Does it seem like you’re always recharging your smartphone or tablet? Is performance slow? Leaving apps running drains power and computing resources. Here’s how you shut down and reboot your device.
On an iPhone or iPad, simply double-click the Home button at the bottom of your phone or tablet. Every application that’s open will be displayed on a new tray across the bottom. If you’ve never closed apps before, then every one of them will be displayed down there. Don’t be alarmed if you need to swipe across the bottom to see them all.
If you hold a finger on any of them, a red circle with a minus sign will appear on all. Hold your finger on the minus sign, and the icon for the app will disappear. That means it’s closed. Hold your finger on the icon for any app you want to close and do them one-at-a-time. Once they’re closed, they won’t drain any power or use any your device’s computing power. It’s a good idea to do this every night.
You can delete downloaded apps from your wallpaper by holding your finger on any app. This time, you’ll see a black circle with an X. Press the X on the app you want to delete, and it’s gone.
You can reboot your device by powering it off and turning it back on. Just letting the screen go blank won’t do it. To power off your device, hold the power/sleep button down until the red power-off slider appears. Slide it to the end, and the device will power off.
While we focused on iPhones and iPads for this article, your Droid and Windows-based device operate essentially the same way.
By the way, closing down unused programs or apps on your computer will save battery power if you’re not plugged into an electrical outlet. It will also free more RAM and keep your computer running faster, regardless of whether you’re running on battery or electricity.
If you have any questions about what you can safely shut down or delete on your device or computer, give us a call at 973-433-6676 or email us. We can review what’s on your device or computer and help you decide what to do.
This article was published in Technology Update, the monthly newsletter from Sterling Rose LLC.