Apple
How to Fix iOS 16 Performance Problems
As we push away from the latest iOS 16 update’s release we’re hearing about a variety of performance issues plaguing iPhone users.
While many iPhone users are having a great experience on Apple’s latest software, others are complaining about bugs and performance problems.
The current list of iOS 16 performance issues includes UI lag, freezes, lock ups, and random reboots. These are extremely common, particularly on aging iPhone models.
Performance issues can be difficult to fix. While you might be able to fix some problems on your own, others may require a fix from Apple in a new software update.
In some cases, you may need to contact Apple support or bring your iPhone into an Apple Store.
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If you can’t wait for a new version of iOS 16 and/or you don’t have time to get in touch with Apple support, we have some fixes that could help fix the iOS 16 performance issue(s) you’ve encountered on your phone.
Restart Your Phone
If you start noticing UI lag or another performance issue after installing the latest version of iOS 16, try restarting your iPhone. Power it down, leave it off for a minute, and the turn it back on. This has resolved many issues for us in the past.
Update Your iPhone
Apple will occasionally push new iOS 16 software to your iPhone.
The company might not call out performance fixes in an iOS 16 update’s change log, but new software always has the potential to help (or, in some cases, hurt) your iPhone’s overall performance.
For more on the latest version of iOS 16, take a look at our guide.
Update Your Apps
If you haven’t done so already, make sure you update your applications to the latest version.
App developers are rolling out support updates and they could help stabilize iOS 16’s performance on your iPhone.
Before you install the latest version of an app you’ll want to go into the App Store and read reviews from other iOS 16 users. If the reviews are mostly good, download the latest version
Cleanup Your iPhone’s Storage
If you’ve had your iPhone for awhile you might have a ton of clutter taking up space on its internal storage. Deleting unnecessary files could help speed up your iPhone. This is especially true if you’re almost out of storage.
To start, you’ll want to check and see how much space is free on your iPhone. Here’s how to do that:
- Head into Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap iPhone Storage.
Apple makes some recommendations based on your utilization of your iPhone’s storage, but you can also just go through each section manually delete files you no longer need.
Stop Using Background App Refresh
iOS’ Background App Refresh feature refreshes apps in the background to show you the latest data when you open them up. It also makes your phone work in the background.
If you don’t need this, you might want to shut the feature off. Here’s how to do that:
- Go into the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Background App Refresh.
- At the top of this screen tap Background App Refresh and toggle it off.
If you want to keep it on for some apps, leave it on and then go down your list of apps and manually turn it off for apps you don’t use.
Reset All Settings
If you’re still not getting the kind of performance you’d like out of your iPhone, try resetting your settings. Here’s how to do that:
- Go to Settings.
- Tap General.
- Tap Reset Transfer or Reset iPhone.
- Tap Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings.
- Enter your passcode if you have one enabled.
This will restore your iPhone’s settings to their factory defaults.
Downgrade
If you can’t find a fix for your problem and/or don’t want to wait for Apple’s next iOS 16 update, you can try downgrading back to the previous version of iOS 16.
Your downgrade options will change over time and sometimes downgrading won’t be available.
For more on the iOS downgrade process, take a look at our walkthrough.
Restore
If you can’t find a fix for your issue, and you want to avoid taking your iPhone into a store, you might want to restore your device. This should only be used as a last resort.
You can do this via Finder, iTunes, or iCloud.
Install iOS 16.7.10 for Better Security | ||||||||||||||
If security is important to you, think about installing Apple's iOS 16.7.10 update on your iPhone right away. iOS 16.7.10 itself doesn't have any security patches on board, but if you missed older versions of iOS 16, you'll get the fixes and features from updates you missed when you upgrade. iOS 16.7.9 featured 20 security patches. If you want to protect your device from harm, and you missed iOS 16.7.9, you should install iOS 16.7.10 sooner rather than later. iOS 16.7.8 has two security patches on board, iOS 16.7.7 had two, and Apple's iOS 16.7.6 update delivered several security patches to iPhone users. iOS 16.7.5 had nine security patches on board and they're important if you want to keep you device and its data safe from harm. iOS 16.7.3 delivered several security patches including one that patches up an issue with the Find My app. iOS 16.7.2 brought several security patches to iPhone models still running iOS 16. Learn more about them here. iOS 16.7.1 carried two important security enhancements including one that addressed a kernel vulnerability. You can learn more about the pair over on Apple's website. iOS 16.7 had three security patches on board and you can learn more about them right here. iOS 16.6.1 brought two important security patches to iPhone. If you're interested in what they patch up, here's Apple's guide. The iOS 16.6 update featured 16 security patches. For more information about the changes, check out Apple's rundown. iOS 16.5.1 brought two security patches to iPhone users If you want to learn more, head on over to Apple's website. The company's iOS Security Response 16.5.1 (c) update also included a security update and you can learn more about it right here. iOS 16.5 brought a ton of security patches to the iPhone. You can find out more about them over on Apple's security site. iOS 16.4.1 included two security upgrades . You can learn more about the pair right here. Apple's iOS 16.4 update had a substantial number of patches on board. You can read about them in detail over on Apple's security site. The iOS 16.3.1 update had three security patches on board including one for an actively exploited vulnerability. For more on the security contents of iOS 16.3.1, check out Apple's security page. iOS 16.3 brought 10+ new security patches with it and you can learn more about all of those right here. In addition, the software came with support for physical security keys for Apple ID. These will beef up your account security by requiring a physical security key as part of the two factor authentication sign in process. Learn more about the change right here. If you skipped iOS 16.2, you'll get its changes with iOS 16.7.10. iOS 16.2 brought a ton of important security patches with it and you can dig into the details on Apple's security site. The update also brought end-to-end encryption to iCloud, iMessage, iPhone backups, Notes, Photos, and more. If you want to learn more about it, head over to Apple's guide. If you decided to missed iOS 16.1.2, you'll get its solitary security patch with your upgrade. Learn more about it right here. If you skipped iOS 16.1.1, you'll get its security patches when you upgrade. You can learn more about them right here. If you missed the iOS 16.1 update, it brought 19 security patches to the iPhone and you can learn about the particulars of those over on Apple's website. If you failed to download iOS 16.0.3, it had one security patch on board, a fix for a potential exploit within the Mail app. For more about the fix, check out Apple's security site. If you're still running iOS 15 your iPhone, you'll get a bunch of other patches when you upgrade. iOS 16.0 brought a ton of 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 security website. In addition to those patches, iOS 16 brings some additional enhancements to privacy and security including Safety Check which, according to Apple, will help "people in domestic or intimate partner violence situations review and reset the access they’ve granted others." The feature also resets system privacy permissions for apps and restricts Messages and FaceTime to the device on hand. Apple's also made some improvements to Passkeys in Safari. iOS 16 brings a brand new sign-in method that's end-to-end encrypted and safe from phishing and data leaks. | ||||||||||||||