[Blaalad12]

So i have recently been researching what background app refresh actually does and it seems that nobody is quite sure. Tons of explanations contradict one another.

It seems obvious..... It refreshed apps in the background right? But what does this actually entail?

Why would we need an app to refresh in the background when its not in use? If i want to gather information from an app then iam more then happy to open the app and refresh it manually.

My understanding was that it was to do with notifications and turning it off was essentially disabling notifications but others say this isnt true and you will receive notifications wether its turned on or off.

Take whatsapp for example. How are notifications from whatsapp pushed to your phone if the app is not in use? I would have though it was done through background app refresh. If not then whats the purpose. Why else would whatsapp need to be in use in the background?

[Tarah Sorber]

I’ve never used app refresh and I get notifications no problem from my apps.
Plus I like to save battery so most of everything is shut off on my iPhone

[Just_Me_D]

If you want suspended apps to check for new content, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn on Background App Refresh. If you quit an app from the app switcher, it might not be able to run or check for new content before you open it again.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202070

[Blaalad12]

I’ve never used app refresh and I get notifications no problem from my apps.
Plus I like to save battery so most of everything is shut off on my iPhone

Am i correct in saying that you have background app refresh turned off but you still get notified of incoming messages etc even when the app is closed or the phone is in sleep??? Or do you only receive them when the app is in use?

[Tarah Sorber]

Am i correct in saying that you have background app refresh turned off but you still get notified of incoming messages etc even when the app is closed or the phone is in sleep??? Or do you only receive them when the app is in use?

You are correct. It’s turned off and I get notifications even when the app is closed. Like I said I’ve never used background app refresh and I’ve never had an issue with getting any notifications.

[Blaalad12]

If you want suspended apps to check for new content, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn on Background App Refresh. If you quit an app from the app switcher, it might not be able to run or check for new content before you open it again.

Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202070

Yeah this implies to me at least that it needs to be turned on in order to update/push notifications in the background. However a lot of people suggest they have it turned off and notice no difference in functionality and that they still receive notifications on time etc

My understanding was that if i turned if off, i would stop receiving notifications for incoming messages UNLESS the app was active / in use. Once the app went to sleep or i left my phone down for a few minutes, the notifications would stop coming in until i activate the app again.

[Blaalad12]

You are correct. It’s turned off and I get notifications even when the app is closed. Like I said I’ve never used background app refresh and I’ve never had an issue with getting any notifications.

Interesting. I have no idea why whatsapp in particular would need app refresh enabled so as i cant think of any reason for anything to run in the background other then to push notifications. Lots of others seem to turn it off with no loss of functionality too.

[Tarah Sorber]

Interesting. I have no idea why whatsapp in particular would need app refresh enabled so as i cant think of any reason for anything to run in the background other then to push notifications. Lots of others seem to turn it off with no loss of functionality too.

My old job used to use WhatsApp between the employees . I never had background app refresh on and I still got all the messages.

My boyfriend never used background app refresh either and he’s never had any issues.

[Just_Me_D]

Yeah this implies to me at least that it needs to be turned on in order to update/push notifications in the background. However a lot of people suggest they have it turned off and notice no difference in functionality and that they still receive notifications on time etc

No. it is separate from “push notifications “. Take, for example, the ESPN app. If you want to see the updated news feeds quicker as opposed to waiting for the app to retrieve the updated feed after launching, enable the background refresh option.

My understanding was that if i turned if off, i would stop receiving notifications for incoming messages UNLESS the app was active / in use. Once the app went to sleep or i left my phone down for a few minutes, the notifications would stop coming in until i activate the app again.

No, you will still receive “notifications”.