How to Switch Between Apps on iPhone & iPad

If you’re new to the iPhone or iPad ecosystem, you might want to learn how to switch between apps, which is a significant part of a multitasking experience. There are actually more than one way to switch between apps on your iOS or ipadOS device, so let’s review how app switching works.

Regardless of whether you’re using an iOS or iPadOS, many people try to work with multiple apps concurrently, wanting to move data from one to another to look at information from one and use that data to take action in another app. For example, let’s say you’re watching a video on YouTube while you’re texting a friend, or you’re looking at a bank balance in one app while paying a bill in another. These are common tasks for iPhone and iPad users, but they wouldn’t be nearly as convenient if multitasking wasn’t a thing.

If you’re unfamiliar, you might appreciate learning how to seamlessly use multiple apps on your iPhone or iPad, and switch between those apps at ease. And from the multitasking screen, aside from switching apps you can also force quit apps in iOS and iPadOS too.

How to Switch Between Apps on iPhone & iPad

Depending on the iPhone or iPad model you own, the procedure to switch between your apps may slightly vary. Regardless, you can follow the steps below to learn the different methods.

1. First, you can switch between your most recently opened apps using the iOS or ipadOS app switcher. In order to access the iOS / iPadOS App Switcher on an iPhone or iPad with Face ID, simply swipe up from the bottom to the middle of your screen. On the other hand, if you’re using an iPhone or iPad with a physical home button, double-click on the home button to access the App Switcher.
   
   
2. When your finger is close to the center of the screen, you’ll see the app switcher as shown below. Let go of your finger. It’s important to note that you can access the App Switcher from the home screen or any app that you’re currently using.
   
   
3. Once you’re in the App Switcher, just swipe left and right to scroll through your recently used apps and tap on the app you want to open and switch to.
   
   

That’s it, you’ve accessed the multitasking app switcher, and you’re able to move between apps with ease on either iPhone or iPad.

The interface looks slightly different on iPhone and iPad, as the iPhone overlaps the apps, and the iPad shows cards of open apps, but the functionality is basically identical regardless.

Accessing App Switcher with a Swipe from the Bottom Edge

Another way to access the App Switcher is available too:

• Alternatively, there’s a potentially quicker way to switch between apps on iOS devices with Face ID support. Simply swipe right from the bottom left edge of your screen to switch between your most recently used apps, as shown in the screenshot below. There’s no need to access the App Switcher with this method. On an iPhone with a home button, you can use the 3D Touch multitasking gesture to access the App Switcher faster.
  
  

That’s pretty much all there is to it.

Now you know how easy it is to switch between apps on iOS and iPadOS devices, using either of the two methods covered.

Although we were focusing primarily on the iPhone and iPad, you can follow the steps above to switch between apps on an iPod Touch too, if you still have one of those lying around.

Switching between apps using the App Switcher may take some time getting used to, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself taking advantage of it frequently.

While the App Switcher is primarily used to switch between your most recently used apps, you can use it to force quit apps on your iPhone and iPad as well. This could prove to be quite handy when one of your apps isn’t responding properly, or if your device is slowing down because of a particular app open in the background.

If you own an iPad, you might also be interested in taking advantage of split-screen multitasking on iPadOS to run two apps side by side. With this feature, you can watch your favorite shows on Netflix while staying updated on your emails at the same time.

And now you know how to seamlessly switch between apps on your iPhone and iPad. Do you prefer the up-swipe to access App Switcher method, or do you just swipe left and right from the bottom of your screen for switching between apps? Let us know your thoughts, or any other helpful tips or relevant experiences in the comments.