📱 How to Close Open Apps on iPhone (Complete 2025 Guide)
iPhones are designed to manage apps efficiently in the background — but sometimes an app freezes, becomes slow, or drains battery.
In that case, you may need to close open apps manually.
Whether you have the latest iPhone 15 or an older model with a Home Button, this guide explains every method step-by-step.
✅ Why Would You Close Apps on an iPhone?
You might want to close an app if:
- An app becomes unresponsive or glitches
- Battery is draining unusually fast
- Your iPhone is slow or lagging
- An app is stuck on a screen
Apple says closing apps isn’t required regularly, but it helps when apps freeze or misbehave.
📌 How to Close Open Apps on iPhones With Face ID
(iPhone X, XR, XS, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
✅ Step-by-Step:
1️⃣ Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold your finger in the middle
2️⃣ The App Switcher will appear showing all open apps
3️⃣ Swipe left or right to find the app you want to close
4️⃣ Swipe up on the app preview to close it
✅ Repeat the process for other apps you want to force close
📌 How to Close Apps on iPhones With Home Button
(iPhone SE, 6, 7, 8)
✅ Step-by-Step:
1️⃣ Double-press the Home Button
2️⃣ The App Switcher will appear
3️⃣ Swipe left or right to view running apps
4️⃣ Swipe up on each app to close it
This method works on all older models with a physical Home Button.
📌 How to Force Close a Frozen App
If an app is stuck and won’t respond:
1️⃣ Open the App Switcher (swipe up & hold OR double-press Home)
2️⃣ Find the unresponsive app
3️⃣ Swipe up to force close
This restarts the app’s background process and fixes most crashes.
✅ Do Background Apps Drain Battery?
Not usually.
Apple pauses apps in the background so they don’t use CPU or battery — unless:
- Location services are active
- Music is playing
- An app is downloading or syncing
If you feel apps are draining power, closing them helps temporarily.
🔋 Bonus Tip: How to Check Which Apps Use Battery
1️⃣ Go to Settings
2️⃣ Tap Battery
3️⃣ Scroll down to see which apps used the most power
4️⃣ Close or uninstall apps causing heavy drain
✅ How to Close All Apps at Once on iPhone
There is no “close all” button on iPhone.
Apple intentionally removed this feature because iOS manages memory automatically.
However, you can close multiple apps quickly:
- Open App Switcher
- Use two or three fingers
- Swipe up on multiple apps at the same time
🧼 Should You Close Apps Every Time?
No. iPhones are designed to keep apps paused in the background.
Closing apps constantly can actually use more battery, because they reload from scratch next time.
📌 Only close apps when:
✅ They freeze
✅ They crash
✅ They drain battery
✅ They use location or network in background
- Apple Support – Close or switch apps: https://support.apple.com
- Apple Battery Usage Guide: https://support.apple.com/battery
FAQs
1. How do I see what apps are running in the background on iPhone?
Swipe up and hold (Face ID models) or double-press Home (older models).
This opens the App Switcher, showing all open apps.
2. How do I force close apps on an iPhone?
Open the App Switcher → Swipe up on the app’s preview until it disappears.
This works for crashes and frozen screens.
3. Does closing apps save battery?
Only sometimes.
Apple pauses background apps automatically, so closing them constantly is unnecessary.
However, closing apps helps if they are frozen, draining battery, or using location services.
4. How to close all apps at once?
There is no built-in “close all” button.
You can swipe up on multiple app windows using two or three fingers at once to speed it up.
5. What if I can’t close an app and the phone is frozen?
Force restart the iPhone:
- For Face ID models: Press Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold Power
- For Home Button: Hold Home + Power together
Conclusion
Closing apps on iPhone is simple — whether you use a modern Face ID device or older Home Button models.
You only need it when apps freeze, crash, or drain battery.
Otherwise, iOS handles memory smartly on its own.
If your phone is slow, try closing heavy apps and restarting your device for best performance.
Want more helpful mobile guides?
Visit SocialTechTalk.com for simple tech tutorials, Android fixes, iPhone tips, and digital solutions.