Why can't Siri close apps?

[Fairwayman]

I was just wondering why Siri can't close apps, it has the ability to open/launch apps but not close them.

 

[f4780y]

Pressing the home button once will "close" and app by returning you to the home screen. That is less effort than holding the home button and speaking the command via Siri.

If going back to the home screen is not what you want to do, Apple expect you to launch the app you want to be in via Siri, rather than close the current one...

If you are thinking about exiting from the app altogether (so it is completely removed from memory), that is an action Apple prefer you to do expressly using the multi-tasking bar. The belief, from an OS point of view, is that the IOS multitasking and memory management is so good that you should never need to really fully exit an app. In most cases this is true, but the odd time you need to do it, you do it manually, rather than via Siri.

 

[Fairwayman]

Thanks for your elaborate explanation and opinion, I just wanted to know if there was a way to alleviate the four finger swipe up to not have to hit the red minus sign to completely close the application with Siri.

 

[thewitt]

Apple does not prioritize closing of apps. They believe in iOS' inherent ability to manage memory on its own is fine, so not giving Siri an easy way to close apps makes perfect sense.

 

[OriEri]

One thing Apple appears to frequently ignore his battery life. Certain apps in I OS are extreme battery hogs. May not matter too much on an iPad but certainly does on the phone! This is the main reason I like to close apps. I like to close apps that frequently poll the inefficient GPS chipset, I like to close apps that are constantly polling their motherships for updates (Facebook).

I want to be able to use my voice to close maps once I'm done with that, especially while driving.

 

[Somps]

I'm not sure why so many developers have the "My way or No way" mindset. With so many people, there comes so many differences. I understand that we can't please everyone all of the time, but why not offer options where possible. Many of the big companies, not just Apple, seem to "Force" change. Not everyone is good with change. My dad, for instance, is 81 years old. He learns something finally and it gets changed. That being said, the point is not that the iOS is so great with managing memory. Its what I want to do with my device. I know this thread was started before Sierra, but even so, now we can operate Siri on the Mac. I have problems with my hands and the more that I can do with Siri, the better. When you think of something, don't just think of one situation and that's it. Be a little more open minded. How is "Not giving Siri an easy way to close apps" making perfect sense? That's got to be the most absurd answer I've seen all day. What about those apps that are constantly polling like FaceBook or a map app? if i'm driving and don't want to look at the screen but realized that i'm at 20% battery life and want to say, "Siri, close all open apps", why wouldn't that be feasible? I have a problem touching things. My nerve endings are super sensitive. Like I said, the less that I have to touch buttons or swipe or whatever, the better. I can think of a 100 reasons why asking Siri to close an app would make sense. Why not make it available? is it really that hard to script? Are the developers really that close minded?

 

[KevinJS]

I tried it and received the answer "Much as I would like to, I can't do that"

In reality, there is no real need to close apps since the iPad will manage its own memory. It is useful to close battery hungry apps such as those that use GPS but in the main, it's fine to leave them open.

 

[twerppoet]

That's an interesting idea. While you can't close apps, you can always open a different one, perhaps one that you know isn't going to do anything important with memory or the internet.

Perhaps the Clock app. It's not going to do anything, and turning on the iPad to find the Clock app running is 'almost' useful.

 

[Homework11234]

This isn't an answer, but a question since I don't know how to post my own question, but it has something to do with this...

I'm on an Ipod, so it's pretty much the same question for an ipad, I think, but what do I do about closing out apps if my home button is broken? I've been able to use Siri to go from app to app, but I have no way of closing them.

 

[twerppoet]

Assistive Touch can replace the Home button for most purposes.

Settings > General > Accessibility > Assistive Touch.

 

[KevinJS]

Somehow, I managed to download a guide for writing apps. I was having a flick through it and think I have a partial answer to this question.

Partial, because due to the sand boxing of apps, Siri can't affect any other app to the extent of closing it, so it's actually a moot point.

Anyway, Apple's advice to developers is to save data as soon as possible after the app is minimised so that progress etc is not lost. If Siri could close an app while it is in use, that data would not be saved.