Open, Close and Manage Applications on Samsung Galaxy S4 Marshmallow/Lollipop vs Jelly Bean/Kitkat

2 Methods:

Marshmallow/Lollipop

Jelly Bean/Kitkat

This is part of the VisiHow series on how to use the Samsung Galaxy S4. You can visit the main VisiHow on how to USE SAMSUNG GALAXY S4 for a full list of S4 VisiHow Articles

Samsung Galaxy S4's processor is so powerful that it can run almost any Android application on the market. This article will discuss the basics of opening and closing applications, rearranging applications, organizing applications with folders and installing and uninstalling applications on your Samsung Galaxy S4.

1. 1
   To open an app, tap the "Apps" icon on the home screen.

   

   Advertisement

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   From the application screen you can open any app by simply tapping it.

   

   Advertisement

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   You can also access any apps that are currently open.

   

   On Lollipop, hold down the home button

   .

   On Marshmallow tap the menu icon near the bottom left of the screen.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   Close an application from the currently open apps by tapping the "X" or swiping left to right.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   To manage a specific application, head to back to the home screen, then tap "Apps".

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   Inside Apps, tap "Settings".

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   While on Settings, tap "Application manager".

   

   On Lollipop, ensure you're on the "MORE" tab while in Settings.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
8. 8
   On the Application Manager screen, scroll down and tap an app of your choosing.

   

   On Lollipop, swipe to see "ALL" applications.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
9. 9
   Here on the App info screen there are several options

   .

   You can Uninstall, Force stop and clear cache (for applicable apps).

   

   If you want to close the app, tap "Force stop". You may lose any unsaved data by closing an app this way.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button)

   .

   

   Advertisement

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen, and view all the applications installed on your device

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   From the Applications screen, tap on your desired application to open it

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You have successfully learned how to open an application

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

When you exit from an application using the home button, you are not actually closing it, but are merely minimizing the application. Only when you press "Back" when on an application and it exits, is when you can say that the application has closed. Either of the two ways, you can view your most recently used applications by doing the procedures below. Using this technique will allow you to open a recently used application faster. Follow the procedures below:

1. 1
   From your phone screen, including any open application screen, press and hold the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button)

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   You will be taken to the "Recent Applications page where you can view all the recent applications that you have used, and it will be arranged chronologically, with the last opened application on the bottom

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Scroll to your desired application and tap on the icon to open it

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You can hold and swipe any application icon to the left or right to remove it from the list

   .

   You can also remove all applications from the recently-used app list by tapping on the "Remove all" icons on the lower-right part of your phone's touchscreen.

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   You have successfully learned how to open an application using the "Recent Applications" feature.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Closing an application in S4 allows you to free some RAM on your phone to give more computing power to other processes. Closing unused applications will also save you battery juice to keep your phone from dying immaturely. Follow the procedures below to close running applications in Samsung Galaxy S4.

1. 1
   When using the application, you can close it by pressing the "Back" button located on the lower-right portion on your phone.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Some applications will automatically close upon tapping of the back button, while others need a confirmation

   .

   Confirm the termination and you are done with closing the application.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   You have successfully learned how to close an application.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

When you press the Home button when you are on an application, you have minimized the application and you still have running it in the background. These applications running in the background will eat up your RAM and your battery power. You can open them through the Recent Applications and close them by the usual procedures or you can use the Task Manager to do it. Follow the procedures below to close applications using the Task Manager.

1. 1
   Press and hold the Home button (S4's lower middle button)

   .

   You will be taken to the Recent Applications page where you can see a link to the Task Manager.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap the Task Manager icon (pie graph icon) on the lower-left portion of your touch screen

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   You will then be taken to the Task Manager with the Active application on the first tab

   .

   

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   Tap on the "End" button to the right of the application icon to close the application.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Alternatively, you can tap on "End All" to close all active applications on your phone.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   You have successfully learned how to close an application using the Task Manager.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Tap the "Menu" button (lower-left soft key of your phone).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You will be shown some options

   .

   Choose "Edit."

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   To move an application icon to a new location, tap and hold the application and then drag it to your desired new location.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   To move an application to another panel, tap and hold the application and drag it to the extreme side (left or right) of the screen.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   You have successfully learned how to rearrange applications on your S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Tap the "Menu" button (lower-left soft key of your phone).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You will be shown some options

   .

   Choose "Edit".

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Tap and hold your desired application and drag it to "Create Folder."

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   Put in a name for that folder and tap "OK" when you are done.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   You can add more applications to that folder by dragging them to it and tapping "Save" to save the changes.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
8. 8
   You have successfully learned how to organize applications into a folder in S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   On the applications screen, do a pinching gesture on the screen to see the panel previews.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   Drag the desired panel preview to a new location to transfer it.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   You have successfully learned how to rearrange the applications screen panel in S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the Applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Tap on "Samsung Apps" or "Play Store."

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   Search for your desired application.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Download and install applications from there.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   You have successfully learned how to install an application in S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Tap the "Menu" button (lower-left soft key of your phone).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You will be shown some options

   .

   Choose "Uninstall."

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Tap on the desired application to uninstall it.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   Default applications cannot be uninstalled using this method.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   You have successfully learned how to uninstall an application in S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

1. 1
   Go to your phone's home screen by pressing the "Home" button (S4's lower middle button).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
2. 2
   Tap on the "Applications" drawer icon to get to the applications screen and view all the applications installed on your device.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
3. 3
   Tap the "Menu" button (lower-left soft key of your phone).

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
4. 4
   You will be shown some options

   .

   Choose "Share app."

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
5. 5
   Select on the application that you want to share.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
6. 6
   Tap on "Done" and select the sharing method.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
7. 7
   Follow the on-screen instructions and you should be able to share without any problems.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help
8. 8
   You have successfully learned how to share an application in S4.

   Was this step helpful? Yes | No| I need help

Closing applications on Galaxy S4?

I press the back button but apps don't close. Have to press the home button (middle bottom of phone) then it shows all open apps then I have to slide to the right one by one to close. Is this the fastest way?

The fastest way to kill all of the applications is probably installing Advanced Task Killer. You can either launch it and kill applications by tapping on one button or even set up an "Auto Kill" list so that everything is closed automatically.

Is it possible to create a folder?

For example, one folder for games, and another folder for apps. how will I do that?

Yes, you can create a folder by using the instructions below:

1. Go to your home screen on your device

2. Press the menu button on your device so that you can see the option to create folder

3. Once your folder is created you can name it what you will like

4. Long press on an application and drag it to your folder so that you can save your application in the folder successfully

Hi, when I go to Settings - Application Manager - Running, it shows at the bottom left I have 1.4GB used, and I have a ton of applications that appear to be running?

These don't show up when I do the simple hold the Home key down. Are these running apps essential to keep the phone operating properly? Can I go in and shut down the ones I know I'm not using?

Yes, you can. The services and programs will automatically run the next time you reboot the phone anyway. Generally, always keep applications that start with "Google" running and shut down those that you do not need or do not recognize completely. A lot of other programs may be needed for full functionality of the device; so, if you do not recognize the service, shutdown it, and the system stops responding, you can just reboot the phone; and everything will be back to the initial state.

Why don't I have a soft key on the lower left of my Galaxy S4?

I don't seem to have a "soft key" for the menu on the lower left of my home screen on my Galaxy S4, instead, it calls up my Google search bar. What am I doing wrong?. I have tried: Pushed the home key, tried the icons, looked up answers online. I think it was caused by: If I had any ideas, I would have tried them!

To see apps running in the background, hold down the home key for about 3 seconds.

If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.

Comments