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iOS 12 gets rid of annoying ‘press and hold’ to close apps on iPhone X

The return of consistency is a blessing

iPhone X

Apple is making it much easier for iPhone X users to close apps in iOS 12.

When the iPhone X launched, closing apps was a little different than on other iPhones. Users had to swipe up into the multi-tasking view and long-press on a card. Then they could either tap the small red circle to close the app or swipe up on the app card to close it.

iPhones sporting a home button are simpler — users can swipe up on a card to close it without having to press and hold. Now iPhone X users won’t have to press and hold either.

Android P works similarly with its new gesture-based multi-tasking display. Users can swipe up on cards to close them. Even on older versions of Android, users could swipe cards away to close apps — a horizontal swipe instead of a vertical swipe like in iOS and Android P.

https://twitter.com/pierce/status/708365479618990080

Closing apps on smartphones — whether Android or iOS — doesn’t actually do much. A couple years ago, Google’s vice president of engineering for Android, Hiroshi Lockheimer, tweeted that closing apps is worse if you’re closing apps the system wants open.

The above Twitter thread discussed the effect closing apps has on battery life. The conclusion is to let the system do its thing. Android and iOS are designed to manage running apps for you. If you close an app the system wants or needs open, it’s just going to open it up again — a process that takes more power than just letting the app stay open.

Regardless, the consistency across iOS devices is welcome.

Source: 9to5 Mac

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