Is your old iPhone or iPad getting slow, freezing, or taking too long to open apps? You’re not alone. Over time, an iPhone or iPad may start feeling less responsive, especially when you use demanding apps, run out of storage, or have an aging battery.

The good news is that you may not need to buy a new iPhone or iPad just yet. There are several practical ways to improve performance, reduce lag, free up storage, and make your existing device feel more responsive.

In this guide, you’ll learn how to speed up an old iPhone or iPad, fix slow apps, improve battery-related performance problems, and determine when your device may need a battery replacement or an upgrade.

These tips apply to many models, including the iPhone 6s, 7, 8, X, XS, XR, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and newer iPhones, as well as compatible iPad models.

Quick answer: Start by restarting your iPhone or iPad, checking available storage, updating iOS or iPadOS, and checking battery health. If your device is still slow, reduce unnecessary visual effects, review background activity, and check whether a particular app or network connection is causing the problem.

Why Is My iPhone or iPad So Slow?

Before trying to speed up your iPhone or iPad, it’s important to understand why it has become slow.

Not every performance problem has the same cause. A phone that takes a long time to open apps may have a different issue from an iPhone that freezes while browsing the internet.

Here are the most common causes of a slow iPhone or iPad:

1. Limited storage space

When your device is almost full, installing updates, saving files, and managing app data can become more difficult. Apple recommends keeping at least 1 GB of free storage to help avoid slowdowns.

2. Aging battery

As an iPhone battery ages, its ability to deliver peak power can decline. On supported iPhones, iOS may manage performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns when the battery cannot supply sufficient power.

3. Outdated software

An older version of iOS or iPadOS may have bugs, compatibility issues, or performance problems that are addressed in later updates.

4. A demanding app or game

Some apps and games use significant processing power and memory. A device may feel slow when running demanding software, particularly on older hardware.

5. Poor internet connection

If websites, social media feeds, videos, or online apps are slow to load, the problem may be your internet connection rather than your iPhone or iPad.

6. Too many visual effects

Animations, transparency effects, and other interface features can make an older device feel less responsive. Reducing them may improve the perceived speed of navigation.

7. Overheating

Excessive heat can affect performance. An iPhone or iPad that is hot during heavy use or charging may need time to cool down.

8. Hardware limitations

Older chipsets cannot always handle newer apps, games, and operating system features as quickly as newer devices.

How to Speed Up Your iPhone or iPad

1. Restart Your iPhone or iPad

One of the easiest ways to troubleshoot a slow or unresponsive iPhone or iPad is to restart it. Restarting can help resolve temporary software glitches, an app that is not responding, or a process that has become stuck.

However, restarting does not permanently make an old iPhone faster, and it does not simply clear all background apps.

How to restart an iPhone

For iPhones with Face ID and iPhone X or newer:

Press and hold the Side button and either Volume button.
When the power-off slider appears, drag it to turn off the iPhone.
Wait about 30 seconds.
Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

For iPhones with a Home button:

Press and hold the Side or Top button until the power-off slider appears.
Drag the slider.
Wait about 30 seconds.
Turn the iPhone back on.

How to restart an iPad

The exact steps depend on your iPad model.

On many iPads without a Home button:

Press and hold the Top button and either Volume button.
Drag the power-off slider.
Wait about 30 seconds.
Press and hold the Top button to turn the iPad back on.

If your iPhone or iPad is frozen and does not respond to the normal restart process, you may need a force restart.

When to try this: If the device suddenly becomes slow, an app freezes, or the screen stops responding.

2. Free Up Storage Space

Running low on storage is one of the first things to check when your iPhone or iPad starts slowing down.Your device needs storage for apps, photos, videos, system files, updates, and temporary data.

Apple recommends maintaining at least 1 GB of available storage to help avoid performance problems.

How to check storage on iPhone or iPad

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap iPhone Storage or iPad Storage.

You’ll see how much space is available and which apps or categories are using the most storage.

What should you delete?

Start with the items you no longer need:

Large videos and duplicate photos.
Downloaded movies and TV shows.
Old podcasts.
Unused apps.
Large message attachments.
Offline music and other downloads.
Files you no longer need in the Files app.

Offload unused apps instead of deleting them

If you don’t want to lose an app’s documents and data, you can offload it.

To offload an app:

Go to Settings.
Tap General.
Tap iPhone Storage or iPad Storage.
Select an app.
Tap Offload App.

Offloading removes the app itself but keeps its documents and data, allowing you to reinstall it later.

How much storage should you free?

