10 Common iOS 14 Problems & How to Fix Them

The current list of iOS 14 problems includes abnormal battery drain, Wi-Fi issues, UI lag, crashes, issues with Touch ID, and installation issues. A lot of the problems are brand new, others have carried over from older versions of iOS.

While some of these issues might require a chat with customer service or a visit to your local Apple Store, some issues can be fixed in minutes from the comfort of your home.

In this guide we’ll take you through fixes for the most common iOS 14 problems. If you’re noticing battery drain, issues with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, or if you’re having issues installing the latest version of iOS 14, have a look through these fixes before you contact customer service or take your iPhone into a store.

How to Fix iOS 14 Installation Issues

If your installation gets stuck, here’s how to get it unstuck.

First, you’ll want to perform a hard reset. On older iPhone models you’ll need to hold the home button and the power button down at the same time and wait until the device reboots.

If you own an iPhone 7,  hold the volume down and power button until the device resets. If you own an iPhone 8, press volume up and release, press volume down and release, then hold the power button for about 5-10 seconds until it resets.

If you own a newer model like the iPhone X, you’ll need to press volume up, volume down, then hold the side button on the right edge of the device until the device reboots itself.

If your download is taking a long time to complete, you’ll want to pause the download, wait a few minutes, and try again. You also might want to investigate your router or check Apple’s service page for an outage.

How to Fix iOS 14 Battery Life Problems

If your iPhone’s battery starts acting up after the upgrade, there are a few things you can try.

If you’re experiencing extreme battery drain after installing the latest version of iOS 14, take a look at our list of fixes.

If nothing in that guide works, there’s a chance you’ve got a bad battery. If you determine that might be the case, you’ll need to get in touch with Apple about a replacement.

If you live near an Apple Store, and it’s open for business, make an appointment at the Genius Bar. They should be able to diagnose your problem in minutes.

If you don’t have an Apple Store near you, you’ll want to get in contact with Apple customer service.

How to Fix iOS 14 Bluetooth Problems

If you’re unable to connect to one or more of your Bluetooth devices, here’s what you’ll need to do.

First, you’ll want to forget the Bluetooth connection on your device. Here’s how to do that on iOS 14:

• Head into your Settings.
• Tap Bluetooth.
• Select the connection using the “i” in the circle.
• Tap “Forget this Device”.
• Try reconnecting.

If that doesn’t work, try resetting your iPhone’s Network Settings:

• Go to your Settings.
• Tap General.
• Tap Reset.
• Tap Reset Network Settings.

This process will take a few seconds to complete. It’ll cause your device to forget known Wi-Fi networks so make sure you’ve got your password(s) handy.

You can also try resetting your device’s settings back to their factory defaults. Here’s how to do that:

• Head into Settings.
• Tap General.
• Tap Reset.
• Tap Reset All Settings.

Bluetooth issues can be difficult to fix so if none of these solutions work, you might have to contact Apple’s customer service or the company who makes the product you’re trying to connect to.

How to Fix iOS 14 Wi-Fi Issues

If you’re noticing slower speeds or dropped connections, here are some steps to take.

Before you start messing around with your iPhone’s settings, investigate the connection. If you’re on your home Wi-Fi network, try unplugging the router for minute before plugging it back in.

If you can’t access the router you’re connected to or if you’re positive the issue has nothing to do with your router, head into your iPhone’s Settings app.

From here you’ll want to forget the Wi-Fi network that’s giving you problems. Here’s how to do that:

• In your Settings, tap Wi-Fi.
• Select your connection by tapping the “i” in the circle.
• Tap Forget this Network at the top of the screen. (Note: This will cause your iPhone to forget the Wi-Fi password so you’ll want to have that handy.)

If this doesn’t work, try resetting your phone’s network settings:

• Go to your Settings app.
• Tap General.
• Tap Reset
• Tap on Reset Network Settings.

If none of those help, you’ll want to check out Apple’s guide to Wi-Fi problems.

How to Fix iOS 14 Cellular Data Issues

If your device suddenly starts telling you you have “No Service” and you can’t connect to your cellular network, here are a few steps to take.

First, make sure there isn’t a cellular outage in your area. Check social media for reports and/or get into contact with your service provider on social media. We also recommend checking Down Detector to see if others in your area are having similar issues.

If you determine the issue is unrelated to a network outage, you’ll want to restart your iPhone and see if that jumpstarts the connection.

If that doesn’t work, try turning Airplane Mode on for 30 seconds before turning it off. Airplane Mode kills all of the connections on your device.

If you still can’t get it to work, you’ll want to try toggling Cellular Data off and on. Here’s how to do that:

• Go to Settings.
• Tap Cellular.
• Toggle Cellular Data to off.
• Leave it off for a minute and toggle it back on.

How to Fix iOS 14 FaceTime Issues

If you’re having trouble making or receiving FaceTime calls, you’ll want to make sure Apple isn’t having any issues. If FaceTime has a green symbol next to it, the issues are on your end.

Make sure your iPhone is properly connected to Wi-Fi or your cellular network. If it is, make sure FaceTime is turned on. Here’s how to do that:

• Head into Settings.
• Tap FaceTime.
• If you notice a message that says “Waiting for Activation”, turn FaceTime off and then toggle it back on.

If FaceTime is on and you’re connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network, try restarting your iPhone.

If you’re having trouble connecting via FaceTime over a cellular network, make sure cellular data is currently turned on for FaceTime. Here’s how to check:

• Head into Settings.
• Tap Cellular.
• Scroll Down and make sure FaceTime is toggled on.

How to Fix iOS 14 App Issues

If one or more of your applications are acting up after the move to the latest version of iOS 14, here are a few things you can try before getting in contact with the developer.

