The two ways to close an app on iPhone 14
On iPhone 14, you close apps in two different ways depending on what you're doing. The fastest method is to swipe up from the bottom of the screen while you're inside the app — this sends it to the background without fully closing it. If you want to force an app completely shut, you use the app switcher, which shows all your open apps at once and lets you swipe them away individually.
Most of the time, you don't actually need to close apps at all. iPhone manages background apps automatically, and closing them rarely improves battery life or speed. But if an app is frozen, misbehaving, or you just want it completely off your phone, knowing how to close it properly matters.
Key Takeaways
- Swiping up from the bottom of the screen closes an app to the background, which is the quickest method and usually all you need.
- The app switcher shows all open apps at once — access it by swiping up from the bottom and pausing, then swipe individual apps upward to close them.
- Force-closing an app (holding the app icon until a menu appears) should only be used when an app is completely frozen or not responding.
- Closing apps does not free up permanent storage space on your phone — it only stops them from running in the background.
Closing an app by swiping up from the bottom
This is the everyday method. While you're inside any app, place your finger at the very bottom edge of the screen and swipe upward in one smooth motion. The app disappears and you return to your home screen or the app you were using before.
This action puts the app into the background rather than fully closing it. The app stops running, but iOS remembers where you were inside it. The next time you open that app, it returns to the exact screen you left. This is why it's the fastest way to move between apps without losing your place.
Using the app switcher to close multiple apps at once
If you want to see all your open apps and close specific ones, use the app switcher. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen, but this time pause and hold your finger for a moment instead of completing the swipe. The app switcher appears, showing thumbnail images of all your open apps stacked on top of each other.
Once the app switcher is open, swipe upward on any app thumbnail to close it. You can close one app or several in a row — just keep swiping up on whichever apps you want to shut down. When you're done, tap the home screen or swipe down to exit the app switcher and return to your phone's normal view.
The app switcher is useful when you've been using your phone for a while and want to see what's actually running. It also helps if you're troubleshooting a problem and need to close several apps to test whether one of them was causing the issue.
Force-closing a frozen or unresponsive app
If an app is completely frozen and won't respond to taps, force-closing it is the right move. Press and hold the app icon on your home screen until a menu appears with options including "Remove App." Don't tap "Remove App" — instead, tap anywhere outside the menu to close it, then try opening the app again. This forces it to shut down completely and restart fresh.
Alternatively, you can force-close through the app switcher. Open the app switcher as described above, find the frozen app, and swipe it upward with more force than usual. A forceful swipe closes it immediately without the normal animation.
Force-closing should be your last resort, not your first move. It interrupts whatever the app was doing and can sometimes cause data loss if you were in the middle of typing or uploading something. Use it only when an app is genuinely stuck and won't respond to normal closing.
Why closing apps usually doesn't improve performance
Many people close apps thinking it will speed up their phone or save battery. In reality, iOS is designed to manage background apps efficiently. When an app is in the background, it uses very little power or processing speed unless it's actively doing something like playing music or tracking your location.
Closing an app and reopening it actually uses more battery than leaving it in the background, because the app has to launch from scratch instead of resuming where it left off. The only time closing apps genuinely helps is when an app has a bug that makes it drain battery or use excessive processing power — in that case, closing it stops the problem until you update the app.
The difference between closing and deleting an app
Closing an app stops it from running but leaves it installed on your phone. You can open it again anytime. Deleting an app removes it completely from your iPhone, and you'd have to download it again from the App Store if you wanted it back.
If you're trying to free up storage space on your phone, deleting unused apps helps. If you just want to stop an app from running right now, closing it is what you need. The two actions are separate, and closing an app does not delete it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does closing apps save battery on iPhone 14?
Closing apps rarely saves battery because iOS manages background apps automatically. In fact, reopening a closed app uses more battery than letting it stay in the background. Only close apps if they're misbehaving or draining power visibly in your battery settings.
What happens if I force-close an app I'm using?
Force-closing stops the app immediately and closes any unsaved work. If you were typing a message or editing a photo, that work may be lost. Use force-close only when an app is frozen. For normal closing, use the swipe-up method instead.
Can I close all apps at once on iPhone 14?
There's no button to close all apps simultaneously. You can close multiple apps quickly by opening the app switcher and swiping up on each one, but you have to do them individually. Most people don't need to close all apps — iOS handles them in the background automatically.
Will closing an app delete my data or messages?
No. Closing an app does not delete any data, messages, or files. The app's data stays on your phone, and when you reopen the app, everything is still there. Only deleting the app itself removes its data.