The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 smartphone is one of the most powerful devices from Samsung. One that can provide some of the best gaming and app experiences on Android, truly impressive multitasking with two apps on the screen at the same time, drawing with the S-Pen and more.
However, even with 3GB of RAM and an extremely fast quad-core processor, there are moments when it’s useful to shut down unused or unnecessary apps, wasting power and battery. While this may seem like a simple task for most Android owners, most newcomers to this beautiful 5.7-inch display and Note 3 might not know. Surprisingly, we’ve been asked this question a lot, so below is how to close running apps on the Galaxy Note 3.
By default, the Android operating system does an excellent job of multitasking and preserves battery life while keeping apps open. While the general Android rule of thumb is to let the operating system manage your memory, there are times when a user might want to block open apps from running, not to mention the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has 3GB of RAM.
Manually closing apps on Galaxy Note 3 is extremely simple. It’s actually so easy that many users may not even realize that the feature is right in front of them. Unlike iPhone, you don’t have to tap “exit” or “close app” and instead simply manage them as needed.
If you want to turn off Google Maps from wasting battery or data with navigation, or from other apps like a graphics-intensive game, here are a few steps you need to take.
Instructions
The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a dedicated rectangular home button on the lower front of the device, and you’ll want to long press that home button. From here the multitasking and running apps menu popup will appear. This is a great way to get from YouTube to Facebook and back with ease, but this is also where you close and close running apps.
The buttons at the bottom of the screen actually differ slightly from carrier to carrier in the US, but they all do the same thing. After long press on home page you will see icons or Task Manager, Google (Now) and Close all apps. Most operators only have symbols, but some will actually say everything above. The leftmost “X” symbol is near all of them and one tap kills all current running apps.
That is all. Simply tap the X buttons shown above; All apps running on Galaxy Note 3 will be closed. But this is not the recommended or the best way, because things like SMS or Browser, if used frequently, will have to consume more battery to restart the next time you check a message or open a web page.
So instead of killing everything, it’s in your best interest to only close apps you won’t be using in the near future for the day. Closing an app you’ll never use again, like Google Maps, Netflix, Google Music, after a day at work streaming music or for anything else, is as far as the slip of your finger.
After a long press on the home button as detailed above, the image and tile preview of all apps are ready to interact. Instead of tapping Close, swipe the tile for each app you want to close. A neat fading animation clears the app each time you swipe to remove it. This closes the app completely and you’re done.
Again, Android multitasks extremely well and efficiently, so only close the apps you’re really concerned about. Something like your banking app, Netflix or navigation. Some users prefer to turn it all off before going to bed or if they’re going to be at work all day without using the device, but that’s entirely up to you.
Go ahead and give it a try now, but remember to use it wisely, otherwise the phone will just waste battery power-up apps that you closed a few minutes ago.
