How to clear running apps on iphone 12

Even iOS apps occasionally misbehave — they can crash, or freeze, or otherwise stop working. If you’re new to iOS or just haven’t had this happen before, you may not know how to actually quit an app (as opposed to just swiping it off your screen). Here’s how to quit an app and, if you need to, shut down your phone. (We used a phone loaded with a beta of iOS 16, but this will work with earlier versions of the OS just as well.)

Quit an app

  • Open the App Switcher by either swiping up from the bottom of the screen and then pausing in the middle or (if you have a Home button) double pressing the Home button.
  • You’ll see an overlapping view of all your open apps. Swipe to the right or left until you find the app you want to quit.
  • Swipe up on the app to close it.

How to clear running apps on iphone 12

Open the App Switcher and swipe sideways to find the app.

How to clear running apps on iphone 12

When you’ve found the misbehaving app, swipe it up to quit.

While there isn’t any way to close all of your apps at once, you can swipe off up to three apps at a time by using the appropriate number of fingers. Otherwise, if you’ve got a lot of apps running, you’ll have to simply swipe them off one at a time.

Shut down your phone

If, for any reason, swiping the app off doesn’t solve the problem, then shut down your phone by pressing and holding the side button and either volume button until you see sliders appear. Drag the one that says slide to power off to the right. (If you have an iPhone with a Home button, instead, press and hold the side or the Sleep / Wake button.)

You should then be able to restart it by using the power button.

If worse comes to worst and you can’t shut down your phone this way, you can force restart it. If you have an iPhone 8 or later:

  • Quickly press and release the volume up button.
  • Quickly press and release the volume down button.
  • Press and hold the side power button. After a while, the screen should go black; keep holding the button until you see the Apple logo, which will indicate that the phone has restarted. You can then release the button.

Update September 1st, 2022, 10:11AM ET: This article was originally published on June 4th, 2021, and has been updated to add information on force restarting an iPhone.

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When we switch or minimize any app, it stays in the background on our iPhone. It helps you start from where you left off when you switch back to the apps. If you want to kill the app, there is the option to close the app from the Recent Apps view. However, what if you wanted to close all apps on iPhone at once, rather than just one?

Here we have some effective tips to close all apps on iPhone at once that are running in the background.

Close Multiple Apps at Once on iPhone 12, 11, XS, XR, X

If you are using iPhone X or newer, or an iPhone with Face ID, there is no button press needed to see the recently opened and background apps. You just need to swipe up and hold the bottom bar on your iPhone to see the recent apps.

How to clear running apps on iphone 12

  •  Swipe up a single app to close individual apps.
  • Use multiple fingers to close multiple apps at once on iPhone 12, 11, XS, XR, & X.

How to clear running apps on iphone 12

To close multiple apps on iPhone at once, you can use three or four fingers to touch all apps on the recent apps screen and swipe up. You can only close three apps at a time in the vertical orientation, while the horizontal mode lets you close up to four apps at once on iPhone.

Related: How to Disable Camera and Mic Access to iPhone Apps

Force Close All Apps on iPhone SE 2, SE, 8, 7, 6, 6s

For older iPhone users or the iPhones with a Touch ID, there are different steps involved to see the recently opened apps. If you want to close all open apps on iPhone SE 2, 8, or older, you need to open the recent apps window first. If your iPhone has a home button, double click the home button to see all recently opened apps in the background. After opening, you can swipe up and close apps on your iPhone SE 2, SE, 8, 7, 6s, or 6 models.

  • Swipe up using one finger to close one app
  • Swipe up with multiple fingers on the screen to close multiple apps at once on iPhone.

Just like the iPhone models with Face ID, you can close more apps by swiping up with your three or four fingers.

Related: How to Lock WhatsApp on iPhone with Touch ID/Face ID?

Apple is not planning to add any option to clear all apps on iPhone you opened recently. So, these tips would help you to close all apps on your iPhone in normal cases. There are, however, few other options like jailbreaking your iPhone. We do not recommend jailbreaking your iPhone since it will void the iPhone warranty and may cause issues in the longer run. Hope you now understand how to close apps on iPhone all at once.

How do I turn off apps running in the background on my iPhone 12?

View or Close Running Apps.
Swipe up from the bottom of the screen without removing your finger..
Select the desired app..
Swipe left or right to find the app you want to use..
Swipe up on the desired app you wish to close..

How do I close running apps on 12?

Close one app: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go. Swipe up on the app. Close all apps: Swipe up from the bottom, hold, then let go.

How do I know what apps are running in the background iPhone 12?

To see all your open apps in the App Switcher, do one of the following:.
On an iPhone with Face ID: Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, then pause in the center of the screen..
On an iPhone with a Home button: Double-click the Home button..