Multitask apps can be killed in OS 4.0
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[/dtse]Scott Forstall, SVP of iPhone Software for Apple, appeared to dodge the question of how to kill an app running in the new multitasking interface for iPhone OS 4.0. When asked during the Q & A session post announcement, he stated that it wasn't necessary to kill the apps in the first place. Note he never actually said you can't kill an app, and the iPhone Simulator for OS 4.0 confirms directly that yes, rest assured, you can kill a running app quickly and easily, and it's just as you would expect - tap and hold, and a red dash icon appears over the app. Touch again and the process is killed. Simple, expected, works. See the image to the right for a screen shot.
Really, killing apps is the only reason to have the multitask bar anyway - since multiple instances of running apps isnt possible in iPhone OS, you could simply return to the running app by re-tapping the app icon on the home screen. The multitask bar exists solely for a shortcut to running apps and to kill them from running.
No more stressing in the blogs about apps being killed only by the OS! You do have control if you want it. Likely what Scott was implying is that you just don't have to monitor it if you don't choose to.
Jeff dePascale is a web and mobile applications professional based in Fairfield County, CT.
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July 14th, 2010 - 15:52
You do have to manually kill apps such as TOMTOM and Fstream if you wish to avoid drianing the battery in less than an hour.
The manual procedure is cumbersome:
To remove an application from running in the background, just pull up your quick switch drawer (double-tap the home button), then tap and hold on an app (like you do when you want to delete an app from the home screen until you see a red minus sign (-) on the corner of the app’s icon. Tap it to kill the app
“Just”, “Quick” are oxymorons in the above.
Try this while walking along a road. Watch out for the lamp-post now.