Let's be honest, we all have a ton of apps open on our iPads at any given time. It's so easy to just hit the Home button and forget about what's running in the background. But just like a cluttered desk can make it hard to focus, a multitude of open apps can sometimes slow down your iPad or even drain your battery faster.
So, are you ready to learn the secret to keeping your iPad running smoothly and efficiently? Excellent! Let's dive in.
Mastering Multitasking: A Step-by-Step Guide to Swiping Away Apps on Your iPad
This guide will walk you through the simple yet essential process of managing your open applications on an iPad. It's quicker than you think and can make a noticeable difference in your device's performance.
Step 1: Unveiling the App Switcher – Your Command Center for Open Apps
Before you can swipe away an app, you need to bring up the "App Switcher." This is where your iPad neatly displays all the applications that are currently running in the background (or, more accurately, paused and ready to jump back into action).
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For iPads with a Home Button (e.g., iPad Air 2, iPad mini 4, older models):
- Gently double-click the Home button (the circular button below the screen). Don't press it too hard, just a quick double-tap.
- You'll see a carousel of app previews appear on your screen, each representing an app that's currently open.
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For iPads without a Home Button (e.g., iPad Pro models, iPad Air 4th Gen and later, iPad mini 6th Gen):
- Place your finger at the very bottom edge of the screen (where the dock usually appears).
- Slowly swipe upwards until you see the app previews start to appear. Keep swiping up a little further until the app previews are clearly visible and take up most of the screen. Think of it like pulling a curtain up from the bottom.
- Don't lift your finger too quickly! If you swipe up too fast and release, you'll just go to the Home screen. The trick is a slow, deliberate swipe and then a brief pause.
Step 2: Identifying the Culprits – Finding the Apps You Want to Close
Now that you're in the App Switcher, you'll see a series of cards or windows, each showing a snapshot of an open app. You can scroll horizontally through these app previews by swiping left or right with your finger.
- Take a moment to look through the apps. Do you recognize all of them? Are there any that you haven't used in days or weeks? These are prime candidates for being swiped away!
- Don't worry about closing apps you're actively using. Your iPad is designed to manage background processes efficiently. This process is more about closing apps that you're truly finished with, freeing up resources, and ensuring they don't consume unnecessary power.
Step 3: The Art of the Swipe – Making Apps Disappear
This is the fun part! Once you've identified an app you want to close, it's incredibly simple.
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With the app's preview card visible, place your finger on it.
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Swipe upwards (towards the top of the screen) with a quick and decisive motion.
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Poof! The app preview will fly off the top of the screen, indicating that it has been closed.
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Pro Tip: You can close multiple apps at once! If you have several apps open and want to close them quickly, you can use two or three fingers to swipe up on multiple app previews simultaneously. This is a real time-saver!
Step 4: Exiting the App Switcher – Getting Back to Business
Once you've finished swiping away all the apps you want to close, you'll want to return to your Home screen.
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For iPads with a Home Button:
- Simply press the Home button once.
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For iPads without a Home Button:
- Swipe up from the very bottom edge of the screen (where the dock is), but this time, do it with a quick and immediate release after the swipe. This is the same gesture you use to go to the Home screen from any app.
That's it! You've successfully swiped away apps on your iPad. Repeat this process whenever you feel your iPad could use a little refresh, or simply as a routine maintenance task.
Frequently Asked Questions About Swiping Away Apps
Here are some common questions you might have about this process:
How to know if an app is truly closed?
Once you swipe an app's preview card off the top of the screen in the App Switcher, it is considered closed and no longer running in the background. It won't appear in the App Switcher again until you launch it again from its icon.
How to know which apps are draining my battery?
You can check your battery usage in Settings > Battery. Scroll down, and you'll see a list of apps and the percentage of battery they've consumed. This can help you identify if a particular app is consistently using a lot of power in the background.
How to force quit an app that's frozen or unresponsive?
The "swipe away" method is essentially a force quit. If an app is frozen, bring up the App Switcher (Step 1), find the unresponsive app, and swipe it away (Step 3). Then, try opening it again.
How to know how many apps are open?
There's no direct numerical counter for open apps. However, by entering the App Switcher (Step 1) and scrolling through the app previews, you can visually estimate how many are running.
How to restart my iPad if apps are still acting up?
If closing apps doesn't resolve an issue, a full restart of your iPad can often help.
- For iPads with a Home Button: Hold down the Top button (power button) until the "Slide to Power Off" slider appears, then drag the slider. Once off, press the Top button again to turn it back on.
- For iPads without a Home Button: Hold down either the Volume Up or Volume Down button along with the Top button simultaneously until the "Slide to Power Off" slider appears, then drag the slider. Once off, press the Top button again to turn it back on.
How to prevent apps from running in the background?
While you can't completely prevent apps from being "paused" in the background, you can manage their background activity. Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh. Here you can disable Background App Refresh for specific apps or entirely. However, be aware that disabling this may limit some app functionalities (e.g., mail not fetching in the background).
How to quickly switch between open apps without closing them?
Instead of swiping them away, you can simply tap on an app's preview card in the App Switcher to jump directly to that app.
How to access the App Library to find apps not on my Home screen?
Swipe left from the last page of your Home screen to access the App Library. This organizes all your installed apps into categories, making it easy to find even those not on your main screens.
How to clear an app's cache if it's taking up too much space?
You can't directly "clear cache" for individual apps in the same way you might on a computer. However, offloading or deleting and reinstalling an app can free up space. Go to Settings > General > iPad Storage. Here you can see how much space each app uses and choose to "Offload App" (which keeps your data but deletes the app itself) or "Delete App."
How to tell if an app is truly crashing or just unresponsive?
If an app quits unexpectedly, closes on its own, or you get an error message, it's likely crashing. If it simply freezes and won't respond to touches, it's unresponsive. In either case, force quitting it by swiping it away from the App Switcher is the first troubleshooting step.
