10 Common iOS 13 Problems & How to Fix Them

iOS 13 issues continue to plague iPhone users as we push deeper into 2020.

Apple continues to fix iOS 13 bugs and performance issues, but we continue to see and hear complaints from iPhone users who have moved from iOS 12 to iOS 13 and from older versions of iOS 13 to iOS 13.7.

The current list of iOS 13 problems includes the usual suspects: Abnormal battery drain, Wi-Fi issues, Bluetooth problems, UI lag, crashes, and installation issues. Some of these problems are new, others have carried over from iOS 12 and older versions of iOS 13.

While some of these issues will require a fix from Apple in a software update or perhaps a visit to your local Apple Store, others can be fixed in a matter of minutes.

When in doubt, try updating to the latest version of iOS 13 (iOS 13.7). Apple’s software updates almost always bring new bug fixes along with them and it’s worth a shot if you’re running into trouble.

In this guide we’ll take you through fixes for some of the more common iOS 13 problems. If you’re noticing battery drain, connectivity problems, or something else, have a look through these fixes before you take your phone into a store.

Try Starz or HBO Free with Amazon Channels

How to Fix iOS 13 Installation Problems

If your iOS 13 installation gets stuck, you should be able to get it unstuck yourself.

If you’re stuck, 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 you’re noticing longer download times than usual, you’ll want to 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 13 Battery Life Problems

If your device’s battery is draining faster than it normally does, there are a few things you can try.

If you’re experiencing extreme battery drain, take a look at our list of fixes. It’ll take you through the steps we usually take when we see abnormal drain.

If nothing there works, there’s a chance you’ve got a bad battery. In that case, you’ll need to get in touch with Apple about a procuring a replacement.

If you live near an Apple Store, 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 the company’s customer service.

How to Fix iOS 13 Bluetooth Problems

If you’re unable to connect your iPhone to one or more of your Bluetooth-powered devices, here are a few general steps to take.

No products found.

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

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

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

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

This process will take a few seconds to complete and it will cause your iPhone to forget all known Bluetooth devices. It’ll also cause it to forget known Wi-Fi networks so make sure you’ve got your passwords 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 are notorious for being difficult to fix so if none of these things work, you might have to get in contact with Apple’s customer service or with the company that makes the product you’re trying to connect to.

How to Fix iOS 13 Wi-Fi Problems

If you’re noticing slow speeds or experiencing dropped connections after moving to iOS 13, try these steps.

Before you start messing with your iPhone’s settings, you’ll want to first take a look at your Wi-Fi connection. If you’re on your home Wi-Fi network, try unplugging the router for minute. Plug it back in and see if that helps.

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

Once you’re there, 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. This will cause your iPhone to forget the Wi-Fi password so have that handy.

If that fails to resolve your issues, 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 head over to Apple’s guide to Wi-Fi problems.

How to Fix iOS 13 Cellular Data Problems

If your device suddenly starts telling you you have “No Service” and you can’t connect to your LTE or 4G connection, here’s what you should do.

First, you’ll want to make sure there isn’t a cellular outage in your area. Check social media for reports and/or get in contact with your service provider on Twitter. 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 in your area you’ll want to restart your iPhone and see if that jumpstarts the connection.

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

If turning Airplane Mode on and off doesn’t work, you’ll want to try toggling Cellular Data and/or LTE off to see if that helps.

If you want to shut LTE off:

• Go into Settings.
• Tap Cellular.
• Tap Cellular Data Options.
• Tap Enable LTE.
• Toggle it off.
• Leave it off for a minute then toggle it back on.

If you want to shut off Cellular Data completely without turning off your other services:

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

How to Fix iOS 13 FaceTime Issues

If you’re having trouble making or receiving FaceTime calls, you’ll want to make sure there aren’t any problems over at Apple. If FaceTime has a green symbol next to it, the issues are on your end. If that’s the case, try these fixes.

First, make sure your device is properly connected to Wi-Fi or your cellular network. If it is, you’ll now want to check if FaceTime is 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. This has worked for us on occasion.

If you’re having trouble connecting via FaceTime over a cellular network, make sure cellular data is currently turned on for FaceTime. Follow these steps:

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

How to Fix iOS 13 App Problems

If one or more of your applications are giving you problems after the iOS 13 update, 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 pushing out a stream of iOS 13 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 simply can’t fix the issue on your own, 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 correct the problem.

How to Fix iOS 13 Random Reboots

If your phone suddenly starts rebooting itself, 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 might solve the issue.

If you’re still noticing random reboot issues, update all of your applications. Check the App Store and make sure all of your applications are up-to-date.

How to Fix iOS 13 Visual Voicemail Issues

Visual Voicemail sometimes breaks after iOS updates and we’ve seen a few complaints from iOS 13 users. 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.

We’ve also had success flipping Airplane Mode on for 30 seconds and turning it off.

How to Fix iOS 13 GPS Issues

If GPS starts acting up after installing iOS 13, try restarting your phone.

If restarting your iPhone doesn’t fix the problem, 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 to see if that helps. 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. Here’s how to do that:

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

Downgrade

If you can’t fix the issue yourself, can’t wait for the next iOS update, and can’t or don’t want to get in touch with Apple customer service, you can try downgrading back to a previous version of iOS 13. This could help improve your phone’s performance.

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

Install the iOS 14 Beta

If you’re desperate, you could try moving your iPhone to Apple’s iOS 14 beta. For more on how to do that, take a look at our guide.

Restore as New

You also might try restoring your device from a backup from your computer or via iCloud.

If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can try restoring the device as new. You can do this via Finder, iTunes, or iCloud.

Install iOS 14.8.1 for Better Security

> 1 / 16

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.

> 1 / 16

Last update on 2024-03-25. This post may contain affiliate links. Click here to read our disclosure policy for more details. Images via Amazon API