Just updated your iPhone, only to find it running sluggish, laggy, or slower than usual? You’re not the only one. Many users experience performance issues after installing a new iOS version — but don’t worry, most of the time it’s easy to fix.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the common reasons for the slowdown and show you how to speed up your iPhone after an iOS update.
Why Is Your iPhone Slow After an iOS Update?
Here are the most common causes:
- Post-update background tasks: iOS performs background indexing of files, apps, and photos.
- Low storage: A nearly full iPhone can slow down after a big update.
- Old app versions: Some apps may not yet be optimized for the new iOS.
- Battery health issues: Older batteries can cause Apple’s performance throttling.
- Buggy iOS release: Occasionally, a new iOS version can introduce temporary performance glitches.
How to Fix a Slow iPhone After Updating iOS
1. Wait a Day or Two
After an update, your iPhone runs background processes that can temporarily affect performance. Give it 24–48 hours to settle before assuming there’s a serious issue.
2. Restart Your iPhone
It sounds simple, but a quick restart often helps clear temporary issues:
Settings > General > Shut Down Or use the hardware buttons to force a restart.
3. Clear Up Storage Space
Navigate to: Settings > General > iPhone Storage
Delete unused apps, offload large videos, and clear Safari cache. iPhones run faster with at least 5–10GB of free space.
4. Update All Your Apps
Outdated apps can lag or crash after a system update.
Go to: App Store > Your Profile > Update All
This ensures app compatibility with the new iOS version.
5. Check Battery Health
Go to: Settings > Battery > Battery Health & Charging
If the battery capacity is below 80%, Apple may slow down your device to prevent shutdowns. Replacing the battery can restore full speed.
– How to Fix Overheating Issues on iPhone?
6. Reset All Settings
This won’t delete your data, but it resets system preferences, which can help fix lingering bugs.
Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Reset > Reset All Settings
7. Turn Off Unnecessary Features
Disable features that use CPU and memory in the background:
- Background App Refresh:
Settings > General > Background App Refresh > Off - Motion Effects:
Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Reduce Motion > On - Auto Downloads:
Settings > App Store > Turn Off Automatic Downloads
8. Disable Location Services for Unused Apps
Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services
Limit access for apps that don’t need location tracking.
Bonus Tip:
Manage Large Photos and Videos to Free Up Space
A cluttered photo library can seriously slow down your iPhone—especially after an iOS update when the Photos app is re-indexing content in the background.
Use these tools to quickly identify large or unnecessary media:
1. EXIF Viewer by Fluntro
With this powerful app, you can:
- View photo metadata like file size, resolution, camera details, and more
- Identify space-hogging high-res images or long videos
- Clean up storage intelligently by sorting through large media
Download EXIF Viewer by Fluntro
2. Photo Search by Fluntro
Need to find and delete photos with specific text or content (like screenshots, receipts, or memes)?
Photo Search lets you:
- Search by keyword inside photos (e.g., “invoice”, “menu”, “passport”)
- Quickly surface and delete junk or redundant media
- Optimize your storage and reduce Photos app lag
Try Photo Search on the App Store
Decluttering your library not only saves space—it can also make your iPhone noticeably faster, especially after updates.
3. Kiana’s Tip!
“Even little elephants like me get tired after a big update! Give your iPhone a break, clean things up, and you’ll be back to full speed soon!”
— Love, Kiana the Baby Elephant
Use Kiana Stickers in iMessage to express your tech struggles with cuteness.