There is no universal amount of free space that guarantees better performance. Start by getting your device out of a critically low-storage situation.For example, if your 64 GB iPhone has only a few hundred megabytes left, freeing several gigabytes may help you manage updates and files more comfortably.

Tip: Don’t delete important photos or documents without making sure you have a backup.

3. Update Your iPhone or iPad

Running an outdated version of iOS or iPadOS can contribute to software bugs, app compatibility problems, and other issues.

Apple regularly releases software updates that address bugs and improve system functionality.

How to update your iPhone or iPad

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Software Update.
If an update is available, review the details.
Connect to power if necessary and follow the onscreen instructions.

Before a major update, it’s wise to back up your important data.

Should you update an old iPhone?

In general, keeping your device on a supported, up-to-date version of iOS is a sensible step.However, not every old iPhone supports the newest iOS version. Also, an update does not guarantee that an older device will become faster.

If your iPhone is already running an older supported version and is performing normally, check the update details before installing a major software upgrade.

Why can an iPhone feel slow after an update?

After an update, your iPhone may continue performing background tasks such as indexing or processing data. This can temporarily affect battery life and thermal performance.

If your device becomes slow immediately after an update, give it some time and check again later.

4. Check Your iPhone or iPad Battery Health

An aging battery can affect how your iPhone performs.

This is particularly important if your device:

Slows down during demanding tasks.
Shuts down unexpectedly.
Has poor battery life.
Becomes noticeably slower when the battery is low.
Displays a battery service warning.

How to check battery health on iPhone

On iPhone 15 and newer models, and certain supported iPads:

Open Settings.
Tap Battery.
Tap Battery Health.

On iPhone 14 and earlier:

Open Settings.
Tap Battery.
Tap Battery Health & Charging.

Depending on your device, you’ll see information about battery capacity, performance capability, or service recommendations.

What does Maximum Capacity mean?

Maximum Capacity is a measure of battery capacity compared with when the battery was new.For example, a battery showing 80% maximum capacity has less capacity than it did when new.

A lower capacity does not automatically mean your iPhone is slow, but an aged battery can contribute to performance problems.

Does replacing the battery make an old iPhone faster?

A battery replacement may help if the existing battery is significantly degraded and is affecting performance.It will not turn an older iPhone into a newer model with a faster processor.

If you see a Service recommendation or experience unexpected shutdowns, consider having the battery assessed by Apple or a qualified repair provider.

5. Turn Off Low Power Mode When You Need Maximum Performance

Low Power Mode is designed to extend battery life by reducing power consumption.It can reduce or disable certain features, including some visual effects, Mail fetch, and Background App Refresh.

If your iPhone is running slowly and Low Power Mode is enabled, turning it off may help you determine whether the power-saving settings are contributing to the problem.

How to turn off Low Power Mode

On many recent iPhones:

Open Settings.
Tap Battery.
Tap Power Mode.
Turn off Low Power Mode.

On some older versions of iOS, the setting is simply under Settings → Battery.

Important: Low Power Mode is not necessarily the cause of slow performance. If your battery is low, leaving it on may be more useful than turning it off.

6. Reduce Motion and Visual Effects

Your iPhone or iPad uses animations and transparency effects when opening apps, switching screens, and interacting with menus.

These effects are part of the user interface. They do not necessarily mean that your device is wasting a large amount of processing power, but reducing them can make navigation feel quicker.

How to turn on Reduce Motion

Open Settings.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Motion.
Turn on Reduce Motion.

This reduces certain screen animations and visual effects.

Reduce transparency

You can also reduce transparency to simplify some interface effects.

Open Settings.
Tap Accessibility.
Tap Display & Text Size.
Turn on Reduce Transparency.

These settings may help an older iPhone feel more responsive, especially when navigating between screens.

Note: They do not increase your processor speed, and the benefit will vary depending on the device.

7. Don’t Force-Close Every App

Many people believe that swiping away every app in the app switcher will make an iPhone faster.That is not generally good advice.

Apple explains that force-closing apps unnecessarily can make them take longer to reopen because the app has to reload its data.

When should you close an app?

Close an app if it is:

Frozen.
Not responding.
Behaving incorrectly.
Consuming unusual resources.
Causing a problem that restarting the app may resolve.

How to close an app on iPhone

On iPhones without a Home button:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen.
Pause in the middle.
Find the app.
Swipe up on the app preview.

On iPhones with a Home button:

Double-click the Home button.
Find the app.
Swipe up on its preview.

The process is similar on iPads, although the gestures may vary by model.

Bottom line: Close apps that are misbehaving, not every app simply because it is in the app switcher.

