The iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models run the iOS operating system, which manages system resources efficiently. So you typically don’t need to manually close apps. However, if an app freezes or becomes unresponsive, you can force quit it. Here are the steps:
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When Should You Force Quit an iPhone App?
- The app is frozen or unresponsive
- The app encounters an error that prevents normal usage
- Closing and reopening the app could resolve a temporary issue
You should avoid force quitting apps regularly, as this can negatively impact system performance and battery life.
How to Force Quit a Single iPhone App
- Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to bring up the app switcher. Pause when you reach the middle of the screen. App switcher on iPhone
- Swipe left or right to browse the apps that are currently open.
- Locate the app you want to force quit.
- Swipe up on the app preview to force quit that app. Force quit app
The app will close. You can then reopen it from the home screen to restart the app.
Force Quit Multiple iPhone Apps at Once
You can force quit up to three apps simultaneously:
- Follow step 1 above to bring up the app switcher.
- Place three fingers on the screen over the three apps you want to force quit.
- Swipe up with three fingers to force quit those three apps at the same time.
Force Quit All Apps on iPhone
To force quit all running apps at once:
- Bring up the app switcher using step 1 above.
- Swipe left until you reach the end of the open apps.
- Tap and hold on the “Done” button in the top-right corner.
- Tap “Close All” in the prompt.
All open apps will force quit, exiting to the home screen.
Close Apps from Settings (Force Quit)
You can also force quit apps from the Settings menu, which is useful if an app is misbehaving and you can’t access the app switcher.
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Shut Down.
- Tap Slide to Power Off.
- After the phone powers back on, reopen the problematic app.
This will force quit all apps and restart the phone.
As an app developer with 10 years of experience, I recommend only force quitting apps when absolutely necessary. iOS does an excellent job of managing resources behind-the-scenes.
Force quitting apps can reduce system performance, so use these steps selectively when troubleshooting app issues. Avoid making it a regular habit.
I hope this guide gives you a better understanding of how to force quit iPhone apps. Let me know if you have any other questions!