First, try restarting your iPhone. If that doesn’t improve performance, you’ll want to check the App Store for an update. Developers are still pushing iOS 14 support updates and the downloading latest version of the app could help.

You can also try deleting the app and downloading it again.

If you can’t fix the issue yourself, get in contact with the app’s developer and see if it knows about the issue. If it does, it might have a manual fix or an ETA on an update that will address the issue.

How to Fix iOS 14 Random Reboots

If your phone starts randomly rebooting, here are a few fixes to try before getting in contact with Apple.

First, restart the device. If you haven’t turned your device off in awhile, this could solve the issue.

If you’re still seeing random reboots, update all of your applications and see if that solves the issue. If it doesn’t, you might need to have a chat with Apple’s customer service.

For more on how to fix iOS 14 performance issues, have a look at our guide.

How to Fix iOS 14 Visual Voicemail Issues

iOS’ Visual Voicemail feature often breaks after Apple releases a new version of iOS. If you can’t get visual voicemail to popup on your phone, here are a few things to try.

First, try letting the voicemail play all the way through. Once it’s done, exit the Phone app and re-open it. If that doesn’t work, you’ll want to restart your iPhone.

How to Fix iOS 14 GPS Issues

If GPS starts acting up, try restarting your phone before you do anything else.

If that doesn’t help, you’ll want to try toggling Airplane Mode on and off. If it’s still acting up, go into your location permissions and make sure you’re permitting the app to use GPS. Here’s how to do that:

• Go to Settings.
• Tap Privacy.
• Tap Locations Services at the top.
• Tap on the app in question and make sure you’re using something other than “Never.” If you have Never selected, GPS won’t work.

You can also try toggling Location Services off and on. Here’s how to do that:

• Go to Settings.
• Tap Privacy.
• Tap Locations Services at the top.
• Toggle Location Services off, wait a few seconds, and toggle it back on.

If you still can’t get GPS to work properly, try resetting your device’s network settings:

• Go to your Settings.
• Tap General.
• Tap Reset.
• Tap Reset Network Settings.

Update Your iPhone

Apple will periodically release new software. Point updates (iOS x.x) are typically focused on fixing bugs while milestone upgrades (iOS x.x) usually deliver a mix of features and fixes.

The company might not call out general fixes (ex. a fix for Bluetooth issues) in an update’s change log, but new software always has the potential to help.

For more on the latest version of iOS 14, take a look at our guide. And for more information about the latest version of iOS 15, Apple’s latest operating system, check out this walkthrough.

Downgrade

If everything fails, and you can’t wait for the next version of iOS or you can’t pry a solution from Apple customer service, you can try downgrading back to the previous version of iOS (if the option is available). This could help improve your phone’s performance.

If you don’t know how to downgrade an iPhone’s software, take a look at our walkthrough.

Restore as New

If the problems are really bad, you can try restoring your iPhone as new. You can do this via Finder, iTunes, or iCloud. This should only be used as a last resort.

Install iOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

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If security is important to you, think about installing iOS 14.8.1 right away. The iOS 14.8.1 update brings 12 new security patches to the iPhone. You can read about all of them over on Apple's site.  If you want to better protect your iPhone and its data, you'll want to install the iOS 14.8.1 update in the near future.  If you missed iOS 14.8, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about them right here.  If you missed iOS 14.7.1, you'll get its patch with your upgrade. If you want to learn more about iOS 14.7.1's security update, check out its support page. If you missed iOS 14.7, you'll get its 31 security patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about those on Apple's website.  If you skipped iOS 14.6, you'll get the update's 38 security patches with your iOS 14.8.1 update. If you're curious about the particulars, you can read about them right here. If you skipped iOS 14.5.1, you get the update's two security patches on board. You can read about them over on Apple's website. Both are related to WebKit.  If you missed iOS 14.5 you'll get its patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those changes over on Apple's website. iOS 14.5 also brought Apple's new App Tracking Transparency which lets you control which apps are allowed to track your activity across other companies' apps and websites for ads or sharing with data brokers. If you skipped iOS 14.4.2, you get its security patch with iOS 14.8.1. You can learn more about that patch over on Apple's website as well.  If you missed iOS 14.4.1, you get its patch with your upgrade to iOS 14.8.1. You can read about that patch right here. If you skipped iOS 14.4, you get the update's patches with your upgrade. You can learn more about iOS 14.4's security patches right here.  If you skipped iOS 14.3 you'll get its nine security updates with your upgrade. You can read more about them on its security site.  iOS 14.3 also included a new privacy information section on App Store pages that includes a developer-reported summary of the app’s privacy practices. If you skipped iOS 14.2, your iOS 14.8.1 update includes 24 additional security patches. You can learn more about the patches on Apple's security website.  If you're still running iOS 13, iOS 14.8.1 includes iOS 14.0's security updates.  iOS 14.0 brought 11 new security patches to the iPhone. If you're interested in the exact nature of these improvements, you can read about them over on Apple's website. In addition to those patches, iOS 14 comes with some security and privacy upgrades including improvements to Home/HomeKit and Safari.  For instance in Safari, you can now tap the Privacy Report button to better understand how websites handle your privacy. With iOS 14 on board you can now get information on the App Store that will help you understand the privacy practices of apps before you download them.  There is also a new recording indicator that will appear at the top of your screen whenever an app is using your microphone or camera. You can see if an app has used them recently in Control Center. Researchers also discovered that Apple brought a new "BlastDoor" sandbox security system to iOS 14. The system is meant to prevent attacks from occurring via the Messages app.  You can read more about "BlastDoor" right here.

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