In iOS 7, apps reset and refresh themselves and lose their place after switching back

[Autumn1261]

Has anyone else noticed that sometimes when you are working in one app, then switch to another to do some other work there for five or ten minutes, then when you switch back to the first app it then resets itself and goes back to its starting screen, losing what you were working on? Or it simply just refreshes itself slowly and unnecessarily but eventually does return you to where you were? The "Background App Refresh" setting has no effect on this since this issue isn't about what apps do in the background but rather what they do when they're brought back to the foreground. I have an iPad 2 and never saw this problem with iOS 6.

I'm not positive but this problem may be limited to the iPad 2, since I believe it has less memory than the iPad 3 and later models (though I may be wrong). The iPad therefore can't handle the change in iOS 7 that I'm guessing was made in how the OS handles switching among apps. I'm not sure about my analysis, just trying to figure out what's happening. Glad to hear what experiences others are having.

 

[twerppoet]

You answered your own question. It is a symptom of not having enough RAM. The iPad 2 has half the RAM as the iPad 3 and later models (if my memory isn't hosed).

When the iPad runs out of RAM, it closes apps to make room for what you are currently using. In iOS 6, this was pretty much and oldest app first thing. In iOS 7 it tries to predict (from usage patterns) what apps you are least likely to want.

It also tries to keep the apps it thinks you'll most likely want next in RAM and updated in the background (to some extent). This might end up causing more problems than it solves on the iPad 2 and it's more limited RAM. You can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off to see if it helps.

 

[Autumn1261]

You answered your own question. It is a symptom of not having enough RAM. The iPad 2 has half the RAM as the iPad 3 and later models (if my memory isn't hosed).

When the iPad runs out of RAM, it closes apps to make room for what you are currently using. In iOS 6, this was pretty much and oldest app first thing. In iOS 7 it tries to predict (from usage patterns) what apps you are least likely to want.

It also tries to keep the apps it thinks you'll most likely want next in RAM and updated in the background (to some extent). This might end up causing more problems than it solves on the iPad 2 and it's more limited RAM. You can go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn it off to see if it helps.

Thanks, twerppoet. Yikes, that would be a drag if that's the case and it sounds reasonable. Yeah, the first thing I did to try to fix this problem was to set Background App Refresh to OFF but that had no effect. This doesn't really have to do with refreshing apps in the background but rather refreshing apps that are -- for want of a better word -- re-foregrounded. It looks like iOS 7 has brought out a pretty major change in how iOS handles switching among apps, and I sure wish I had known that my iPad 2 would be affected so drastically before I upgraded. I wouldn't have done it had I known.

The weird thing is that I haven't seen this mentioned in any reviews of iOS 7. Maybe it's because most of the reviewers had later iPad models? Don't know.

My typical work pattern is to have maybe ten apps open and switch among them in the course of a day -- some frequently, some less so. With iOS 6 this happened seamlessly -- apps would never reset themselves when I returned to them after working elsewhere, and I would always get returned to exactly where in the app I had been. I never gave a moment's thought to any of this. Now with iOS7 all that has changed. Even with, say, four apps open, I'm constantly getting reset and reloaded and losing my place in the app I've just switched back to. Ugh.

Curious to know if other folks are noticing this issue.

 

[twerppoet]

I've seen a few reviews that mention your problem with the iPad 2. Most tech reviewers tend to stay reasonably current with their hardware, not surprisingly, so you usually have to find the more in depth reviews that come out a week or two later to get a good idea of the impact on older hardware.

That said, it doesn't sound like you are a typical iPad 2 user. You're definitely giving the iPad 2's RAM a workout.

 

[willerz2]

iOS 7 pushes a slightly more resource demanding API, so your RAM tends to re-cache itself a bit more frequently compared to iOS 6 and below

 

[Elux72]

That happens to me with the ArtStudio app (on my iPad Mini and Air) since the iOS 7 update. When I go back to it after switching to another app, it refreshes itself, but doesn't lose anything. I don't recall it happening with earlier versions of iOS.

 

[Ser Aphim]

Has anyone else noticed that sometimes when you are working in one app, then switch to another to do some other work there for five or ten minutes, then when you switch back to the first app it then resets itself and goes back to its starting screen, losing what you were working on? Or it simply just refreshes itself slowly and unnecessarily but eventually does return you to where you were? The "Background App Refresh" setting has no effect on this since this issue isn't about what apps do in the background but rather what they do when they're brought back to the foreground. I have an iPad 2 and never saw this problem with iOS 6.

I'm not positive but this problem may be limited to the iPad 2, since I believe it has less memory than the iPad 3 and later models (though I may be wrong). The iPad therefore can't handle the change in iOS 7 that I'm guessing was made in how the OS handles switching among apps. I'm not sure about my analysis, just trying to figure out what's happening. Glad to hear what experiences others are having.

Background app refresh only refreshes data. Not the app. So like when you use weather, it will already update to what the weather is now. Also like twerppoet said, it closes when you are not using it to conserve RAM.

I had this problem before but it isn't really a problem. I don't really get this problem now since I just go back to that app before 5 minutes has gone when I am multi-tasking. If you are not gonna use it for more than 5 or 10 minutes, close the app because it can drain nettery.

Also why this has been frequent because of the new update. It also consumes RAM.

If iOS does not have this feature it would be the worst multi-tasking OS ever. The App would crash, or the device would. Also even if a lot of apps consumes the RAM under 5 minutes it would give you a warning.

 

[s2mikey]

iOS 7 pushes a slightly more resource demanding API, so your RAM tends to re-cache itself a bit more frequently compared to iOS 6 and below

Yep, I believe it's more of an iOS 7 thing versus the iPad itself. People have reported this on their new iPad airs as well.

 

[Ser Aphim]

Yep, I believe it's more of an iOS 7 thing versus the iPad itself. People have reported this on their new iPad airs as well.

Well that is a huge no to the 64-bit devices. That is why I am keeping my iPad 2. If apps already optimize their apps for 64-bit devices I would buy it. So right now. i am planning on buying a iPhone 5C. White and Black case for it.

 

[Husq250]

I use the multitasking all the time on iPhone and iPad. I have also noticed this but only if the time between switching is greater. Typically for me the time between app switching is not great enough for this affect to play role.

 

[asteve76]

I've only noticed this with Google Maps. I leave safari, for example, to look up a location, then return to safari. When I go back to Google Maps it resets back to my location. Not a huge problem but a little frustrating.