The normal routine for most mobile phone apps includes running in the background. That constant activity keeps them functional for when you need them and helps other apps function as well. Sometimes, when your Android device starts to slow down or drain its battery too quickly that may prompt you to investigate what exactly is happening with apps running in the background. To assist in such troubleshooting, we show you how to stop apps from running in the background. You always have the option of turning everything back on when you find and solve the problem. The example below uses Android 10 and references earlier versions.
Newer versions of Android, starting with Android 9.0 Pie, have superior power management features that automatically — via machine learning — limit the background operation of apps that could drain your battery or degrade performance. This Adaptive Battery feature intelligently determines which apps you’ll use sooner, later, or ever based on your past use and limits their use of system resources accordingly.
First, tap Settings > Battery > Battery usage. This screen shows you the total battery percentage, and detail views let you toggle between Show all usage and Show app usage. In the App usage view, you’ll see a percentage next to each entry showing recent battery usage. Look for any app that looks like it uses more than it should. If anything looks suspicious, it could be the culprit.
You can double-check apps currently running by accessing your device’s developer options. Here’s how to do it.
These controls let you look for apps that are suspiciously busy, even though you don’t use them much. You are looking for a third-party app that you installed or some bloatware that you don’t use that seems to be running in the background a lot more than it should. There are many system processes and Google services that you don’t want to mess with. If you don’t know what something is, just type the name into Google and find out. Android cautions you to be careful when switching controls with the apps and services it’s running in the background, as halting processes suddenly could cause crashes or malfunctions. Once you’ve identified any problem apps, there are a few options available to deal with them.
There are various ways to stop an app from running in the background right now, and that might be enough to solve your immediate problem. Just be aware that the next time you open the app, or another app accesses it, these background processes will resume.
If you want to stop an app running in the background and make sure that it doesn’t start up again, then you have a couple of options.
There are a couple of other things you can do to control troublesome apps that you don’t want to get rid of.
Do not use task manager apps. They can cause more problems than they solve and rarely deliver the promised performance boosts. You’re essentially installing and running yet another app to temporarily stop apps running in the background. Android automatically does this when necessary and, as we can see, you can do it quite easily yourself.
Are you tired of paying for streaming services you never watch just to get a phone plan feature you actually want? T-Mobile has good news for you! The carrier is rolling out new plans, called T-Mix, in early November to replace its old Experience lineup with a build-your-own perks system called Picks.
The benefits you choose vary from streaming and gaming to food delivery, AI, satellite service, and phone discounts. But if you are satisfied with your existing plan, you can keep it.
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Apple has finally acknowledged the issue, which has shown up on iPhone Duo units owned by customers as well as demo units in stores. In a statement shared with Bloomberg, Apple says that not all iPhone Duo units are affected and that those that are tend to show the display fault early on. The company added that users who experience problems with their iPhone Duo display should contact AppleCare for a replacement.
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I've covered enough of these fights over the years to know what a shift looks like. That's why what happened in October 2026 genuinely caught me off guard. The day the iPhone Duo went on sale, what may be the most mechanically complex iPhone to date, Apple pulled off a surprising about-face. It published teardown-style repair manuals for a handful of major components.