I've got a friend who keeps uninstalling Facebook and Discord whenever she's not using them, convinced that just having them installed drains her iPhone's battery, even if they aren't open. I've tried explaining that modern smartphones manage background activity pretty well, and that installed apps don't typically drain the battery unless they're actively running or allowed to run in the background. But she just won't buy it. Is there any truth to her belief? How do iOS and Android handle background apps in relation to battery usage, especially for messaging apps?
5 Answers
She might not even realize those apps are still running in the background. Just switching apps doesn’t close them; you'd need to manually close them out to stop any background activity.
On my Android tablet, I can see which apps are using up battery in the background. If your friend is really worried, she could test it out by charging her phone, not using Facebook or Discord, and then checking the battery stats afterward to see where they rank in usage.
Facebook, in particular, has a lot of background processes, including tracking other apps on your phone. Both Facebook and Discord keep running in the background for push notifications, which could affect battery, but it’s unlikely they’d drain your battery on their own while in the background unless there's a glitch.
Technically, yes. Background app refresh can use a small amount of battery, but it’s usually negligible—like less than 1%. You could switch off that feature if you're really concerned.
Honestly, she probably wastes more battery by constantly reinstalling them and spending extra time on her phone to do so!
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