How do I completely close Minecraft pocket edition?

Question

I saw a question I was looking for and the answer said to close the app. It said:

Don't just hit the home button, really close it.

I don't know how to completely close Minecraft Pocket Edition. Does that mean to delete it and download it again?

Answer 1

The thing with mobile devices, is that when you hit the "Home" button, you don't exit the app, you're only suspending it.

The reason why apps are suspended instead of exited is a simple one. When an app is launched, the CPU needs to not only fetch the app from storage, but also execute code to prepare the app for running; this all requires power to do and depletes your battery faster. Exiting the app means having to launch it again some point later. Suspending it means keeping it in memory, which is not an issue because memory always consumes power whether it's used or not.

Most if not all mobile operating systems have a so-called "task switcher", which can be used to either switch to an already running app, or "kill" it (kill means exit).

iOS (iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch)

To call the task switcher, you need to double-click the "Home" button. To find Minecraft PE, swipe to the left or right. To kill the app, swipe it upwards. Minecraft has been successfully exited, if the app disappears from the task switcher.

Android (NOT Samsung)

To call the task switcher, press the "Recent apps" button; it's the button to the right of the "Home" button. Depending on the Android version you're using, it either looks like two rectangles on top of another, or like a single square. To find Minecraft PE, you need to swipe up or down. To kill it, you need to swipe it left or right.

Android (Samsung)

It's more or less the same as with iOS, only you need to press and hold the "Home" button, rather than double-click it in order to display the task switcher.

Windows Phone

Press and hold the "Back" button. Navigate to the left or right, swipe downwards to kill the app. Might be a bit more difficult to do in Windows 10 Mobile, as the task switcher shows two rows of apps, rather than just one.

Windows 10 (Minecraft Windows 10 Edition)

There are multiple ways to do so:

• Swipe downwards from the top of the screen to display the title bar. On the right side, you'll see the X button. Touch it to kill the app.
• Swipe all the way from the topmost of the screen to the very bottom. If done correctly, the app will shrink and follow your finger until it disappears at the bottom.
• Swipe from the left of the screen to display the task switcher, or touch its icon in the Taskbar (it looks like 2 rectangles on top of another and is located to the right of the search icon, represented by a magnifying glass). Touch the X on the upper right of the app to close it.
• If you see the app's icon in the Taskbar (they're hidden by default in tablet mode but can be configured to show up), just keep the icon pressed for a bit, then release it. A context menu will appear; touch the menu item that says: Close window.
• If not in tablet mode, just close the window like you'd do with any Windows app.

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There is also an alternative way to exit Minecraft PE for Android and Windows Phone. All you need to do for that, is press the back button until the game asks you if you want to exit it. If it doesn't, you might need to return to the title screen (the first screen you see when you launch the game), then press the "Back" button again.

Answer 2

Here are the steps:

1. Go to your home screen
2. Double tap the Home button
3. See the window for Minecraft PE? Just swipe up on it
4. Relaunch the game

That is for an Apple device. For an Android or Windows phone:

1. Press the back button until Minecraft PE wants asks you to exit
2. Accept it

(Thanks Nolonar)

Simply exiting the app will not terminate that process, just suspend it.

Answer 3

Exclusive to Android

Apps, in android, don't like to outright close, when you tell them too. Android is designed so that when you simply move to another screen, the app is suppose to 'go to sleep', and release the resources it is using. However, through extensive use I have found that this is not always the case.

Download this app. I work in the number one retail store for unlocked phones, in Australia. I use to have a lot of my customers come back because their phone was slow. I made a rule of telling customers to get this app, and generally, we almost never have phones come back, now.

There are sources that will tell you they do nothing. This is just spin. I can confirm from extensive use that this app will save your battery, and your RAM (the part of your phone that generally 'runs out' and causes it to slow down).

If you open this app, after "closing minecraft", it will list all currently active apps. If minecraft is still open, it will be on this list. Ensure that the check box next to 'minecraft' is ticked, and hit "close" at the top of the list. All ticked apps will close, freeing up any used memory, making your phone more efficient in both its memory use, and its battery life.

If you see the app icon in your notifications bar, this is a general indication that your phone is using an abnormal amount of its memory. You can open your notifications, and select it, to bring up the app and perform the same routine.

This will outright close any app, including minecraft. You might find the app re-opens itself, either for push, or pull (sending or receiving information). If this is the case (I don't personally play minecraft on the phone, so am unsure if it does this), there is no further way around it (the problem exists in its programming). That said, it will still use less resources then if left in the background.

As I said, I have never seen a situation where this did not improve the reliability of an android phone, and we sell a lot of them. Friends have thanked me for putting them onto this app, and making their phone usable again.

I would highly recommend giving it a try, and reporting back, if it made a difference.