How to Close Apps on Apple Watch (watchOS 10 Updated)

While watchOS 10 has many cool features, it has taken away the convenience of closing recently opened apps through the side button. Haven’t you realized it yet? Well, get your Apple Watch out and press the side button. Do you see the recent apps dock? No? Fret not; this guide will show you how to close apps on your Apple Watch after the watchOS 10 update.

I am sure you’re overloaded with questions at the moment. Does shutting background apps help improve your watch’s battery life? You may wonder why closing recent applications is so important or whether you can clear open tabs without the side button and whatnot. Well, we’ll address all your queries in this explainer. Keep reading.

Should You Close Background Apps on Apple Watch

While the watchOS 10 brought significant changes to the closing of running apps, it is important to shut down background applications. If you’re wondering why, background apps could potentially have a negative impact on your watch’s battery life.

In other words, if your battery takes a couple of hours to go from 100-0%, with applications in the background, the battery drain could happen quicker.

Further, leaving apps running in the background takes a hit on the performance of your Apple Watch. This is because these background apps occupy RAM. In turn, your watch slows down. So, any task that could be done in a jiffy would take longer.

Furthermore, opening newer apps you try to launch would take a significant time. For instance, you have 5 apps open in the background of your Apple Watch. Now, you open Clock. This would take much longer time due to the congestion caused by already open apps.

How to Close Open Apps on watchOS 10

Closing running apps on the watchOS 10 isn’t an uphill battle. It is just that the new update has moved away from the side button to launch recent applications. And many users are struggling to find the way out. Here’s how to shut background apps on watchOS 10.

Step 1: Unlock your Apple Watch if you have a passcode. Then, double-press the digital crown on the side of your watch.

Step 2: Now, you can see the recent apps dock on your screen. Swipe left on the app you wish to close and tap the red X icon to close it.

With the above method, you can easily close recent apps on the Apple Watch without the side button. Note that you can close one application at a time via this method. So, after you close an open app, swipe left to close other applications in the background application dock.

If your Apple Watch is still running slow, restart your watch or uninstall apps from your Apple Watch to free up additional storage.

How to Force Close Apps on Apple Watch

While there is no official method prescribed by Apple to force-shut or force-quit Apple Watch apps, there is a workaround.

Once the app you wish to force quit is open, long-press the side button until you see the Emergency SOS screen. Next, press and hold the digital crown till the app closes and the watch face appears. That’s it!

FAQs for Closing Apps on Apple Watch

Shew Unwanted Apps Away

Unwanted apps not only slow your Apple Watch but also drain the battery significantly. To ensure your Apple Watch runs perfectly, you better shut down the applications running in the background. Even if the traditional side button has been removed to open the recent apps’ dock, use the digital crown for the deed.