Since your smartphone has become an integral part of your life, optimizing your device’s performance is crucial for a seamless user experience. One common culprit that can slow down your Android device is apps running in the background. To let your device work in optimal best condition, you must stop apps running in the background occasionally. In this guide, we’ll learn how to identify and stop all apps running in the background with a single click thereby stopping them from draining your device’s battery and resources and enhancing your device’s overall performance.
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How To Find Apps Running In The Background?
To stop apps running in the background, you must know what apps are running in the background. There are multiple ways to identify background running apps.
Check Recent Apps
The recent apps menu on your Android device lets you know about the apps running in the background with a single click. Open the recent apps menu by tapping the recent apps button or square button on your bottom navigation bar (depending on your device model). It is usually the button other than the home and back buttons on the navigation bar. After tapping on the button, tap or swipe on the information you see on the screen depending on your device to see which apps are active in the background. This provides a quick overview of recently used apps that might still be running.
Check Battery Usage
Another useful indicator of background app activity is your device’s battery usage and statistics. Any app consuming more power than it needs to run is an indication that it is running in the background. To check for any abnormal battery usage, go to “Settings” and select “Battery” or “Battery Usage”. This section shows the battery usage of all apps individually. Go through them and shortlist the apps you think are consuming more battery. High battery consumption for an app may indicate significant background activity.
Use Developer Options
Android’s Developer Options offer more advanced insights into your device’s processes. By default, Developer Options are not enabled on your device. To enable them, go to “Settings”, “About phone”, and “Software information”, and tap the “Build number” multiple times. Once enabled, access Developer Options in the settings menu. Look for “Running services” to view a detailed list of processes and apps associated with them.
Those are a few easy ways to identify apps running in the background. Now let’s learn how to stop apps running in the background.
How To Stop Apps Running In The Background?
Recent Apps Menu
The easiest way to stop apps running in the background is in your recent apps menu. As mentioned above, the recent apps menu shows recently used apps that are still active even when not in use. You can stop them from running in the background with a single tap. Simply expand the app list and stop them all individually by tapping on the corresponding “Stop” button. It’s as simple as that, but it is not as effective as other methods shown below, because it shows only the recently used apps (active or recently opened).
Adjusting App Settings
After identifying the resource-hungry apps with the above-shown methods, go into “Settings”, and “Apps”, and select the app you want to manage. Look for the options related to notifications or sync intervals, Mobile data or background activity, and Battery. Tap on each option and adjust them accordingly to minimize an app’s impact on your device’s performance. For instance
- Deny notifications permission if you don’t want to be notified from that particular app.
- Disable the “Allow background data usage” option if you don’t want the app to use your internet when it is inactive.
- Set Battery Usage for the app to either “Optimized” or “Restricted” to stop it from running in the background and draining your device’s battery.
Developer Options
If you’re comfortable accessing advanced Android settings, you can enable Developer Options on your Android device where you can force stop apps running in the background. After enabling Developer Options by following the above-mentioned guide, locate the “Running services” option. Tap on it to see the apps that are active in the background. Tap on the app you want to stop from running in the background and click the “Stop” option to stop that particular app’s background activity.
You can also restrict/stop apps running in the background with another Developer Option called “Limit background processes”. Locate the option and set the allowed background processes number to lower. This restricts the number of background processes that can run simultaneously, potentially improving your device’s performance.
Using Task Manager Apps
If you want to see all background running apps at once and stop them from running in the background with a single click, then task manager apps such as “App Killer: Close Running Apps” are a good choice. It provides a more user-friendly interface for monitoring background processes, and it is easy to use. After installing the app, launch it, allow required permissions, and tap on the “Close All Running Apps” option to see the list of all apps that are active even when they are not in use.
You can then force-stop all apps running in the background by clicking on the rocket icon at the bottom of the screen. It’ll take a minute or two depending on the number of apps. The app also allows you to force-stop system apps and whitelist certain apps that you want to keep active all the time. It’s one easy way to spot all background processes at once and stop all of them with a single click.
Conclusion
Identifying and managing apps running in the background is a fundamental step toward optimizing your Android device’s performance. By utilizing the built-in settings, checking battery usage, exploring developer options, and using certain task manager apps, you’ll gain necessary insights and maintain better control over your smartphone’s resources. Stay proactive, and regularly review background app activity for a smoother Android experience.
