About iOS performance on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If your iOS device is slow or freezes, try these tips.

Check your network conditions

Many apps on your device require an Internet connection for their content and other functionality. If the network that you’re connected to is congested—for example, at an event with many people using the same network—apps might take a while to open or display their content. Your device can also seem slow as it repeatedly reconnects to new cell towers when you’re in a moving vehicle.

Even if your device indicates a strong signal, you might need to wait, try again in a different location, or use available Wi-Fi. If you continue to experience issues with cellular data speed, availability, or performance in multiple locations, contact your carrier.

Learn more about cellular data.

Close an app that’s not responding

If an app stops responding or freezes, you might need to force it to close and then open it again.*

1. From the Home screen of iPhone X or later or an iPad with iOS 12, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause slightly in the middle of the screen. On iPhone 8 or earlier, double-click the Home button to show your most recently used apps.
2. Swipe right or left to find the app that you want to close.
3. Swipe up on the app’s preview to close the app.

• Under normal conditions, force closing apps is not necessary and does not make your device run faster. In fact, an app takes longer to open after a force close because it has to reload all of its data.

Learn what to do if an app repeatedly stops responding.

Make sure you have enough storage

If your device is low on storage, iOS automatically frees up space while installing an app, updating iOS, downloading music, recording videos, and more. iOS only removes items that can be downloaded again or that aren’t needed anymore.

You can check your device’s storage in Settings > General > [Device] Storage. For best performance, try to maintain at least 1GB of free space. If your available storage is consistently less than 1GB, your device might slow down as iOS repeatedly makes room for more content.

If you need to free up some space, follow these steps to turn on the storage- saving recommendations built in to iOS:

1. Go to Settings > General > [Device] Storage and read the recommendations that iOS might provide.
2. Tap Enable to turn on a recommendation, or tap a recommendation title to review the content that you can delete.

If you don’t see any recommendations—or if you need to free up even more space—you can review the apps on your device. They’re listed on the same [Device] Storage screen along with the amount of space that they use.

Tap an app, then choose from the options:

• Offload the app, which frees up storage used by the app, but keeps its documents and data.
• Delete the app, which removes the app and its related data.
• Depending on the app, you might be able to delete some of its documents and data.

Learn more ways to optimize your storage.

Leave Low Power Mode off when you don’t need it

Low Power Mode is an iPhone feature that extends battery life by reducing the amount of power that your device uses. In Low Power Mode, some features are turned off and some tasks might take longer to complete. If your battery icon is yellow, that means Low Power Mode is on.

Consider leaving Low Power Mode off if you need your iPhone to function without low-power restrictions. You can turn Low Power Mode on or off in Settings > Battery.

Get more information about Low Power Mode.

Keep your device from getting too hot or cold

iOS adjusts your device’s performance if it’s become too warm due to external conditions, like being left in a hot car or used for an extended time in direct sunlight. Move your device to a cooler location and let its temperature adjust.

Very cold temperatures can also slow your device. If your device runs slowly after being exposed to cold, move it to a warmer location.

Learn more about acceptable operating temperatures.

Look at your battery health

All rechargeable batteries are consumable components that become less effective as they chemically age. Over time, the rechargeable batteries in all iPhone models will diminish in their capacity and peak performance and will eventually need to be replaced. iOS can show show battery health and recommend if an iPhone battery needs to be replaced. Go to Settings > Battery and tap Battery Health.

Check your iPhone battery.

Get more help

• A touch screen that responds to taps incorrectly can make your device seem slow. If you think that your touch screen isn’t responding correctly, try restarting your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If that doesn’t work, and the issue occurs in the same area of the screen in multiple apps, you might need to contact Apple Support.
• If you tried these tips and your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch is still slow or continues to freeze, contact Apple Support.

Information about products not manufactured by Apple, or independent websites not controlled or tested by Apple, is provided without recommendation or endorsement. Apple assumes no responsibility with regard to the selection, performance, or use of third-party websites or products. Apple makes no representations regarding third-party website accuracy or reliability. Contact the vendor for additional information.

Published Date: January 29, 2020

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