How to Close Apps on iPhone 13

Shut down apps quickly whenever you need to

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Updated on December 15, 2021

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What to Know

To see which apps are running on iPhone 13: Swipe up from the bottom a short way and then swipe side to side through the apps.
To close an app: Swipe up from the bottom to reveal all apps > find the app you want to close > flick it up off the top of the screen.
There's no way to close all open apps at once, but you can close up to three apps at a time with some practice.

When your apps or your phone are acting weird, you may be able to solve the problem by closing the offending app. Learn how to see what apps are running, and how to close apps on the iPhone 13, in this article.

How Do You Close Apps on iPhone Without a Home Button?

If you upgraded to the iPhone 13 from a model with a Home button, you may be wondering how you can see what apps are running or close apps on your iPhone 13 without a Home button. Luckily, Apple has added a set of gestures to the iOS, taking the Home button's place. (Even if your Home button is broken, you've still got options.)

On iPhone models with a Home button (the iPhone 8 and earlier), you double click the Home button to show what apps are running. On the iPhone 13 (and all iPhones without a Home button), just swipe up from the bottom of the screen. Swipe about 10% of the way up the screen, and all apps currently running will appear. Just swipe side to side to see them.

Many people believe closing apps is a way to save memory or battery life. That's not true. Only the app you're currently using takes up a significant amount of memory (unless it's an app allowed to run in the background, like the Music app). So, even though you might have 100 apps open simultaneously, only the one you're currently using uses much memory. Closing the other apps doesn't matter. And, when it comes to battery life, closing apps too often can decrease battery life.

How Do I Close All Apps on My iPhone 13?

You can close, or quit, any app running on your iPhone. As mentioned earlier, you only need to do this when an app is behaving oddly, but in that case, here's what to do to close apps on iPhone 13:

From any screen or within any app, swipe up from the bottom of the screen. You only need to swipe up 10% of the way up the screen.
Your current app will get a little smaller and sort of move backwards. You'll also be able to see the other apps that are running.
Swipe side to side to find the app you want to close.
Swipe the app you want to close up off the top of the screen and then let go (sort of flick it away you would a bug on the screen). The app is now closed and you can open it again if you want.

There's no way to close every app running on your iPhone with one action. Even if you restart your phone, all of the apps start running again when it boots up. Your best option is to close up to three apps at once. To do so, follow the first three steps from the last section. At step three, use up to three fingers to tap up to three apps and then swipe them off the top of the screen.

How Do I See Which Apps Are Open on My iPhone 13?

To see the apps running on your iPhone 13, follow the first three steps from the last section. When you swipe side to side, you'll see every open app, whether it's the active app or if it's in the background. The app's name and icon are displayed above the top left corner of the app in this view.

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