8. Turn Off Background App Refresh for Unnecessary Apps

Background App Refresh allows apps to check for new content and perform certain updates while you’re not actively using them.It is useful for apps that need to keep content up to date, but you may not need it enabled for every app.

Turning off Background App Refresh for selected apps can reduce background activity and help battery life. It is not a guaranteed way to increase the processing speed of an old iPhone.

How to turn off Background App Refresh

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Background App Refresh.
Turn it off for apps that don’t need to refresh in the background.

Depending on your iOS version, you may be able to turn off Background App Refresh completely or choose which apps can use it.

Should you turn it off for WhatsApp or Gmail?

You don’t have to turn it off for every app.

Consider keeping it enabled for apps where background content updates are useful. Also, understand that turning off background refresh does not necessarily stop push notifications. Notifications are handled through different mechanisms.

If you’re trying to save battery, review the settings for apps that use significant power.

9. Find and Fix Slow App

Sometimes your iPhone is not slow. A particular app is the problem.

For example, if Safari works normally but a specific game freezes, the game may be using too many resources or may have a bug.

How to identify apps causing problems

Open Settings.
Tap Battery.
Review battery usage by app.
Look for apps that use unusually high amounts of battery.
Check whether the app is updated.
Restart or reinstall the app if necessary.

You can also check the App Store for updates.

What if one app keeps freezing?

Try these steps:

Close and reopen the app.
Update the app.
Restart the iPhone or iPad.
Check your internet connection if it is an online app.
Delete and reinstall the app if necessary.

Before deleting an app, make sure important data is synced or backed up.

10. Check Your Internet Connection

If your iPhone is slow when browsing the internet, watching videos, or using social media, the problem may be your network rather than the phone.

A slow internet connection can make apps appear to freeze or load slowly.

How to test your connection

Try the following:

Open a different website.
Switch from mobile data to Wi-Fi.
Try another Wi-Fi network.
Move to an area with better network coverage.
Restart your router if you’re using Wi-Fi.

If only one app is slow, the issue may be with that app or its server.

If multiple apps are slow while using mobile data, contact your network provider if the problem continues.

11. Keep Your iPhone or iPad Cool

Excessive heat can affect the performance of your device.

You may notice this when:

Playing demanding games.
Using GPS for a long time.
Recording video.
Using the phone under direct sunlight.
Charging while performing heavy tasks.

What to do if your iPhone is overheating

Stop demanding apps.
Move the device away from direct sunlight.
Disconnect it from the charger if it is hot.
Allow it to cool naturally.
Avoid using it heavily until the temperature returns to normal.

Do not put your iPhone in a refrigerator or freezer.

If the device repeatedly overheats during normal use, consider having it inspected.

12. Delete Unnecessary Downloads and Large Files

Large downloads can consume storage and make it harder to manage your device.

Check apps such as:

Files.
Photos.
Podcasts.
Music.
Streaming apps.
Messaging apps.

Look for downloaded videos, movies, podcasts, documents, and other files you no longer need.

How to remove large files

Open the relevant app and review its downloads.

For example, in the Files app:

Open Files.
Tap Browse.
Review On My iPhone or iPad and iCloud Drive.
Delete files you no longer need.

Remember to check Recently Deleted folders when appropriate.

13. Turn Off Unnecessary Location Services

Location Services allows apps to use your location for features such as navigation, weather, and location-based recommendations.

Some apps may not need access to your location all the time.

Reviewing location permissions can reduce unnecessary background activity and help battery life.

How to review Location Services

Open Settings.
Tap Privacy & Security.
Tap Location Services.
Review the apps that have access.
Change permissions for apps that do not need location access.

You can choose options such as Never, Ask Next Time, While Using the App, or Always, depending on the app and iOS version.

Note: Location Services is not usually the main cause of a slow iPhone. Review it as part of general device maintenance.

14. Reduce Widgets and Unnecessary Background Activity

Widgets can be useful, but some display frequently updated information. If your iPhone or iPad feels sluggish, consider removing widgets you don’t use. You can also review apps that send frequent notifications.

How to remove a widget

Touch and hold the widget.
Tap Remove Widget.
Confirm the removal.

You can also customize your Home Screen or Today View depending on your device. This may help simplify the interface, but it is not a guaranteed performance boost.

15. Factory Reset Your iPhone or iPad as a Last Resort

If you have tried the steps above and your iPhone or iPad is still slow, a factory reset may be an option.A factory reset erases the device and returns it to its setup state.

It may help if the problem is caused by persistent software issues, but it will not fix a failing battery, damaged hardware, or an underpowered processor.

Before resetting your iPhone

Make sure you:

Back up your photos and videos.
Back up important documents.
Confirm that your contacts are synced.
Remember your Apple Account password.
Check that your important app data is backed up.
Understand that the reset will erase the device.

