How To Disable Background App Refresh In iOS 16

Estimate Cost : 0

Time Needed : 3 minutes

In most cases, there’s really no problem with it. However, if you’re on a limited cellular data plan and you already have a lot of apps refreshing in the background, then you might end up incurring higher bill charges at the end of the month. So it’s better to just disable the background app refresh to prevent that. 

Here’s how it’s done: 

1. From the Home Screen, find and tap Settings.

   
   This will bring you to the main Settings screen where you can change the settings of your device’s features and services. 

2. Scroll down and bit to find General and tap on it once found.

   
   This will open the screen with settings that have immediate impact on your device. 

3. Find and touch Background App Refresh.

   
   You will then be brought to the screen that lists down the apps that have permission to refresh in the background. 

4. Tap Background App Refresh at the top.

   
   You will then have a couple of options to choose from. By default, Wi-Fi & Cellular Data is enabled. This allows the apps to refresh in the background regardless whether you’re connected to the Wi-Fi network or cellular data. 

5. Tap Off to select it.

   
   This will disable background refresh for all apps and if you choose this option, you will have to open the apps so they can pull down updates from their respective servers. 

6. Tap Wi-Fi to select.

   
   When selected, apps are only allowed to refresh in the background if your iPhone is connected to the internet through a Wi-Fi connection, which is cheaper than cellular data. 

7. Tap Back at the top-left corner to go back to the previous screen.

   
   It will bring you to the screen where you can choose which app will be allowed or disallowed. 

8. To disallow the app, tap the switch next to it to disable it.

   
   Once you’ve done that, the app you selected won’t be able to refresh by itself unless you open it.