Thanks Mike for posting this. As one who has often recommended turning off background app refresh, this gives me something to think about.
One phrase in this article that makes me think he may be equating background app refresh with leaving apps in the app switcher is when he said taking them out of the multi-tasking window prevents them from doing their background refreshing…. Well, I’ve seen too many cases where having a bunch of apps in the app switcher has most definitely used up the resources and only until someone clears out their app switcher does their phone go back to operating correctly. This has been even on newer iPhone X’s and 11’s. So I’m not yet convinced that Apple handles leaving things in the app switcher very well. I know they claim to, but I work with a lot of people with iPhones and my experience says they can eat the resources and leave a phone sluggish and/or down right useless until everything is cleared out. If leaving them in the app switcher is the only way to have them refresh in the background, I guess I will just not be taking advantage of this feature. Thanks, Richard PS. Your tag line made me laugh out loud. From: viphone@googlegroups.com <viphone@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of Mike B. Sent: Tuesday, April 7, 2020 12:14 PM To: viPhone <viphone@googlegroups.com> Subject: Background App Refresh, Explained In Lamen's Terms Hi All, I was curious about how background app refresh works and below is an article I found that explains it well. I thought others might have the same query, so here you go. https://connectitcompany.com/background-app-refresh-explained-in-laymans-terms/<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fconnectitcompany.com%2Fbackground-app-refresh-explained-in-laymans-terms%2F&data=02%7C01%7C%7Ce4aa10d365e64137d9f508d7db27ce62%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637218836313351592&sdata=AVqoW1DOvF1TO04RqnljfVpq3Tnc2eq32CQh3G7Ptuc%3D&reserved=0> Background App Refresh Explained in Layman’s Terms by CJ Phillips, Mar 28, 2019 | iOS Background App Refresh Explained in Layman’s Terms Background App Refresh allows your apps to check for new information in the background in an intelligent and controlled manner. Because of Background App Refresh, apps do not get a blank check to run in the background, but instead are only able to refresh at certain times, locations, and battery levels. I absolutely hate blogs that tell people to disable Background App Refresh. Most of these “How to Fix Battery Drain” articles are designed to get clicks and are not very concerned with accuracy. Well I’m here to set the record straight about Background App Refresh. I happened to have written an article about how to fix iPhone battery drain that has received over 2 million+ hits in the last two years. Background App Refresh does not give any app a blank check to run whenever it wants. It actually adds a layer of _intelligence _to the way your phone handles apps in the background. I believe that in some cases, it could actually increase energy efficiency of your iOS device. To get a better understanding of what Background App Refresh adds to the iOS experience, here is Apple’s own definition of Background App Refresh. …Apps can continue to run for a short period of time and are then set to a suspended state so they are not actively in use, open, or taking up system resources. They will instantly launch when you return to them. Certain tasks or services can continue to run in the background. To lessen the effect on battery life, normal app background refreshing is scheduled for efficient times, such as when your device is connected to Wi-Fi, plugged into a power source, or being actively used. When Background App Refresh is on, apps that take advantage of this feature can refresh themselves in the background. For example, an app can check if new content is available and download the updates, or retrieve the updated content in the background when it receives a push notification, so the new content is ready for viewing when you launch the app. Apps can also schedule background refreshing based on your location. If you force an app to quit by dragging it up from the multitasking display, it won’t be able to do its background activities, such as tracking location or responding to VoIP calls, until you relaunch the app. iOS learns patterns based on your use of the device and tries to predict when an app should be updated in the background. It also learns when the device is typically inactive, such as during the night, to reduce update frequency when the device is not in use. To summarize Apple’s definition, Background App Refresh adds a layer of intelligence and efficiency to the way your apps act when you are not using them. It allows apps to temporarily open in the background, receive an update, and then freeze again so it cannot use system resources or drain your battery. The cool thing is that it will plan these little update pow-wows around times you are already using your device, in good Wi-Fi, or in a location you normally check those apps, which can make your iOS experience much smoother. Instead of opening an app you use constantly and waiting for a few seconds for it to update, you open the app and it’s already ready for your eyes to feast upon. Now you have to answer two questions when enabling or disabling Background App Refresh: list of 2 items 1. Do I check this app enough/is it critical for me to have this app up-to-date? 2. (optional) Do I trust the developer of this app to implement it correctly and not abuse it? list end Question 1 is pretty straightforward. Do you absolutely need or want an app to always stay refreshed with current information? If you answer yes, then enable Background App Refresh for that app. Question 2 is a little harder to determine unless you follow the current tech blogs and trends. If you have absolutely no idea how to answer question 2, forget about it. Stick with the first question. For me, question 2 eliminated any Facebook and Google-related app I have installed on my phone. I simply do not trust Facebook or Google to have my best interest in mind because I am not their customer. Both companies see me as a set of “eyeballs” to show me ads, and because our interests don’t align, I’m disabling BAR for any app written by them. Simple as that. A good example of an app that meets both criterion is the best Twitter app for iOS, Tweetbot. I trust the developers at Tapbots, Paul Haddad and Mark Jardine, because of their track record of making fantastic apps, and I check it often enough that I would like for it to be up-to-date when I check it. I have BAR enabled for Tweetbot, and it is usually ready to go when I open it. Background App Refresh is a great feature of iOS 7+, and I hate that fear and misinformation have caused so many people to disable it. It adds a level of efficiency that other devices or operating systems do not possess. These types of thoughtful features is what makes me love my iPhone, and Background App Refresh is a great addition to the iOS feature set. article end Take care. Mike. Sent from my iBarstool. *My body has absorbed so much soap and disinfectant lately that when I pee it cleans the toilet. -- The following information is important for all members of the V iPhone list. If you have any questions or concerns about the running of this list, or if you feel that a member's post is inappropriate, please contact the owners or moderators directly rather than posting on the list itself. Your V iPhone list moderator is Mark Taylor. Mark can be reached at: mk...@ucla.edu<mailto:mk...@ucla.edu>. 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