iPhone App Switcher

Apple confirms force quitting apps won't prolong battery life

Apple iOS chief Craig Federighi

It has always been a popular belief that force quitting apps in the app switcher will help preserve your battery life, but Apple iOS chief Craig Federighi has finally put the rumor to rest. A 9to5Mac reader decided to ask Apple CEO Tim Cook via email, if he "quits his multitasking apps frequently and if this is necessary for battery life." Cook forwarded the email to Federighi who replied "no and no" thus ending the controversy.

Get the iOS 6 app switcher with VintageSwitcher

VintageSwitcher Cydia

Now that iOS has reached version nine, some long-time iPhone users are feeling nostalgic for the classic look and feel of iOS 6. It was over two years ago when Apple took a dramatic turn and transitioned their mobile operating system to a flat interface. Not all of the changes were cosmetic, as aspects of iOS such as the app switcher saw functional changes. Now anyone who misses the old app switcher can bring it back with the jailbreak tweak VintageSwitcher.

Change the iOS 9 app switcher with Griddy

Griddy settings

Modifying or improving the iOS app switcher has been a favorite pastime of jailbreak developers over the years. Griddy is no different, bringing a grid-styled organization to the app switcher. This tweak provides a variety of customization options, but fundamentally it seeks to replace the overlapping app cards layout featured in iOS 9. Instead, Griddy puts app cards next to each other with the most recently used apps shown first. Once installed, the settings provide a built-in guide on how to use the tweak along with a bevy of different options.

Put Your Favorite Apps in the Switcher with Popular

Popular is a jailbreak tweak for the app switcher that replaces the favorite and recent contacts icons. Instead of these, Popular displays your favorite and most often used apps right above the full size app cards. The tweak dynamically sorts app icons, putting the most-used apps first, right next to your favorites.

iOS 8 app switcher tweak

Once installed, there are several customizations that can be accessed via Settings -> Popular. When it comes to the most "popular" apps, usage statistics can be viewed directly in the settings. The Maximum Icon Count can be adjusted anywhere from 5 to 75, which controls how many apps will appear in the launcher.

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