Force Quitting Apps – Should this be a Regular Affair?

Whether it is to streamline your workflow or keep you entertained, you can use several apps throughout your day. From gaming applications to password managers and productivity apps, there are endless options for you to use on your Mac, Windows PC, Android phone, or iOS device. 

Generally, applications run smoothly. If you keep your device updated and regularly update the apps, you should not face any issues because the upgrades fix all the bugs and performance issues. So after you have used the application, you can close it and move on to your next task. 

If you are a Mac user, remember that minimizing an application is not equivalent to closing the app. You can learn how to close apps on Mac on Setapp. Similarly, you can close all running apps on Windows by pressing Control + W. On your Android device, swipe up from the bottom and hold the app to close it, and on your iOS device, you must swipe up from the screen’s bottom on the Home Screen and swipe left or right to close the apps. 

But sometimes, you need to Force Quit an application. 

What is Force Quitting?

There are instances when apps become unresponsive. They remain frozen on the screen and make it difficult for you to do anything else. So you cannot move or close the app and cannot open any other app. That’s when Force Quitting comes in handy. 

There are different ways to Force Quit applications, and it depends on the device you are using. 

• On Windows 

Press Alt + F4 or Control + Alt + Delete to Force Quit the unresponsive application. 

• On macOS

Press Option + Command + Escape on your keyboard to bring up the Force Quit option. Then, choose the misbehaving application and confirm your choice. 

• On Android 

Go to Settings > choose Apps or Apps & Notifications option > See All Apps > select the application you want to force close > select the Force Stop option. Alternatively, you can reboot or restart your device. 

• On iOS

On an iPhone X or later, swipe up from the screen’s bottom and pause slightly in the middle. Then, swipe left or right to close the app. 

If you are using iPhone 8 or earlier, you must double-click the Home button and view the recently used apps. Then, swipe left or right to close the apps. 

What Happens when you Force Quit an App?

Force Quitting applications refer to suddenly terminating the process or program. This might be because they are unresponsive or you don’t want to spend a minute extra in adequately closing the application. 

The option is the best solution when there’s no way of closing an application. However, it would be best if you did not make it a habit of Force Quitting applications, and the reasons are given below. 

Why is it a Bad Idea to Regularly Force Quit Apps?

• Hurts battery life 

If you are an Android user, force stopping apps will not increase the battery life of your device. But if you are an iOS user, force closing apps will hurt the battery life of your device. 

When apps are relaunched after they were Force Quit, they fail to implement tricks to reduce memory and CPU usage. Therefore, whenever the apps are launched, they consume more battery power. Restarting your device frequently will have the same effect. 

• Unsaved data is lost 

Although force stopping an application does not delete the saved data on the device, it deletes the unsaved data. For example, if you are working on a note-taking application and are writing a note. If the app does not auto-save texts, force closing the application will remove what you were writing. 

Similarly, if an application is downloading data or uploading data to the Internet in the background, abruptly closing the application may lead to data corruption. 

This will be a problem if you need this data for the application to work to its potential. 

• Wastes time 

Force Quitting applications and relaunching them again is a waste of time. If you let the applications run in the background, they will not take up a lot of memory, and Internet usage will also be minimal if you tinker with the app’s permissions. 

So you must only Force Quit apps if they malfunction and there’s no other option. 

The Bottom Line 

Force Quitting applications are a good solution if the apps have frozen or malfunctioned. But do not make this option your go-to whenever you want to close applications. Instead, ensure to properly close applications if you preserve the device battery or want to stop apps from running in the background. 

So let this option be a problem-solving technique that you use only when needed. Do not misuse this solution, or it can adversely affect your device.