A Tech Expert Shares A Simple Settings Tip To Make Your iPhone Run ‘Faster’

What is Background App Refresh?

Background App Refresh is a feature on your iPhone that lets apps update their content in the background—even when you're not actively using them. For example: your email app might fetch new messages, or your social media apps could load the latest posts, all without you opening them. It’s meant to make things feel faster and more seamless when you do open those apps, because they’re already up to date. All you have to do is open the apps and, within seconds, all new content will be at your disposal.

There’s a catch, though. All that behind-the-scenes activity can really add up. When multiple apps are refreshing in the background, it can drain your battery faster, slow down your phone, and even use up more data if you're not on Wi-Fi. You might not notice it right away, but over time, your phone can start to feel laggy—especially if it’s an older model or has limited storage. You may not even need your apps to refresh when they’re not in use — this could be a setting that you don’t even miss.

How to Disable Background App Refresh

If you want to speed things up and give your iPhone a little breather, turning off Background App Refresh is super easy. Just go to Settings, tap General, then choose Background App Refresh. From there, you can either turn it off entirely or pick and choose which apps are allowed to refresh in the background. It’s a small change, but for many people, it makes a big difference in performance—and your battery will thank you.