Pro tip: Closing apps in iOS 7

With iOS 7, the steps for closing running apps has changed. Jack Wallen walks you through the process of closing those apps you no longer need at the ready.

Prior to iOS 7, to close a running app, you could double-tap the home button, which would reveal a row of quivering icons representing running apps. A tap on one of those icons would then close that particular app. However, with the release of iOS 7, that behavior is no longer available. Fortunately, the developers of iOS have seen to it to make the process much easier.

If you double-tap the home button, a preview of each running app will still appear (Figure A). You can long-press any one of those apps all day, but nothing will happen. Instead, here's how you have to end those running apps.

Figure A

iOS 7 Running on a Verizon-branded iPhone 5.

1. Once you've double-tapped the home button, the previews will appear
2. Swipe to either the right or left to locate the app you want to close
3. Tap and hold the app you want to close
4. Swipe upward

When you swipe upward, you should see that app preview fly up and off the screen. Once that happens, the app is completely closed. The one app you can't close is the home screen (which will actually appear in the previews). No matter how much you try to swipe that preview upward, it will bounce back down.

For users who were accustomed to the pre-iOS 7 method of closing apps, this new method isn't that far off. Had you expected those shivering icons, you'd be waiting for a long, long time.

What other iOS 7 tips and tricks do you have up your sleeve? Share your expertise in the discussion thread below.