As it turns out, in most general cases it’s best to leave your apps running rather than close them because the amount of power they use when suspended is negligible — assuming they don’t run background processes — compared to the amount of power required to start them up in the first place. Here are some ways you can preserve your battery from energy-hogging apps while knowing when to leave less vampiric apps open.
- Turn off Background App Refresh by opening Settings and selecting General, then Background App Refresh.
- Tap Background App Refresh in the new menu and select Off to prevent apps from refreshing on their own when not in use.
- Don’t close apps (i.e., swipe up from the App Switcher screen) when you’ve finished using them unless you don’t expect to open them again for a long time.
- It is, however, recommended (and often necessary) to close or restart apps that have frozen or may be acting strangely.
So, as tempting as it may be to shut off your apps when you’ve finished with them, it’s really in your best interest to leave them alone. In fact, constantly reopening apps that you use frequently creates a bigger strain on your iPhone’s battery over time and can lead to an overall faster decline in battery life.