The App Switcher on an iPhone always starts out empty after completing setup, then it starts getting filled up as soon as you launch an app for the first time. But because of https://www.macrumors.com/2016/03/10/force-quitting-apps-doesnt-help-battery/, swiping apps out of the App Switcher makes no sense and requires the app to be reloaded the next time it is launched, which results in reduced battery life.
So, to eliminate the confusion, one thing Apple could do is to make the App Switcher always full, i.e., listing every single app on your device without exception, regardless of whether they are "running" or not. Then, one could no longer swipe apps out of the App Switcher, or the App Switcher would not be full anymore. Instead, pressing and holding on an app in the App Switcher should display a menu with the "Close app" option, and pressing that option would then close the app without removing it from the App Switcher.
Another thing that Apple could do is to try to reduce the number of apps in the "not running" state as much as possible. To do this, the device would automatically try to open every single app on the device without exception and then immediately move them to the "suspended" state while remaining in the memory. Apps that do not fit in the memory would be kept in the "not running" state, so the state would not be completely gone. Alternatively, Apple could instead get rid of the "not running" state altogether while still moving all apps to the "suspended" state by default. Should this be done, then that would mean that Apple would need to increase the size of the RAM, and apps that still do not fit in the RAM would need to be deleted from the device altogether. Restarting the device also should not clear any apps out of the memory, but instead keep them in the "suspended" state.
Would both of these solutions (an "always full" App Switcher and elimination of the "not running" state) lead to long-term benefits (including battery life)? If so, then perhaps Apple should make the App Switcher always full and eliminate the "not running" state in a future release.
Should Apple implement both solutions, then closing an app would still be possible, but doing so would require one to press and hold on an app in the App Switcher and then selecting "Close app" from the menu. Then, the app would still remain in both the App Switcher and the RAM while being moved to the "suspended" (not "not running") state to allow for faster loading with less battery power the next time the app is opened.
So, to eliminate the confusion, one thing Apple could do is to make the App Switcher always full, i.e., listing every single app on your device without exception, regardless of whether they are "running" or not. Then, one could no longer swipe apps out of the App Switcher, or the App Switcher would not be full anymore. Instead, pressing and holding on an app in the App Switcher should display a menu with the "Close app" option, and pressing that option would then close the app without removing it from the App Switcher.
Another thing that Apple could do is to try to reduce the number of apps in the "not running" state as much as possible. To do this, the device would automatically try to open every single app on the device without exception and then immediately move them to the "suspended" state while remaining in the memory. Apps that do not fit in the memory would be kept in the "not running" state, so the state would not be completely gone. Alternatively, Apple could instead get rid of the "not running" state altogether while still moving all apps to the "suspended" state by default. Should this be done, then that would mean that Apple would need to increase the size of the RAM, and apps that still do not fit in the RAM would need to be deleted from the device altogether. Restarting the device also should not clear any apps out of the memory, but instead keep them in the "suspended" state.
Would both of these solutions (an "always full" App Switcher and elimination of the "not running" state) lead to long-term benefits (including battery life)? If so, then perhaps Apple should make the App Switcher always full and eliminate the "not running" state in a future release.
Should Apple implement both solutions, then closing an app would still be possible, but doing so would require one to press and hold on an app in the App Switcher and then selecting "Close app" from the menu. Then, the app would still remain in both the App Switcher and the RAM while being moved to the "suspended" (not "not running") state to allow for faster loading with less battery power the next time the app is opened.
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