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Everyone needs to stop this one bad smartphone habit
Smartphones have become far smarter than we often give them credit for. Yet many of us still hold onto old habits from the early days of mobile devices, like obsessively closing apps to "save battery." Back then, when phones had limited memory and less efficient software, shutting down background apps could make a noticeable difference. Today, however, that's no longer the case.
If you’ve ever found yourself clearing your recents (or app switcher menu) because you think it’ll help your phone “breathe,” it’s time to rethink that habit. Your phone doesn’t need that kind of micromanaging. In fact, constantly forcing apps to restart can end up doing more harm than good.
Why you should stop swiping away your recent apps
Your phone doesn’t need constant tidying
We’ve all done it. You open your phone, glance at your recents menu, and there they are—all your recently opened apps just begging to be swiped away. You start flicking them off the screen one by one, and it feels satisfying, almost like tidying your room. On Android, you can tap the Clear All button to close everything at once, while on iPhone, you have to swipe each app individually. But does clearing them actually make your phone run faster or your battery last longer? Not quite.
When you leave an app, it doesn’t keep running full throttle in the background. Instead, Android and iOS are designed to “pause” the apps you’re not using, freezing them in place so you can jump back in instantly later. Swiping them away, on the other hand, shuts them down completely. That means the next time you open Instagram, your messaging app, or even your camera, your phone has to start from scratch. It's like turning off your car at every red light and restarting it when the light turns green. Sure, it might feel efficient, but in reality, you're using more fuel just to get moving again.
This habit comes from an old-school understanding of how computers and phones used to work. Back then, killing background apps could actually free up memory and improve performance because older operating systems struggled to manage resources. Today's smartphones, however, are more powerful and efficient. They allocate memory dynamically and automatically close processes when they're no longer needed. In most cases, your phone knows better than you which apps to keep ready and which to shut down.
It’s not saving battery—it’s just making your phone work harder
The battery myth you’ve been believing
Clearing your recent apps might feel like a power-saving move, but in reality, it’s one of the biggest smartphone myths out there. When you switch away from an app, your phone’s operating system doesn’t leave it running in full gear. Instead, it smartly pauses the app in a low-power state, with just enough information stored so it can quickly resume when you open it again. Even if you see a dozen apps in your recents menu, they likely are not chewing through your battery life.
The problem starts when you swipe them away every few minutes. Each time you reopen them, your phone has to reload all the data, restart background processes, and redraw the interface. That "fresh start" consumes more energy than simply resuming a paused app.
If your goal is to extend battery life, focus on what truly makes a difference. Lower your screen brightness, use dark mode, turn off Bluetooth or location services when they're not needed, and review which apps are refreshing in the background. Those small adjustments have a real impact. Swiping away recent apps, however, only makes your phone work harder without any real benefit.
Here’s when you should actually swipe away apps
Only swipe when it really matters
There are times when swiping away apps is the right move. While it shouldn't be a daily habit, clearing certain apps from your recents can solve specific problems. The most common scenario is when an app freezes, crashes, or starts behaving oddly. Maybe your music app won't play, or a game refuses to load properly. In these cases, force-closing the app can clear temporary glitches and give it a fresh start.
You should also consider closing apps that continue running tasks in the background when you don't need them. Navigation apps like Google Maps, ride-share services, or food delivery trackers can keep using GPS and mobile data even after you've switched away. Swiping them away once you're done ensures they stop consuming power unnecessarily.
Lastly, if your phone is overheating from gaming or heavy multitasking, closing a few of the most demanding apps can help it cool down faster. In short, swiping away apps should be a targeted action, not a compulsive habit.
Next time you feel the urge to clear your recents menu, resist it. Let those apps stay put. They aren't draining your battery. They're paused, patiently waiting to spring back to life when you need them. Your phone won't clap, but it will reward you with smoother performance.