How to close apps on Android devices

Leaving an app on your Android device does not close the app. Instead, the app just runs in the background in case you need to get back to it quickly. You need to know how to close apps on your Android device in order to improve the speed of your phone and give memory a breather.

Apps that run in the background are like a window that is minimized on your computer. When you minimize a window on a computer, you are not closing it completely. The only way to completely close a window on the computer is to press the X in the upper right corner. Then how do you completely close the apps on your phone?

Continue reading: How to hide apps, photos and files on Android devices

How to close apps on Android

There are two different ways to close apps on Android. And each method has a different purpose.

There is a way to just close your apps so they don’t use up so much of your phone’s memory. Your phone will usually run faster and the battery will slow down when you close your apps this way.

Connected: Using Do Not Disturb mode on Android

Then there is another way to close your apps through the app manager. This is known as the force closing or force stop of an app. You should only close an app in this way if the app is active and in its current state is unusable. Forcing an app to close can sometimes compromise the integrity of the app. Therefore proceed sparingly.

Here’s how to close apps on Android from your home screen

Every phone is different, so this process can be slightly different for each phone. However, the basics should apply to most Android devices. In the images used for this demonstration, we are using a Samsung Galaxy S9 +.

First, swipe up from the bottom of your phone’s screen. For the Galaxy S9 +, you have to swipe up from the left. If you swipe up, you’ll see all of the recently used apps. The Galaxy S9 + shows a button that says Close all. If you want to close all apps currently open on your device, tap this button.

Some devices may have slightly different wordings or symbols, such as: Delete everything, an X and so on. On other devices, sometimes you have to swipe all the way to the end of your open apps before seeing any type of apps Close all Button.

If you want to close certain apps, you’ll have to swipe each app out individually. If you swipe up an app on the Galaxy S9 +, it will be closed. If you swipe left or right, you can browse all currently open apps.

On other devices, swipe left or right to close apps. You can then swipe up or down to scroll through your currently open apps.

How to force close apps on Android through your app manager

Occasionally, you might come across an app that won’t load properly or keep having problems no matter how many times you close and open it. In this case you need to force close the app. As mentioned earlier, forcibly closing an app can sometimes compromise the integrity or functionality of an app. If so, you may have to uninstall and reinstall the app.

Also read: How to take screenshots on Android

However, many problems can be fixed by simply forcing the app to close. And the process for doing this is really quite simple.

On the Galaxy S9 +, you can tap and hold the app that you want to force. Once the app starts jumping and a small menu with four options appears, click on App information. This will take you directly to the “page” of this app in your app manager. The Force stop The button is at the bottom right.

Not all phones have this useful feature that lets you force close an app right from your home screen. If you can’t access the app’s information by tapping and holding the app, you’ll need to go through your phone’s settings and find the app manager.

On the Galaxy S9 + after navigating to the settingsYou can either use the search function to look for “apps” or scroll down until you see Apps. After you tap on Appsyou should see all of your apps. Then you can scroll down until you find the app you need to force close, click and click on it Force stop bottom right.

On other phones the button could say Close close or in another place, but its purpose will be the same.

Is closing an app the same as uninstalling it?

No, closing an app will quit or shut down, but the app will not be permanently removed from your device. Even forcibly closing an app is not the same as uninstalling an app.

Check out: How to use an Xbox controller on Android devices

Forcing an app to stop is the same as opening Task Manager on your computer and closing an application right from there. There are certain processes that run in the background even after you close an app or program. So, forcing an app to close on your phone will ensure that the app will close everything completely and will essentially restart the next time you open it.

Uninstalling an app means permanently removing it from your phone. If an app is seriously messed up and not working properly, the best thing to do is to uninstall the app and then download it again. If an app is interrupted multiple times, it may be time to contact the customer service team or find a similar app to use if possible.

Make sure to close your apps often

Although your phone won’t stop working if you have too many apps open, it usually works more slowly. Also, you’ll find that if you never close your apps after using them, the battery drains out much faster.

Try to get used to closing your apps right after using them. If that’s too much for you, try closing your apps at the end of the day before bed. Your phone will thank you!

Continue reading: Here’s how to set up voicemail on your Android very easily