How Do I Stop Apps From Running In The Background S9+

Galaxy S21 Colors

Samsung has seen its share of trouble when it comes to apps running in the background of its phones. As it appears today, there seems to be an issue plaguing Android users. The problem? Apps are being forced closed in the background.

If you are on a Samsung device that runs Android 11 / OneUI 3.0 or 3.1, you can try this quick fix to make sure your favorite apps keep running in the background.

Samsung phone killing your favorite app? Try this quick and easy fix!

Samsung has been a frequent offender on dontkillmyapp, a website meant to track the most egregious OEMs when it comes to killing apps in the background. Reportedly, Samsung has been doing this behavior since Android P (Android 9); this is a pretty widespread issue.

Recently, Samsung has gotten more aggressive with killing apps, particularly on their smartphones running Android 11 / OneUI 3.0/3.1. The issue is persisting on their previous phones as well, but this guide will focus on addressing people plagued on the aforementioned handsets.

You can find additional fixes for your S10, S9, and S8 linked at the bottom of the guide.

Start by opening up your Settings app and navigating to Apps.

Scroll down to the app that is having trouble staying awake in the background. For this instance, I will be using WhatsApp. Scroll until you find your app of choice and tap on it.

Tap on Battery.

Scroll down until you find Optimize battery usage and tap on it.

At the top center of the screen, navigate to the drop down box that says Apps not optimized and select All Apps.

You are now seeing all of the apps, including system apps. From here, find the app that you wish to enable to run in the background and ensure its toggle it set to the on position as shown in the screenshot below.

While you are on the above menu, you can do the same with any other apps you wish to keep running in the background such as social media or news apps.

Dontkillmyapp has handy guides if you are on older Samsung phones and are facing a similar issue. You can find their guides for various handsets by clicking here.

If this guide helped you, do let us know in the comments section below.

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