Download Article
If your Android apps are opening on their own, you can easily stop it
Download Article
If apps keep opening in the background and drain your device’s resources, these simple methods can prevent that from happening! You can stop and limit background processes and turn on battery optimization. On Samsung Galaxy devices, you can use Deep Sleep to prevent background activity. On MIUI devices, you can turn off Autostart for apps. This wikiHow guide teaches you how to prevent apps from starting automatically on your Android phone or tablet.
Things You Should Know
- Turn on Developer Mode to stop and limit background processes in the Settings app.
- Use Battery Optimization and Adaptive Battery to limit apps running in the background.
- Activate Deep Sleep for apps you don’t want to run in the background (Samsung Galaxy devices only).
- Turn off Autostart for apps in the Settings menu (MIUI devices only).
Steps
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer.
- Stopping background processes is a great way to speed up your Android smartphone.
-
Scroll down and tap About . It’s near the bottom of the menu.
- This option may also be called About this device or About this phone .
Advertisement -
Locate the “Build number” option. This may appear on the current screen, but if it doesn’t, it’s hiding in another menu. It may be under Software information or More on some Androids.
-
Tap Build number 7 times. You can stop tapping once you see the message “You are now a developer!” This brings you to the Developer Options screen.
- If you are brought back to Settings, scroll down and tap Developer options under the “System” header.
-
Tap Running services . A list of apps will appear.
-
Tap the app you don’t want to start automatically.
-
Tap Stop . The selected app will stop and will usually not restart automatically.
- If a particular app isn’t working correctly and keeps opening automatically, locate the app and delete it. Then redownload it to potentially resolve the issue.
Advertisement
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer.
-
Scroll down and tap About . It’s near the bottom of the menu.
- This option may also be called About this device or About this phone .
-
Locate the “Build number” option. This may appear on the current screen, but if it doesn’t, it’s hiding in another menu. It may be under Software information or More on some Androids.
-
Tap Build number 7 times. You can stop tapping once you see the message “You are now a developer!” This brings you to the Developer Options screen.
- If you are brought back to Settings, scroll down and tap Developer options under the “System” header.
-
Tap Background process limit . This is under the “Apps” section of the Developer options menu.
-
Select a process limit option. This will prevent more processes from starting and running in the background.
- If apps are running in the background when they shouldn’t be, try resetting your Android to potentially resolve the issue.
Advertisement
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer. [1] X Research source
- If you have Marshmallow or later, you might have apps that start randomly due to a lack of battery optimization. This method helps optimize apps so they stop starting automatically. [2] X Research source
-
Tap Apps . This is an option in the Settings app.
-
Tap See all apps .
-
Select the app you want to optimize. Tap the app in the list of all apps.
-
Tap Battery . This is an option on the app’s settings page.
-
Tap Optimized . This is an option under the “Manage battery usage” heading.
- Also, make sure to close apps that you aren’t using to speed up your device and save battery.
Advertisement
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer. This method activates the Adaptive Battery feature on your Android device. This reduces the amount of background app activity and limits apps from opening automatically.
-
Tap Battery . This is in the list of settings.
-
Tap Adaptive preferences . It’s an option on the battery settings page.
-
Tap Adaptive Battery . This will turn on the Adaptive Battery feature and limit apps from running in the background.
Advertisement
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer. This method activates the Deep Sleep feature on Samsung Galaxy smartphones. Apps set to Deep Sleep mode won’t run in the background.
- Note that the Deep Sleep feature is only available on Samsung Galaxy Android devices.
-
Tap Battery and device care .
-
Tap Battery .
-
Tap Background usage limits . This will display a page with different background process options.
-
Tap the + button next to “Deep sleeping apps.” This will display a list of apps you can set to Deep Sleep mode.
-
Tap the app you want to set to Deep Sleep.
-
Tap Add . This will turn on Deep Sleep for the selected app, preventing it from running in the background.
Advertisement
-
Open your Android’s Settings. It’s the icon that’s usually in the app drawer. This method changes the Autostart settings for your device.
- Note that the Autostart feature is only available on the MIUI, Xiaomi’s smartphone operating system.
-
Tap Manage apps . This is in the settings menu.
-
Tap Permissions . A new menu with permissions options will open.
-
Tap Autostart . This will open a list of apps you can modify.
-
Toggle off Autostart for apps. This will prevent the app from automatically starting on your device. The toggle should be gray and in the left position.
Advertisement
-
Search for startup manager free in the Play Store. This free app allows you to customize which apps start up when you boot your rooted Android.
-
Tap Startup Manager (Free) . It’s the black icon with a blue clock inside.
-
Tap Install . The app will now install on your phone or tablet.
-
Open Startup Manager and tap Allow . This is to give the app root access. You should now see a list of all apps configured to start automatically.
-
Tap the blue button next to the app you want to disable. The button will turn gray, which means the app will no longer start automatically.
Advertisement
Community Q&A
Search
-
QuestionHow do I switch back from being a developer?Sasa BozilovicCommunity AnswerTo turn off developer options, go back to Settings > Apps > Settings > Clear Data (you need to go to storage first if you have android 6.0+). The settings will close. Reopen the settings. The developer options will be disabled.
-
QuestionUnwanted apps keep downloading onto our phones. What is happening and how can we make it stop?Community AnswerYour device(s) may be infected with malware. Run a play protect scan (or an antivirus scan) to detect and remove it. In worse cases, you may need to format your device!
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
Advertisement
Video
Tips
- Not every device has the ability to disable apps from auto-starting. In that case, there are workarounds, like using Deep Sleep on Samsung, to prevent an app from running automatically.Thanks
Submit a Tip
All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
Name
Please provide your name and last initial
Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
Advertisement
References
About This Article
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 456,755 times.
Advertisement
