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Hard Closing an App

← Apps - General
Sometimes, just rebooting an app (not the whole phone) is all it takes. However, many of us struggle since there isn't a big button somewhere how to "reboot" an app. It is what the industry calls now the "hard close" of an app. Sometimes, like rebooting a computer, it can come in handy to re-initialize app settings and clear up any memory issues, cache, etc. 

So how do you "Hard Close" an app? 

The Hard Close
Typically, when you launch an app on a device, it opens the app. Many people, when they are done, simply tap the "home" button on their phone to close it - that is called a "soft close" because while the app is no longer visible or (some) running, they do have an instance that continues exactly where you left off when you view multiple windows. Viewing multiple open windows/apps is either a main button on your Android phone or on an iPhone it is a double tap on the home button. 

Hard closing an app means really actually shutting it down, though it still stays on your phone on the hard disk. It's really just that it will have to be "opened" or started again to begin doing anything (including monitoring background tasks). 

Often it is good to go into multiple app view just to close down apps that may be in the background but that you don't really care about anymore. Keeps things running smoother on the device. 

For Android, tap the multiple window/app button, swipe to the app you want to close, and then (most Android) it is a swipe to the right to "hard close" the app. 

For iOS, tap the home button twice fairly quickly, and then swipe to the app, and swipe up. 

Of course, after looking it up, that is only one way...

http://www.wikihow.com/Close-Apps-on-Android

http://www.imore.com/how-kill-or-force-quit-apps-iphone-ipad

Sometimes, even a full reboot of a device is necessary. To reboot an iOS device, hold the power button down for a couple seconds. You will be prompted to turn off the device by sliding the indicator to the right. After it shuts off, tap the power button again. To hard-reboot a non-responsive phone, press and hold the power button and home button at the same time until the phone reboots. 


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