What is Background App Refresh on iPhone?
Background App Refresh is a feature on iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch that allows apps to check for new content in the background, even when they are not actively running. This feature ensures that your favorite apps are always up-to-date with the latest information, making them launch faster and display the freshest content when you open them. For example, Twitter can fetch new tweets, Facebook Messenger can load new messages, and cloud storage apps can retrieve newly uploaded files.
Why Should You Disable Background App Refresh?
Enabling Background App Refresh can lead to significant battery drain and increased data usage. Since apps are constantly refreshing their content, this can deplete your battery and consume cellular data or Wi-Fi bandwidth. To save cellular data and extend your battery life, disabling Background App Refresh can be a practical solution.
How to Turn Off Background App Refresh for All Apps
To completely disable Background App Refresh for all apps on your iPhone:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to General.
- Select Background App Refresh.
- Tap Background App Refresh at the top of the screen.
- Select Off from the list of options. This will disable background content fetching for all apps on both Wi-Fi and cellular data.
How to Turn Off Background App Refresh for Selected Apps
If you prefer to keep Background App Refresh enabled for some essential apps but disable it for others:
- Open the Settings app.
- Go to General > Background App Refresh.
- Ensure Background App Refresh is set to On or Wi-Fi (if it's Off, tap it and choose Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data).
- Scroll down the list of apps and toggle the switch off for the apps you want to disable Background App Refresh for. This allows you to selectively control which apps can refresh in the background.
Common Issues and Solutions
Background App Refresh is Grayed Out
If the Background App Refresh option is grayed out and you cannot toggle it, it might be due to Content & Privacy Restrictions:
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > Content & Privacy Restrictions.
- Enter your Screen Time password if prompted.
- Ensure that Background App Refresh is not restricted. If it is, adjust the settings accordingly.
Individual App Settings Unavailable
If you find that the toggle switches for individual apps are unresponsive or grayed out, check if Background App Refresh is completely disabled:
- Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh.
- Check if Background App Refresh is set to Off. If so, toggle it back to On or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data to enable individual app settings.
Additional Tips
- Low Power Mode: Background App Refresh is automatically paused when your iPhone is in Low Power Mode, which can help extend battery life.
- Customizing Settings: You can choose to enable Background App Refresh only on Wi-Fi to save cellular data. To do this, select Wi-Fi instead of Off or Wi-Fi & Cellular Data.
By following these steps, you can effectively manage Background App Refresh on your iPhone, balancing the need for up-to-date content with the need to conserve battery life and data.