that he has enabled to use back ground app refresh in the multitasking screen.

So for people who don’t do that and leave a lot of apps open in the background leads to reduction in their phone's battery life.

Turning off background app refresh extends your battery life and it is listed as one of top tip to extend iphone battery life in almost all the tech websites( you can do a Google search).

I agree with you completely about it being generic "yes" because anything drawing power for network connections is going to drain the battery. That being said, just saying you should turn off a key feature of the operating system to conserve power lessens the experience and the user friendly aspect included with iOS 7. It also depends on which phone you have as to how the battery will be affected. For example if you have the iPhone 5s then apps using location services that utilize the m7 processor won't use any additional battery while in the background with refresh on.

If you use Reminders or Find My Friends and don't have BG Refresh turned on and apps in multitasking state, they will NOT function. You won't receive any notifications as to your reminders due by time or location. The weather that shows on the Today View on the luck screen also requires refresh to be on. A nice feature is that it does show which apps use GPS, so rarely used apps can be turned off if desired. **We are working on parts of Find My Friends now to enhance geofencing, as not all users are able to experience it functional with iOS 7**

iOS 7 learns when you like to use your apps and can update your content before you launch them. So if you tend to check your favorite social app at 9:00 a.m. every day, your app will be ready and waiting for you. That’s multitasking with background refresh. The new services allow your app to update information and download content in the background without draining the battery unnecessarily. The updates can happen at opportunistic times and are intelligently scheduled according to usage, so your app can update content in the background just when you need it.

I have 616 apps in my iPhone 5s, 50 of which are in refresh. I can go an entire day on a charge. If people start just shutting off new features it will lessen their experience.

Hi,

I think you got me wrong, I am not asking everyone to turn off their background app refresh. I was merely replying to poster assuming that the main intension of him to post this question is that he needs to prolong his battery life.

I know how the background refresh works and I too think it's a awesome feature and I would like my soccer scores and news ready in their morning when I check my phone while going to work.

Yes,it works even better in the 5s because of th co-processor and for those with older models, it's a bit of pain due the drain.

Anyways I think the poster got more information than he intended.

have a good day.

Peace.