It’s official, quitting your iPhone apps using the multi-tasking menu doesn’t save you any battery life – and that comes from Apple’s own head of software engineering.
Craig Federighi, one of the executive team who often appears on-stage at the company’s live events, responded to an email from an Apple super fan that was sent to chief executive Tim Cook.
The customer – Caleb – asked Cook if he regularly quit his apps in the multi-tasking menu, and whether it was needed to save battery life. But it was Apple’s boss of all things software who stepped in to reply, and the response was emphatic.
“No and no. :)”
Apple news site 9to5Mac, which first reported the story, explained that in fact the open apps not having an effect on battery life makes complete sense as when you stop using it, it freezes, with the screens you see in the multi-tasking menu acting more as a neat piece of consistency rather than as an accurate display of battery usage.
It’s been a quiet start to the year for Apple on the product front – with attention instead on an ongoing legal battle with the US authorities over creating a backdoor in encryption to help the FBI unlock an iPhone.
However, rumours are rampant that a new iPhone – a 5c replacement called the SE – could be announced in the coming weeks, before the next version of iOS – iOS 10 – is unveiled in June, followed by the expected arrival of the iPhone 7 in September.