How to prevent apps from running in the background on Android

Applications running on Android are one of the reasons why your Android device is getting slower and slower. These applications not only take up memory but also drain the battery very quickly. Therefore, to save battery, memory and make your device work faster, you should block these applications.

How to check which apps are running in the background on Android

The Developer Options menu on Android provides access to a variety of useful features and detailed information about your device's functionality. One notable option in this menu is Running services , which provides a list of apps running in the background along with their respective RAM usage. Here's how to access it:

1. Open the Settings app , scroll down and tap About phone .

2. Go to Software information and tap Build number 7 times to enable Developer Options.

3. Enter your PIN (device passcode) and you will see the message You're now a developer .

4. Go back to the main Settings menu and tap Developer options at the bottom.

5. Scroll down and find Running services . Tap this to see a list of apps and services along with their memory usage.

You can also navigate to the battery usage menu in Android to find out which apps are using the most battery. This information can help you make informed decisions about which apps to stop to extend your Android phone's battery life.

To check your apps' battery usage, open the Settings menu and go to Battery . The apps that use the most battery will appear at the top. Look through the list to find unnecessary apps, and make a note of them for the next steps.

How to Stop Android Apps from Running in the Background

There are a number of ways to stop apps from running in the background on your Android, depending on whether you want immediate intervention or more automated, adaptive solutions. We'll look at a few approaches.

1. Force stop the application

If you want a specific app to stop running in the background until you open it, you can force stop that app using the following steps:

1. Open the Settings menu and go to Apps .
2. Scroll through the list or use the search tool to find the app you want to stop and tap it.
3. Click on the Force stop option .
4. Press OK to confirm.

Note that this option is not perfect as some applications may start automatically.

2. Limit battery usage for apps

On Android , you can limit the battery usage of specific apps, preventing them from running in the background unnecessarily. To limit battery usage for an app on your Android, follow these steps:

1. Open the Settings app and scroll down to select Apps .
2. Locate and select the apps you don't want running in the background.
3. Scroll down and tap on the Battery option under Usage .
4. Select the Restricted option .

As noted in this menu, restricting an app may prevent notifications from showing up. Be careful to only use this option for apps that don't send you time-sensitive information.

3. Enable Adaptive Battery feature

Adaptive Battery on Android uses Google 's DeepMind AI to understand your usage patterns over time and limit background activity for apps you don't use often. This option is ideal if you don't want to manually force-quit apps all the time or configure battery usage settings for individual apps. To enable Adaptive Battery:

1. Open the Settings app and go to Battery .
2. Tap Background usage limits .
3. Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner and select Adaptive Battery.
4. Turn on the toggle for Adaptive Battery.

If this utility isn’t enough for your needs, you can consider a third-party app like Greenify to hibernate apps and prevent them from running in the background. However, be aware that many of these apps are no longer actively developed, so it’s best to stick with Android’s built-in options.

How to stop background apps on Samsung

Too many background apps can make your phone slow and sluggish. On Samsung devices, you can easily manage unwanted apps to ensure optimal performance.

How to put apps into sleep mode on Samsung

Samsung phones come with a lot of pre-installed apps, and the more apps you have on your phone, the more likely they are to run in the background. This not only drains your battery faster, but also takes up processing power and slows down your phone.

To fix this, Samsung lets you put apps you don't use often to sleep. To do this, go to Settings > Battery > Background usage limits .

Here, turn on Put unused apps to sleep . This allows your phone to detect idle apps and automatically put them to sleep.

To do this manually, you have two options: Sleeping apps or Deep sleeping apps . The first option only runs in the background occasionally, so you'll still get their notifications, but they may be delayed. This is ideal for social media apps, mobile games, streaming apps, and the like.

The following apps never run in the background and only become active when you open them, so you might miss their notifications altogether. This is great for pre-installed Samsung apps that you never use, like AR Zone, Galaxy Themes, AR Emoji Editor, Samsung Max, or Samsung Kids.

In the menu, just tap the + icon and select the desired app.

Some apps need to run in the background all the time to function properly. These are called resident apps. However, having too many of these apps can affect performance.

So, you should review them and put the apps that you don't find useful to sleep. To do this, go to Settings > Device care > Memory > Memory resident apps .

Following these tips should keep your phone running like new. Just don't go overboard with putting apps into Deep Sleep mode, as they'll take a little longer to open the next time you need them.

Good luck!

You can refer to some articles below:

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• How to turn off Auto-Correct mode on Android device?