Apps for phones are great. They load quickly and are well-tuned in general. But have you ever noticed that after a while of use, they load faster? There’s no trick in your mind; that’s how Android phones often work. They don’t close apps when you’re done with them. It stores them in its memory instead. This makes it faster to switch between apps, and Android can usually fix it if it starts to use too much memory.
But that only sometimes happens. Sometimes, you have to close an app, either because it’s slowing down your phone or because you don’t want it to be running in the background. Not only can you close one app, but you can also close all of them at once. Last but not least, there is the “force close” nuclear choice.
We’ll show you how to do all of them. Here’s how to close Android apps quickly.
How to close Android background apps
The best way to close an app on Android is to swipe it away from the menu screen. This process can be different depending on your version of Android and the brand of phone you have, but in general, it’s the same whether you have a Google Pixel 8 Pro or a OnePlus 12. The steps below will make it easy to close applications.
Step 1: To access your hectic interface, choose one of these options:
- If the bottom of your phone screen has three icons, tap either the button with three vertical lines (Samsung Galaxy phones) or the button with a square shape (most other Android phones).
- Sliding up from the bottom to the middle of the screen, holding for a second, and then releasing it will navigate your phone if its system is based on a single horizontal line.
Step 2: Touch the app you want to close, then drag it up and away.
Note: Because there are so many smartphone brands, some older Android devices may have different ways of getting multitasking. For more information on how to multitask with Android, go to the help page for your device’s maker.
How do we close all apps that are running in the background?
You can close all Android background apps with a single button press, which is another choice that may help you get more done on your phone. This can be useful when you need to free up memory for other apps to run. To close all Android apps in the background with a quick tap, follow these steps.
Step 1: To access your hectic interface, choose one of these options:
- If the bottom of your phone screen has three icons, tap either the button with three vertical lines (Samsung Galaxy phones) or the button with a square shape (most other Android phones).
- Sliding up from the bottom to the middle of the screen, holding for a second, and then releasing it will navigate your phone if its system is based on a single horizontal line.
Step 2: Keep swiping to the right on the multitasking screen until the list ends. You don’t have to do this step on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra or some other phones.
Step 3: You should now see a button that says “Clear all” or “Close all.” Tap this button to close all open programs.
Note: As we already said, because there are so many smartphone makers, some older Android devices may have different ways of accessing multitasking. For more information on how to multitask with Android, go to the help page for your phone’s maker.
How to shut down an Android app all the way
An application might sometimes fail to close normally, or it might leave other services running in the background. In such a case, you can force-quit the program by going into the Android Settings and tapping the Stop button. To close an app by force on most Android devices, do one of the following:
Step 1: Open the app that says Settings.
Step 2: Choose “Apps” or “Apps & Notifications.”
Step 3: You might have to choose To see all the open apps, go to “See all apps.”
Step 4: To swiftly exit an app, touch on it.
Step 5: Click on “Force stop.”
Step 6: Click “OK” to confirm your choice.
Hi, I’m Amelia John — a Canadian writer with a background in English and Professional Writing. For the past four years, I’ve helped brands craft content that connects, from blog posts to web copy.
