How to check what's running on your phone
On most phones, you can see which apps are currently active by opening your recent apps view or checking your running processes. The exact steps depend on whether you use Android or iPhone, but both let you see what's consuming your phone's memory and battery right now. This matters because some apps run in the background even when you're not using them, and knowing which ones are active helps you understand what's draining your battery or using your data.
The difference between installed apps and running apps is important: you might have 200 apps on your phone, but only a handful are actually running at any given moment. Running apps are the ones using your phone's processor, memory, and battery. Seeing this list is the first step to understanding what's happening on your device.
Key Takeaways
- On Android, swipe up from the bottom or tap the recent apps button to see which apps are currently open; on iPhone, swipe up from the bottom or use the app switcher to see your recent apps.
- Apps that run in the background — like location services, messaging apps, and social media — can drain battery and data even when you're not actively using them.
- You can force an app to close by swiping it away in the recent apps view, but some apps will restart themselves if they're set to run in the background.
- Checking Settings on Android or Battery in Settings on iPhone shows you which apps have used the most power over the last day or week.
Checking running apps on Android
On Android, the quickest way to see what's running is to open your recent apps view. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and hold for a moment, or tap the three-line menu button (if your phone has one) — the exact gesture depends on your phone model and Android version. You'll see thumbnails of apps you've used recently, and these are the apps currently in memory.
For a more detailed view of what's actually consuming resources, go to Settings, then About Phone, and tap Build Number seven times to unlock Developer Options. Go back to Settings, scroll down to Developer Options, and tap Running Services. This shows you every process running on your phone, including system services you didn't start yourself. Most of these are normal — they're part of Android's core functions — but this view tells you exactly what's using your phone's processor and memory.
If you want to see which apps have used the most battery, go to Settings, Battery, or Battery and Device Care (the name varies by manufacturer). This shows you a ranked list of apps by power consumption over the last 24 hours or the last week. An app that's using 30% of your battery is either running constantly in the background or has a bug that's making it work harder than it should.
Checking running apps on iPhone
On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open the App Switcher, or on newer iPhones with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner. You'll see cards for each app you've used recently. These are the apps that are either currently open or were open recently enough that iOS is keeping them in memory. Swipe left or right to browse through them, and swipe up on any card to close that app.
To see which apps are using the most battery, go to Settings, Battery, and tap Battery Usage. This shows you a percentage for each app based on how much power it's used in the last 24 hours or the last 10 days — you can toggle between the two. An app using 40% of your battery in a day is either running constantly or has a problem. Tap any app name to see more detail about when it was active.
Unlike Android, iPhone doesn't show you a raw list of running processes. iOS manages background activity more strictly — apps can't run indefinitely in the background the way some Android apps can. But you can still see which apps have permission to run in the background by going to Settings, General, Background App Refresh, and looking at the list there.
What background running actually means
When an app is "running in the background," it doesn't necessarily mean it's actively doing something every second. It usually means the app has permission to wake up periodically, check for new data, or respond to events — like a messaging app checking for new messages, or a weather app refreshing the forecast. The app might only be active for a few seconds each time, but those seconds add up across the day.
Some apps are more aggressive than others. A social media app might check for notifications every few minutes, while a banking app might only check when you explicitly open it. Location-based apps like maps or fitness trackers can be especially heavy on battery because GPS is one of the most power-hungry features on your phone. If you see an app using 20% or more of your battery and you're not actively using it, that's worth investigating.
System apps and services — things like Google Play Services, System UI, or iOS's own background processes — will always show up in your running apps list. These are normal and necessary. They handle things like push notifications, location services, and syncing your data. You shouldn't try to force these to close, because your phone will just restart them immediately.
How to stop apps from running in the background
If an app is draining your battery or using data in the background, you have a few options. The simplest is to close it from your recent apps view — swipe it away on Android or iPhone. But if the app is set to run in the background, it will likely restart itself after a few minutes or hours.
A more permanent solution is to turn off background activity for that specific app. On Android, go to Settings, Apps, find the app, tap Battery, and select Restrict or Don't Allow Background Activity (the exact wording varies by manufacturer). On iPhone, go to Settings, General, Background App Refresh, find the app, and toggle it off. This tells the app it's not allowed to run in the background, though some apps may still receive notifications or wake up when you open them.
If an app is consistently misbehaving — using way more battery than it should — you can uninstall it entirely. Go to Settings, Apps (Android) or Settings, General, iPhone Storage (iPhone), find the app, and select Uninstall or Remove App. If you're not sure whether you need an app, you can also try disabling it temporarily to see if your battery life improves.
Understanding battery and memory usage
Battery usage and memory usage are two different things. An app can be using a lot of memory (RAM) without using much battery, or vice versa. Memory is how much of your phone's working space the app is taking up. Battery is how much power the app is consuming. A photo editing app might use a lot of memory while you're editing, but once you close it, that memory is freed up. A location-tracking app might use less memory but drain your battery constantly because it's running GPS in the background.
If your phone is running slowly, high memory usage might be the culprit. If your battery is dying quickly, high battery usage is the problem. The battery view in your phone's settings is usually more useful than the memory view, because battery drain is something you actually notice — your phone dies faster. Memory issues are usually only a problem if you have dozens of apps open at once, which is rare on modern phones.
Why some apps restart after you close them
You close an app, and five minutes later it's running again. This happens because the app has permission to run in the background, and something triggered it to restart — a notification arrived, a scheduled task ran, or the app was set to auto-start when your phone boots up. This is normal behavior for many apps, and it's not a sign that something is wrong with your phone.
If an app keeps restarting and you don't want it to, you can disable it entirely rather than just closing it. On Android, go to Settings, Apps, find the app, and tap Disable (this only works for some apps — system apps can be disabled, but third-party apps usually can only be uninstalled). On iPhone, you can only uninstall apps, not disable them, so your options are to remove it or turn off its background activity and notifications.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it bad if lots of apps are running at the same time?
Not necessarily. Modern phones are designed to handle many apps in memory at once. What matters is whether those apps are actively consuming battery and data. You can have 20 apps in your recent apps view and still have good battery life if none of them are doing heavy work in the background. Check your battery usage view to see which apps are actually draining power.
Should I close all my apps to save battery?
Closing apps from your recent apps view doesn't save much battery, because most apps aren't actively running when you're not using them. The apps that drain battery are the ones doing work in the background — checking for messages, refreshing data, or using GPS. Turning off background activity for specific apps is more effective than closing them repeatedly.
What does "cached" mean when I see it in my apps list?
Cached means the app's data is stored in your phone's memory so it loads faster next time you open it. Cached apps aren't actively running — they're just taking up space so you don't have to wait for them to load from scratch. Your phone automatically clears cached data when it needs more memory, so you don't need to do it manually.
Can I see what apps are running on someone else's phone?
No, not without physical access to their phone. You can't see another person's running apps remotely. If you're concerned about what an app is doing on your own phone, you can check your phone's settings as described in this guide. If you're concerned about someone else's phone, that's a conversation to have with them directly.
Why does my phone show apps running that I never opened?
System services and background processes are part of Android or iOS and run automatically — you don't open them yourself. Apps can also be launched by other apps, by scheduled tasks, or by notifications. If you see an unfamiliar app in your running apps list, check your installed apps to see if you actually have it on your phone, or search for the app name online to find out what it does.