My iPhone 8 Is Slow! Here's Why & The Real Fix.

David Lynch

SEPTEMBER 18, 2017

Your iPhone 8 is slow and you don't know why. You paid a lot for your new iPhone, it should run quickly and efficiently. In this article, I'll show how to fix your slow iPhone 8 and make it operate faster!

Why Is My iPhone 8 So Slow?

Most of the time when your iPhone 8 is slow, there are software issues bogging it down. Software crashes, app issues, and limited storage space could all be slowing down your iPhone 8. The software troubleshooting steps below will show you how to fix your slow iPhone 8!

How To Fix A Slow iPhone 8

8 Steps Total
1.

Restart Your iPhone

Restarting your iPhone can sometimes fix minor software glitches and errors.

How Do I Restart My iPhone?

  1. Press and hold the power button (iPhones without Face ID) or the side button and either volume button (iPhones with Face ID) on your iPhone until the slide to power off slider appears on the display.
  2. Swipe the red power icon from left to right to turn off your iPhone.
  3. Wait about 30 seconds, then press and hold the power button (iPhones without Face ID) or the side button (iPhones with Face ID) again until the Apple logo appears in the center of the display.

Turn Off Your iPhone In The Settings App (Option 1)

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Shut Down.
  4. Swipe the red power icon from left to right.
  5. Plug your iPhone into a power source using a Lightning cable to turn it on again.

Turn Off Your iPhone Using AssistiveTouch

  1. Watch our YouTube video or follow the steps below!
  2. Open the Settings app.
  3. Tap General.
  4. Tap Accessibility.
  5. Tap AssistiveTouch.
  6. Turn on the switch next to AssistiveTouch.
  7. Tap the AssistiveTouch button when it appears on the display.
  8. Tap Device.
  9. Tap More.
  10. Tap Restart.
  11. Tap Restart again when the confirmation alert appears.
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2.

Update iOS On Your iPhone

If your iPhone is running an outdated version of iOS, you may run into problems that could be fixed simply by updating to the most recent version of iOS.

How Do I Update iOS On My iPhone?

There are two ways to update iOS on your iPhone: in the Settings app and by using iTunes.

Update iOS In The Settings App

  1. Open up the Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Software Update.
  4. If an update is available, tap Install Now or Download and Install.

Update iOS Using iTunes (PCs and Macs running macOS 10.14 or older)

  1. Connect your iPhone to a computer using a Lightning cable.
  2. Open iTunes.
  3. Click the Phone button in the upper left-hand corner of iTunes (see image 3).
  4. Click Check For Update.
  5. If an update is available, click Download and Install.

Update iOS Using Finder (Macs running macOS 10.15 or newer)

  1. Connect your iPhone to your Mac using a charging cable.
  2. Open Finder.
  3. Click on your iPhone under Locations.
  4. Click the General tab.
  5. Click Check for Update.
  6. Click Download and Install if an iOS update is available.
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3.

Close Out Of Apps You Aren't Using

When you don't close out of your apps, they stay loaded in the background so they'll be ready to go as soon as you open them back up. Problems really begin when one of those apps you have open in the background crashes, which can make your iPhone battery drain fast and possibly cause other apps to malfunction as well.

Apps left on in the background of your iPhone can also still send and receive data, which may slowly drain the amount of data your iPhone can use.

How Can I Check If One Of My Apps Has Crashed?

If you're ever wondering if an app is crashing on your iPhone, you can look for confirmation in the Settings app. Tap Privacy -> Analytics -> Analytics Data and check to see if any apps underneath LatestCrash.  If there are any apps listed here, then there may be a problem with those apps which is making them crash.

How Do I Close Out Of Apps You Aren't Using?

  1. Double-press the Home button to activate the App Switcher on your iPhone, which will display all the apps you currently have open.
  2. Using your finger, swipe up on the apps you want to close out of.
  3. You'll know the app has been closed when it's no longer displayed in the App Switcher.
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4.

Free Up Storage Space On Your iPhone

When your iPhone is low on available storage, it may operate slowly. You also may not be able to download more apps, music, pictures, or software updates. Freeing up storage space on your iPhone can be a fix for both of these problems!

How Do I Free Up Storage Space On My iPhone?

  1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap iPhone Storage.
  4. At the top of this menu, you'll see how much storage space is available. If you have less than 1 GB of space available, it may be making your iPhone slow.
  5. To quickly free up some storage space, tap Enable next next to some of the features under the Recommendations submenu (see image 2).
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5.

