ardchoille said:
I'm learning more about my new iPhone 4S. I've learned that I can double-click the home button, long-press an app and then tap the minus signs next to the listed apps.
My questions are:
1. What does that actually do, exit background apps?
2. Tapping the home button when in an app puts that app into the background, correct?
3. Is there any consequence (phone system resources) to just leaving apps run in the background all the time?
Thank you all. This community ROCKS!
1) what quitting the application via the app switcher does, is free that apps paused state, also freeing a small amount of memory...depending on how long the application has been paused.
2) not exactly, but has the potential to. Most apps from the app store cannot run in the background. when you press the home button the app becomes "paused" in RAM. While there are a small number of applications (seems to be growing tho) that actually will take advantage of Apple's native API, allowing it to run in the background (for no more then 10 minutes) most just pause what're they were doing and reactivate when you open the app again. Apple's stock apps can run in the background when you press the home button for a while. These apps include Mail, Safari, Music, Phone. You can quit either of these apps, but they will just start up again, even if they do not show in the switcher.
3) Not exactly, but has the potential to. As I said, most apps cannot run in the background....but if they can...then I would quit them when you don't want to use them anymore.
As for most apps....well iOS takes care of those apps for you. When an app is in a paused state, and your phone needs more RAM, it will force quit whatever is paused in the background for the longest amount of time, as the phone needs memory.
Most times the apps you see in the switcher are not paused nor running in the background at all. The app switcher is merely a list of your most recently used apps.
But to directly answer your question....no....there is no consequences to leaving apps in the switcher. Your phone will run just fine. As I said....iOS takes care of multitasking for you. It is smart enough to know when to quit a process wen it needs more RAM.
Now when I say it is not needed I don't mean you can run 5 100MB games switching between them or to just open as many applications as you can. I mean....be reasonable. Certain games can have a very small effect on performance you you keep the paused (like going back to the game frequently to play it, then leave the app again).
Basically find out which applications actually can download data when closed, and which apps cannot very easy to test your apps.
If the app you closed, has finished doing what it started doing, then it uses Apple's native API to background. (but Apple's API does not allow any app store app to run more the 10 minutes in the background).
If the app starts loading again rite where you left it then it cannot run in the background.
Another thing I love about Jailbreaking. A tweak called "Backgrounder". Assign any custom slide gesture, tap/double tap, or button press and you have total 100% control over what can run in the background and what cannot. You can force literally any application to run in the background......with true background multitasking(even when the app has no support for native backgrounding at all).....and can disable the app from backgrounding, while still keeping it paused in RAM(can also choose to quit it completely).