How to reset your iPhone

Open Settings.
Tap General.
Tap Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Follow the onscreen instructions.

On iPad, the process is similar:

Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPad → Erase All Content and Settings.

Important: Do not reset your device unless you understand the consequences. If your goal is to preserve your data, back it up first.

What Not to Do When Your iPhone Is Slow

Some popular smartphone speed-up tips are misleading or unnecessary.

Don’t delete every app

You don’t need to remove all third-party apps to make your iPhone faster. Focus on unused apps, storage-heavy apps, and apps that are causing problems.

Don’t force-close all apps

Apple specifically warns that unnecessary force-closing can make apps take longer to reopen.

Don’t expect a factory reset to upgrade your hardware

A reset may resolve software issues, but it will not make an old chipset perform like a newer one.

Don’t install random “RAM cleaner” apps

iOS manages memory automatically. Apps that claim to dramatically increase your iPhone’s RAM or processing speed should be treated with caution.

Don’t keep using an overheating device

If your iPhone becomes excessively hot, stop heavy use and allow it to cool.

How to Make an Old iPhone Faster Without Buying a New One

If you’re using an older iPhone and cannot afford an upgrade right now, focus on the changes that address your actual problem.

If your storage is almost full

Free up space and offload unused apps.

If your battery is degraded

Check Battery Health and consider a replacement if recommended.

If your apps freeze

Update the app, restart it, or reinstall it if necessary.

If the internet is slow

Check your Wi-Fi or mobile data connection.

If navigation feels sluggish

Try Reduce Motion and Reduce Transparency.

If the phone is slow after an update

Give it time to finish background tasks and check again.

If everything is slow

Check storage, battery health, software updates, and the device’s age. If the problem persists, professional diagnosis may be worthwhile.

When Should You Replace Your Old iPhone or iPad?

Sometimes an iPhone or iPad is slow because its hardware is no longer suited to your daily needs.

You may want to consider an upgrade if:

Your device no longer supports the apps you need.
It cannot run a supported version of iOS or iPadOS.
It struggles with everyday tasks even after troubleshooting.
The battery needs replacement and the repair cost is not worthwhile.
You need better performance for gaming, video editing, or demanding apps.
The device has other hardware problems.

You do not necessarily need the newest iPhone. A newer supported model that fits your budget may provide a better experience.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I speed up my old iPhone?

Start by restarting your iPhone, freeing up storage, checking battery health, and updating iOS. You can also reduce motion effects and troubleshoot apps that are freezing or using excessive resources.

Why is my iPhone slow even though I have enough storage?

Storage is only one possible cause. Check battery health, software updates, overheating, network performance, and whether a particular app is responsible.

Does deleting apps make an iPhone faster?

Deleting unused apps can free storage, but it does not automatically make your iPhone faster. Focus on freeing space if your device is nearly full.

Does restarting an iPhone clear RAM?

Restarting can resolve temporary software problems and clear some active processes, but it is not a permanent performance upgrade.

Does turning off Background App Refresh make an iPhone faster?

It may reduce some background activity, but it is not a guaranteed speed improvement. Apple recommends using it selectively rather than assuming every app must be disabled.

Should I turn off animations on an old iPhone?

You can try Reduce Motion to reduce visual effects and make navigation feel simpler. The improvement depends on your device.

Can a battery replacement speed up an old iPhone?

If the battery is degraded and affecting performance, replacement may help. It will not change the processor or turn the iPhone into a newer model.

How much free storage should I keep on my iPhone?

Apple recommends maintaining at least 1 GB of available storage to help avoid slowdowns. More free space may be useful if you frequently download large files or install updates.

Will a factory reset make my iPhone faster?

A factory reset may resolve some software problems, but it will not fix hardware faults or limitations of an older processor. Always back up your data before resetting.

Why is my iPhone slow after an iOS update?

Some background tasks may continue after an update, temporarily affecting performance and battery life. Give the device time and check again. If the problem persists, troubleshoot storage, battery health, and software issues.

Conclusion

A slow iPhone or iPad does not always mean you need to buy a new device.

In many cases, you can improve your experience by freeing up storage, restarting the device, updating iOS, checking battery health, and addressing apps or network connections that are causing problems.

However, it is important to understand that an older iPhone has hardware limitations. No setting can turn an old processor into a new one.

Start with the simple fixes, identify the actual cause of the slowdown, and only consider a factory reset or device upgrade when the problem persists.

How to Speed Up an Old iPhone or iPad: 15 Proven Ways to Make It Faster