Turn Off Background App Refresh

Leaving Background App Refresh on for many apps can significantly drain your iPhone's battery life because the apps will use your connection to Wi-Fi or data network to constantly download new data or information.

I recommend going through your apps one-by-one and determining which ones you want to allow to download new content even when you're not currently using it.

How Do I Turn Off Background App Refresh?

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Background App Refresh.
  4. Tap the switch next to the apps that you want to turn off Background App Refresh on. You'll know Background App Refresh is off on a particular app when its switch is gray and positioned to the left.
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6.

Clear Safari History and Website Data

When your iPhone has saved a lot of data from the Safari app, your iPhone's speed may slow down significantly. By clearing Safari history and other website data, you can increase your iPhone's speed when it's slow.

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Scroll down and tap Safari.
  3. Scroll down and tap Clear History and Website Data.
  4. Tap Clear History and Data when the confirmation alert appears at the bottom of your iPhone's display.
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7.

Reset All Settings

Many iPhone problems are caused when Settings isn't set up correctly or by corruption within individual Settings app files. Restoring the Settings app back to factory defaults doesn't fix every iPhone software problem, but it is a go-to fix for Apple technicians because it does solve a lot of problems that would be very difficult to to track down by hand.

How Do I Reset All Settings?

  1. Open the Settings app.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down and tap Transfer Or Reset iPhone.
  4. Tap Reset.
  5. Tap Reset All Settings.
  6. Enter your passcode, if prompted.
  7. Tap Reset All Settings again to confirm your decision.
  8. Your iPhone will shut down, complete the reset, and turn itself on again will automatically turn back on when the reset finishes.
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8.

Repair Your iPhone With Apple

Apple repairs iPhones at the Genius Bar in Apple Stores and through their online mail-in repair service. Apple repairs are high-quality, but out-of-warranty repairs can be much more expensive than third-party solutions. If you're looking to save some money you're not covered by Apple's warranty, you may want to check out our other recommendations.

How Do I Repair My iPhone With Apple?

How To Repair Your iPhone With Apple's Mail-In Service

  1. Visit Apple's support website to begin the online mail-in repair process.
  2. Alternatively, call 1-800-MY-APPLE (1-800-692-7753) to set up a repair.

How To Repair Your iPhone At The Genius Bar Inside Your Local Apple Store

  1. Visit Apple's website to make a Genius Bar appointment before you go into the store. Apple Stores are extremely busy, and if you don't have an appointment, you may have to wait for hours or end up being turned away. (Editor's note: I'm a former Apple tech and we're not exaggerating — please, do yourself a favor and make an appointment first!)
  2. When you arrive, go to the Genius Bar to check in for your appointment.
  3. Genius Bar appointments always include free diagnosis. If you're under warranty, many repairs can be done on the spot, but it all depends upon which parts are in stock. If you're not under warranty, the Genius will give you a quote for the cost of a repair.
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Faster Than The Speed Of Light (Almost)

Your iPhone 8 is faster than ever! Now that you know what to do when your iPhone 8 is slow, we hope you'll share this article on social media to help out your friends and family too. Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any other questions about your new iPhone 8!

Thanks for reading,
David L.

AUTHOR

David Lynch

David Lynch is an expert on cell phones, cell phone plans, and other tech. After using a flip phone into his early 20s, he learned the ropes about iPhones and Androids from a former Apple employee. Today, his articles and videos are read and viewed by millions, and he has been cited by major publications including Reader's Digest, Wired, CMSWire, Consumers Advocate, and more.

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TERRY
TERRY
1 year ago

How do i reset my I phone 8 +…It’s speed talking about whatever button i’m hitting and its only moving after I tap the letter or command about 3 -4 times..I tried hard reset, but once its reset, it goes straight back to the same problem.

Jarret Theiral
Jarret Theiral
3 years ago

Mine has been being slow, and I can’t pay for the repairs. I can’t upload files I need into google drive, I can’t even get the app store to connect and I can’t get anything to refresh. iPhone 8 user.

Chuck
Chuck
3 years ago

Thanks, David. Very helpful. My iPhone 8 is extremely sluggish. Especially using spotlight. Sometimes it would take up to a minute after typing in a few letters in the search area before I would see any results. Then, once clicking on a contact, it might take another 30 secs for the contact to be displayed. Well, I followed your instructions. Also, I noticed with the release of iOS13 (I’m on 13.6.1) that I can’t save anything in the notes area under a contact. I store quite a bit of information under each contact. The phone would always refresh before I… Read more »