How to Stop Apps Running in the Background on Android (Honest Guide)
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Apps that run in the background use battery and memory. APPtoSD shows Recently used apps and helps you stop the ones you don’t need.
What APPtoSD can and can’t do
Android does not let one app force stop another. APPtoSD suggests apps you may not need and opens the system App info screen for each one, where you tap Force stop. On some Android versions it can also ask Android to close the cached processes of selected apps. An app that is really working in the background is left alone.
Stop apps
- Open Recently used apps. Allow Usage access so APPtoSD can see which apps ran recently and how much storage they use.
- Look at the suggested apps: ranked on your phone by "not used lately and rarely needed in the background".
- Select apps and tap to close or stop them.
- Stopped apps stay stopped until they are opened again; Android confirms each one.
Don’t stop messaging, alarm, health or navigation apps you rely on: they may miss notifications until you open them again. If you open an app again soon after stopping it, APPtoSD learns not to suggest it.
Find apps that grow
Storage history shows your daily storage use and the apps whose size grew the most (app, data and cache). Tap an app to open its App info.
Add Recently used apps to the home screen or use the widget for one-tap access.