How to Stop Apps From Running in the Background on Android (2024)

Not all apps on your Android device need to run in the background. If you're experiencing lag or excessive battery drain, you can conserve resources by preventing unnecessary apps from running in the background on your phone.

How to Check Which Apps Are Running in the Background on Android

The Developer Options menu on Android provides access to various useful features and insights into your device's functionality. A notable option within this menu is Running services, which provides a list of apps operating in the background along with their corresponding 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 the Build number seven times to enable Developer options.
3. Enter your PIN (device passcode), and you should see a You're now a developer message.

See Also

All You Need to Know About Background DataDeveloper Options: How to use the "Background process limit" featureHow to turn off Background App Refresh on iPhone and background data on Android | AsurionWhy You Shouldn't Always Close Apps on Your Android Phone

Once you've activated developer mode, follow the steps below:

1. Return to the main Settings menu and tap Developer options at the bottom.
2. 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 consuming the most battery. This information can help you make informed decisions about which apps should be stopped to extend your Android phone's battery life.

To check the battery usage of apps, open the Settings menu and head to Battery. Apps using the most battery should appear at the top. Go through the list to find non-essential apps, noting them for the next steps.

How to Stop Android Apps From Running in the Background

There's more than one way to stop apps from running in the background on your Android, depending on whether you prefer immediate intervention or more automated, adaptive solutions. We'll go over a few distinct approaches to explore.

1. Force Stop Apps

If you want a specific app to stop working in the background until you open it, you can force-stop it using these steps:

1. Open the Settings menu and go to Apps.
2. Scroll through the list, or use the search tool, to locate the app you want to stop and tap it.
3. Tap the Force stop option.
4. Hit OK to confirm.

Note that this option isn't perfect, as some apps can start themselves automatically.

2. Restrict Battery Usage for Apps

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

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

As noted in this menu, restricting apps can cause notifications not to show. Be careful to only use this for apps that don't send you time-sensitive information.

3. Enable the Adaptive Battery Feature

The Adaptive Battery feature on Android uses Google's DeepMind AI to understand your usage patterns over time and restricts background activity for apps you don't frequently use. This option is ideal if you don't want to force-stop apps manually all the time or configure battery usage settings for each app individually. To enable it:

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

If this utility doesn't do enough for you, you might consider a third-party app like Greenify to hibernate apps and prevent them from running in the background. However, note that many of these apps are no longer in active development, so you're best off with Android's built-in options.

While preventing apps from running in the background offers certain benefits, doing so has its fair share of downsides. One of the key drawbacks is the potential impact on real-time notifications. Additionally, apps that require constant syncing or refreshing of content may not function as effectively.

Furthermore, closing frequently used apps can lead to slower loading times and higher CPU power consumption. This is why we don't recommend constantly closing apps on Android.