Are there any tangible examples of why background app refresh should be on?

[Ggvfvgbffbf]

So I turned BAR off on my iPad when I was tethering to save data. I'm back on wifi now but will be tethering again soon.

One thing I've noticed tho is that I can't think of a single instance of where I've been inconvenienced or had to wait due to having BAR off.

BAR strikes me as a little 'unApple'. I don't really know what it does and think iOS should know what to do for the best.

Anyway, can anyone provide specific examples of how BAR switched on actually improves things? Maybe I'm missing it but I just don't see any tangible benefit or any improved readiness within apps when it's on.

 

[stooovie]

Absolutely! Two prime examples I enjoy all the time are Pocket and Evernote. New content I have added to them is already there when I open the app, without having to open these apps and waiting to pull the new stuff first. It can also save a little bit of cell data as it pulls it of your Wifi before you try to access it when you're out.

 

[parrot5]

For example, people taking underground transit where there is no cell signal available (hi majority of Toronto). Then you don't have to remember to preload Pocket articles or Twitter feeds to read before you get underground.
I guess for (the majority of ) plane rides too. Or people with weak cell signal at work.

 

[phobos512]

So something I've never quite understood is - do I need BAR on to get say Twitter DMs, Instagram messages, Kik? Or is there some other mechanism? I've left BAR on because I expect it is needed for this stuff but i'd love a conclusive statement thereto.

 

[parrot5]

So something I've never quite understood is - do I need BAR on to get say Twitter DMs, Instagram messages, Kik? Or is there some other mechanism? I've left BAR on because I expect it is needed for this stuff but i'd love a conclusive statement thereto.

No, notifications are separate. I turn off BAR for the majority of apps and I still get the notifications from Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, news apps, game news apps, forum apps, etc.

 

[Abazigal]

BAR is one of those things which sounds good in theory, but has been quite hit and miss for me.

For example, the feature claims to be able to track when I typically use my app and intelligently fetch data for me prior to that. In actual practice, it has never really worked for me. Sometimes, it's nice for when I open Tweetbot and find that a couple of tweets have been preloaded for me (handy that one time I was in the toilet cubicle and there was no reception there). But the problem is that this is not consistent enough for me to depend on it.

The pedometer app claims to use BAR to show me the number of steps I have taken as a notification badge number, but it refreshes so infrequently that the number is never accurate; I either have to open the app or view the notification widget to get the proper figure.

But I just leave it on anyways because I haven't noticed any real impact on battery life or data usage.

 

[DomC]

I notice in Instapaper with BAR on articles are on the screen when the app opens and there's no waiting for them to be downloaded.

 

[Merkie]

BAR basicaly allows apps to fetch data in the background when notifications come in. Can be handy sometimes when you don't have reception and want to read unread messages.

 

[phobos512]

No, notifications are separate. I turn off BAR for the majority of apps and I still get the notifications from Facebook, Facebook Messenger, Twitter, news apps, game news apps, forum apps, etc.

Thanks!

 

[takeshi74]

You're conflating tangible with your own preferences. There's no tangible benefit for me to turn it off. YMMV. You need to decide based on your preferences and usage instead of assuming this to be a universal matter. If you see no negative impact with it turned off then feel free to turn it off.

 

[Max(IT)]

So I turned BAR off on my iPad when I was tethering to save data. I'm back on wifi now but will be tethering again soon.

One thing I've noticed tho is that I can't think of a single instance of where I've been inconvenienced or had to wait due to having BAR off.

BAR strikes me as a little 'unApple'. I don't really know what it does and think iOS should know what to do for the best.

Anyway, can anyone provide specific examples of how BAR switched on actually improves things? Maybe I'm missing it but I just don't see any tangible benefit or any improved readiness within apps when it's on.

I actually can't see a single good reason to keep BAR off ... oh yes, you are gaining almost 10 minutes os usage out of a day.
No reason to turn off every useful feature just to save a few minutes of battery, since you have an energy saver mode now.

 

[Armen]

I actually can't see a single good reason to keep BAR off ... oh yes, you are gaining almost 10 minutes os usage out of a day.
No reason to turn off every useful feature just to save a few minutes of battery, since you have an energy saver mode now.

I have BAR turned on for every app that has the option.

 

[dk001]

I keep it on for those apps that I want to ensure that shared data is up to date for all devices.
Other than that ... not really.
In reality, for me, it doesn't amount to huge data - less than 1 GB per month on average.

 

[JM]

-Apple says that the apps have to be on the card view (not swiped away).
-email apps (like Outlook or gmail) that push a notification to your phone will flag the system to refresh your email.

Things like Weather will do that refresh thin based on usage, I think

 

[JM]

But really, I haven't tested it or notice any major difference. Might as well leave your important apps on?

 

[akosnitzky]

Whether it makes sense or not, I use BAR for third party maps and weather.

 

[0003462]

It can be quite lovely to open Podcasts while on 4G and find latest episodes have already been downloaded when I was on wifi earlier.

 

[stooovie]

It can be quite lovely to open Podcasts while on 4G and find latest episodes have already been downloaded when I was on wifi earlier.

Yes, exactly. Podcasts can take a while to download (some hosts are slow), and with BAR you don't have to open the app and wait for the downloads to complete. It's just there.