Sometimes our iPad 2 or iPhone 4 has 10 or more apps suspended but still running, draining battery life.  To close the apps, double click on the home button until the Shortcut Menu appears.  Now tap and hold on any shortcut icon until they begin to wiggle.  You’ll notice a red bar appear at the top left of each app that’s running.  Click on that bar to close the app.  It will shut it down and unpin it from the Shortcut Menu.

In Tip / Trick # 4, I explained that iOS 4.3 lets you multitask if you press the Home button twice to bring up a Shortcut Menu at the bottom. Most people don’t know this menu exists –it’s great for switching between applications without first going back to the home screen.  But the Shortcut Menu is also a list of all currently running or suspended apps, ones that can be shut down to improve performance of the device! 

See Tip and Trick #30: Type in Multiple Languages

See Tip and Trick #29: Character Count Your Text Messages

See Tip and Trick #28: Accessing the Scientific Calculator

See Tip and Trick #27: Zooming on Google Maps

See Tip and Trick #26: Accessing “iPod” While Device is Locked

See Tip and Trick #25: Adding Accents While Typing

See Tip and Trick #24: Search Web/Wikipedia from Home Screen

See Tip and Trick #23: Quick Call Handling

See Tip and Trick #22: Email Web Pages

See Tip and Trick #21: Enabling “Caps Lock”

See Tip and Trick #20: Take Images Straight off Safari

See Tip and Trick #19: Setting the “Home Button” Double-Tap

See Tip and Trick #18: Invert Display Colors

See Tip and Trick #17: Turning Web Pages into Icons

See Tip and Trick #16: Refined Spotlight Search

See Tip and Trick #15: Ditch typing URL Extensions in Safari

See Tip and Trick #14: How to Sync Your Boomarks Using iTunes

See Tip and Trick #13: How to Use Enhanced Camera Functionalities

See Tip and Trick #11: How to Create Folders

See Tip and Trick #10: How to Edit and Create Documents

See Tip and Trick #9: Set the Device to Self Destruct

See Tip and Trick #8: Choose an App for Opening an Attachment

See Tip and Trick #7: Orientation Lock the Screen

See Tip and Trick #6: Forget a Wifi Network

See Tip and Trick #5: Change Your Email Signature

See Tip and Trick #4: Take a Screen Shot

See Tip and Trick #3: Download the PDF User’s Guide

See Tip and Trick #2: Check a URL Destination Before Opening It

See Tip and Trick #1: Save Battery Life with Data Push Frequency