Skip to main content

iOS 7 How-to: Use the new multitasking interface

Multitasking came out for the iOS devices with iOS 4. Multitasking is a way to manage all of the apps running on your iOS device.

Previously, when you double tap the home button, you would get a small tray on the bottom of the screen filled with apps running. To close the apps, you would have to tap and hold on one of them until it wiggles and jiggles, and then once it is wiggling and jiggling you would tap on the red minus button in the upper left hand corner of the app.

Now, with iOS 7 that is no longer the case. When you double tap the home button, it takes you out of the app you were in, and it shows you a fullscreen thumbnail preview of the app you were most recently in, as well the rest of your recent applications.

If you want to see the rest of your open apps, you would just swipe left to right or right to left to see them all.

The home screen even appears as a fullscreen thumbnail view. To get into any of your open apps, simply tap on the app in the switcher to bring it up.

If you want to close an app, just swipe up on any application preview. You cannot close all of the apps at one, just like before. However, if you swipe up with two fingers, it will close out two apps at a time.

This new method of multitasking is similar to the popular jailbreaking tweak Auxo. For those of you who used this jailbreak tweak, this is going to be very similar, except for the fact that there will not be a way to close all the apps at once, as well as there will not be a media control, or any setting controls. Instead, you will find these in Control Center.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. cpatch - 11 years ago

    You can switch to an app by tapping on the screen preview as well.

    • cpatch - 11 years ago

      Sorry, I meant you can tap on either the app icon or the app preview. Also, if you have a lot of apps open and need to move quickly through them, drag the app icons rather than the previews.

  2. cpatch - 11 years ago

    You can also close three apps at a time by using three fingers.

  3. Manuel Espinoza - 11 years ago

    @cpatch nice to hear that

  4. Thank you that helped very much.

  5. dorn15 - 11 years ago

    When you discard more than one app, sometimes an app filling in an empty spot fails to have preview. I’ve only noticed that it occurs after scrolling through the apps and discarding apps that aren’t on the end; one from out of screen will come into screen with the icon but no preview. I’d say it happens at least a quarter of the time. (using an iPhone 4s)

  6. ADeel Khan (@adeelkhan77) - 11 years ago

    Where are facebook and twitter notification area shortcuts ? i m trying to find out but un successful ..

Manage push notifications

notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications
notification icon
We would like to show you notifications for the latest news and updates.
notification icon
You are subscribed to notifications