How to Close Apps on the Galaxy Note 7

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is a fast and powerful phone capable of even running two apps at the same time. However, here we’ll show owners how to close apps on the Galaxy Note 7 to keep performance and battery life in check. There are a lot of different options and controls on the device, as a result this is one of many questions we get asked most.

Doing something as simply as clearing out running apps or closing ones you’re done with sounds extremely simply, but it isn’t for everyone. Those coming from other devices or an iPhone will want to know how.

Read: 8 Best Galaxy Note 7 Screen Protectors

It’s actually extremely easy to quickly close and kill running apps on the Galaxy Note 7, which will help battery life and overall device performance. Now that the phone has been available for a little while and millions of users have one, we’ll show you exactly how to do it. Read on for more details about why and when to close apps, and the full instructions.

For the most part owners won’t need to do anything or close any apps, as the phone and software will mange everything for you. The Android operating system keeps everything in an our of memory automatically for the best experience, but some may want to manually do things. With 4GB of RAM the Note 7 can multi-task with ease, and run multiple apps without a hitch.

With Android 6.0 Marshmallow and a new feature called “Doze” our phones put apps in a low-power state in the recent apps menu, ready to be opened when needed, and saving battery the rest of the time. They actually go into a deep-sleep state and barely take any power, but still let notifications through. Users can swap between apps with ease using the touch of a button, and overall the system does a great job. However, if you still want to kill them yourself, here’s how.

Instructions

Removing or closing apps out of memory or the recent apps menu on the Galaxy Note 7 is relatively easy and the same way it has been done on Samsung devices for years. It’s different from the iPhone though, and select other Android devices which is why many owners end up needing to learn how. There’s a dedicated multi-tasking capacitive button to the left of your main home key, and this is where we’ll need to navigate.

Simply tap the overlapping rectangle-like button to the left of the dedicated hardware home button and fingerprint scanner. This key brings up all recent apps or running apps on the phone. In here we can swap in and out off different apps in seconds, swipe each one away, or close everything at once.

After you click the recent apps button there will be a Rolodex-style card view of all currently running apps, and as you can see there’s a big “Close All” button at the bottom. We’ll get to that in a moment.

Just swipe your finger on each box to swipe away and close that particular application. It’s that easy. Any saved progress or website will have to reload next time you use that application, or even start over, which could use more battery than you actually save. The image above shows the menu, and me swiping to clear an app in the right screenshot. Do the same and you’ve successfully closed apps on the Note 7.

Read: How to Speed Up the Galaxy Note 7 in Seconds

Above we mentioned hitting the Close All button, and that it isn’t a good idea. Here’s why. We’d recommend users leave things like phone, messages, or even the browser in here, especially if you use these often. Clearing the SMS text app only means it will need to restart the next time you get a text, wasting battery. This same rule applies to all apps, so only close the ones that are no longer needed at the moment, and let the system manage it all. Specific apps like games, Google Maps and others may be more taxing, and you can close those if you’d like.

Hitting “Close All” will completely close all open, running, or apps waiting to be re-opened. This means websites will be lost, a text will be erased, that video in YouTube you were on and more will all be gone. There’s nothing wrong with that aside from what we mentioned above, so only do this at select times. Like before bed, at work, or when the phone won’t be needed for the foreseeable future. Otherwise the system will have to reopen it again.

That all said, swipe away any apps you no longer need on the Galaxy Note 7 and keep performance in top shape. While you’re here, see our guide linked to above to make your phone even faster. Stay tuned for more Note 7 how to coverage.