Does swiping away apps save your phones battery life? The answer isn't what you think

Date:
Fri, 26 Dec 2025 16:00:00 +0000

Description:
Most of us panic a little when we realize dozens of apps are 'open' on our phones. But does closing them actually help?

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Even as our phones get bigger batteries and smarter power systems, were still obsessed with squeezing out every last bit of charge. Did I pack a portable charger?Wheres the cable? Does anyone have a spare? Some days it can feel
like keeping your phone alive is a full-time job.

Thats why battery-related myths spread so easily. They promise quick wins and a sense of control. Weve already looked at whether you should charge to 100%
, but heres another myth that refuses to die: that closing all of your open apps will save battery life.

So is that actually true? And if not, what does help? I spoke to experts to find out. The myth Swiping up from the bottom of the screen on iOS opens the App Switcher, where you can close apps by swiping up on their preview. (Image credit: Apple)

The belief is simple. If all of those apps are 'open', they must be actively draining your battery. And swiping them away feels productive and satisfying. As if youre tidying up your phone and giving it less to think about.

You probably already know the app-closing process. On iPhones, you swipe up from the bottom of the screen (or double-click the Home button on the iPhone
8 and earlier), then swipe up on the app to flick it away and close it. On Android, swipe up from the bottom of the screen, hold and let go, then swipe up on the app.

Its easy to see why this belief has stuck. The interface makes those apps
look like theyre sitting there, all running at once, quietly burning through lots of power. Which is why clearing them feels sort of like maintenance. But the way modern phones work is very different from what most people imagine. What experts say

Force-closing apps does not help your battery, Steven Athwal, CEO and Founder of refurbished tech company The Big Phone Store , tells me. Yes, it's a
widely believed hack, but it is misused.

Athwal explains that when you force close an app and then reopen it later, your phone has to reload it from scratch. Doing this then takes power from your processor and RAM, for which your battery pays the price. In other
words, the act of closing and reopening can use more energy than simply leaving the app suspended in the background. TL;DR You dont need to
constantly close most apps. In fact, it can use more power. Instead, turn
down brightness and turn off background refresh and location permissions.

Because, as Athwal puts it, your phone already knows what its doing. Today's phones have the technology to freeze these apps in the background, so you're actually using more power to open them back up than if you just kept them open.

Ritesh Chugh, Associate Professor Ritesh Chugh, a socio-tech expert at
Central Queensland University, Australia, explains whats happening behind the scenes. Both iOS and Android suspend idle apps in memory, which means the
apps stop using the processor and battery until you open them again, so keeping them open does not normally cause extra power use.

He adds that both operating systems have built-in systems Androids Doze and App Standby, and Apples Low power Mode, Adaptive Power and automatic
suspicion that reduce background activity without users needing to
intervene. (Image credit: Apple)

So, if closing apps usually doesnt help, then why do so many people believe that it does? Partly because older phones did handle background apps less efficiently. And partly because its not a complete myth. There are
exceptions.

It doesn't apply to certain apps, Athwal says. GPS, video calls, and data checking apps are all constantly running in the background, even if you minimized them. Swipe these apps away to stop the drain on your battery.

Chugh agrees that its worth doing if something is misbehaving. Closing apps
is mainly helpful in a few situations, such as when an app freezes, drains battery, or keeps using data or location in the background. What to do
instead

So closing apps isnt harmful. Its just not the everyday battery-saving trick many people assume it is. And there are far more effective habits.

Look at screen brightness, its killing your battery, Athwal says. Turn it
onto auto-brightness, or just turn it down if you can. He also recommends turning off background refresh and limiting location access to only the apps that genuinely need it. (Image credit: Future)

Chugh says that small, consistent habits make the biggest difference. Using WiFi instead of mobile data where possible, switching on battery saver mode, and turning off GPS, Bluetooth and 5G when they are not needed can all extend a phones life between charges.

Temperature can be another unexpected enemy. Simple steps like keeping the phone away from extreme heat or cold, as batteries degrade fastest above 35C or below 0C, can also help your battery last longer and stay healthy over time, he explains. Useful advice now that winters here for us poor souls in the northern hemisphere.



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/phones/does-swiping-away-apps-actually-save-your-pho nes-battery-life-the-answer-isnt-what-you-think


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