When your app transitions to the background, the system triggers your app delegate’s applicationDidEnterBackground: method. During this brief period, which is typically five seconds, your app is expected to carry out any necessary tasks before the system places it into a suspended state. For the majority of applications, this time window is sufficient to complete essential tasks. But if you need more time, what can you do?
If your app requires more time to wrap up tasks when moving to the background, you can request additional time using the beginBackgroundTask(withName:expirationHandler:) method. This method allows your app to execute background tasks beyond the initial five seconds. You need to manage the background task carefully and call endBackgroundTask(_:) when the task is completed or when the allotted time expires.
Here’s a basic example in Swift:
func applicationDidEnterBackground(_ application: UIApplication) {
var backgroundTask: UIBackgroundTaskIdentifier = .invalid
backgroundTask = application.beginBackgroundTask(withName: "BackgroundTask", expirationHandler: {
// Clean up code or notify the user when the background task expires.
application.endBackgroundTask(backgroundTask)
backgroundTask = .invalid
})
// Your additional background task code goes here
// Ensure to end the background task when your task is completed
application.endBackgroundTask(backgroundTask)
backgroundTask = .invalid
}PS: Remember that abusing background execution time can negatively impact the user experience and battery life. It’s recommended to use this feature judiciously and only when necessary for critical tasks.
Thank you for reading :-)
Let’s Connect Over LinkedIn: Sakshi Jaiswal
