What closing an app actually does
Swiping an app away removes it from the recent-apps screen and usually tells the phone to end that app’s current session. It can be useful if an app is frozen or behaving badly. But it is not the same as shutting down a process that was steadily draining power: phones typically pause most apps when you leave them and manage background activity themselves.
A paused app may remain in memory so it can reopen quickly. That memory does not automatically mean the app is actively using battery. The operating system can reclaim it when another task needs the space.
Why repeated closing can use more energy
When you reopen an app you forced to quit, the phone has to start it again—loading its interface and restoring its state. That work uses some processing power, so repeatedly quitting and relaunching apps can consume more energy than letting the system keep a paused app ready.
There are exceptions: an app that is stuck, misbehaving, or doing permitted background work can use power, and closing it may help. But routinely clearing every app is not a reliable battery-saving strategy. If one app seems to be draining the charge, checking the phone’s battery-usage settings is more useful than treating the entire recent-apps list as a row of active power drains.
