Slow performance and lag after iOS 26 update on iPhone

After updating my device to iOS 26, I have been experiencing significant lag across apps and system settings. The performance has dropped noticeably, making the device feel slow and unresponsive. This is affecting the overall user experience, and I would appreciate guidance on whether this is a known issue or if there are recommended steps to resolve it


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Original Title: After updating to iOS 26, my phone has started lagging significantly across all apps and settings. The overall performance feels noticeably slower—almost like using an Android device


iPhone 11 Pro Max, iOS 26

Posted on Sep 17, 2025 6:11 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 29, 2026 7:41 AM

Sorry to see you're having issues after iOS 26.

I had no issues with iPhone 11 with either 26 or any point updates.


Barring hardware (storage) issues, I can only suggest you do the following.

  • Back up your Photos to either a computer or iCloud
  • Back up any files or application content to either a computer or iCloud
  • Reset you iPhone (Erase Content and Settings)
  • Set up as new (do NOT recover from the whole iPhone Backup - the first two bullet points do NOT mean "iPhone Backup to iCloud" feature, they mean you use iCloud sections to save Photos or Notes and any other content to iCloud, or hook it up to a Mac/PC and use Finder/iTunes as the backup tool for sections - not the whole device.) This is needed to "lose tail" of old and potentially corrupted Preferences.
  • DO NOT install social network apps yet
  • Restore Photos and bring back other content using iCloud "Save" sections or iTunes/Finder. Do NOT use "Restore Device / Recover iPhone" features that bring everything at once, including possibly corrupted Preferences or content.
  • Observe behaviour for 2-3 days (leave it charging overnight so it indexes your content).
  • Please report if this helped

The final steps involve installing social network (Meta) applications that are known to pervasively observe you. Do this little by little, only when you have established what the "clean" behaviour is like, so you have a baseline to compare to. Notice which apps slow it down. Consider deleting the apps and using Safari to respectful websites instead. You can Pin to Home websites like Facebook and X.


If your 'clean, no 3rd-party apps' iPhone works fine, this was not a hardware issue. If it does not, consider calling Apple, they can perform remote hardware diagnostics over internet even while you're on the phone.


Remember to do the first two bullet points properly if you're not OK with losing some of your data.


If this helped, suggested root cause is filesystem or file corruption. I have seen this happen with older versions, not sure how much had been fixed since. But the method above can give you "new iPhone feeling" assuming you will NOT restore iPhone but set it up as new and bring content only.

380 replies

Sep 24, 2025 3:51 PM in response to wendotdot

Amazing! That really worked like magic ✨🙌


My iPhone 16 Pro has been SUPER lagging the past 10 days, since I updated to iOS 26. FaceID has been extremely slow at loading and registering my face every time I've picked it up, since the last update. But after using this "hack" it seems instantaneously more responsive at registering my face!


I didn't turn it "off and then on again" though, as mentioned. I turned it on, restarted the app, and then turned it off again. It seems like it has improved the speed and responsiveness for sure. Doesn't make much sense to me why that would work, but I'm happy it did 🙃🤷‍♂️🤔


(iPhone 16 Pro, 512GB, 223GB free storage)

Sep 26, 2025 11:31 AM in response to malachai241

I’ve experienced the lag as well. I also experienced a lot of issues with my bookmarks. I’m being forced to log in to sites I always left open. Also, they are taking h longer to load. Yesterday I was experiencing the failed to send text messages as well. I wasn’t aware that an update could take 3-5 days to settle. However, I’ve experienced these issues long after the update

Sep 28, 2025 10:06 PM in response to Mac Jim ID

Hi, I have an iphone 15 plus , and I updated on that day when ios26 was relased but still until now I have lag , battery is drain just using normal apps and making phone calls , and after update my battery healt just drops at 87% from 90% at just only 310 charge cycle , its not normal for a phone that I pay almost 1k euro… I had updated ios before but this ios26 is just ….

Sep 29, 2025 12:53 PM in response to haadee

My trusty 15 pro max is slower and laggy compared to my fiancé s10 plus thats very old, the old ios theme looked classier and had a mature look and design.


A friend of mine got a 17 pro with the same laggy situation on ios 26 and he got an update that fixed that why this is not pushed for the "older" devices looks like the usual apple strategy to make older device look bad compared to the new ones, it looks like they purposely induce a feeling of age that might force you to buy the new shiny ones

Sep 30, 2025 7:02 AM in response to haadee

I as well have been having issues with the new update on my iPad. It’s starts lagging and going to apps that was not clicked on. Research says that it can also be because of the older version of the device but that device shouldn’t be on the list for the update if it’s going to do that. My device has been doing the same thing since it was updated. It needs to be an update to fix the bugs or have a way to remove the update.

Oct 1, 2025 3:09 AM in response to valeriefromhallandale

this is happening to me too. im sitting here having to use my macbook because my phone is so dang slow and i keep getting disconnected from my wifi. i updated 3 days ago and its still a problem. if its not fixed soon im switching to andriod. apple is seriously always having issues. i have been an apple user since the first phone came out. im ready for change.

Oct 1, 2025 3:18 AM in response to haadee

I have the same problem and I own an iphone 16-pro, which i bought a few months ago with little data on it. Before the update -a few days ago- the mobile was super fast. Now it behaves like an old mobile that moves very slowly having a few seconds lag before opening something. I want to downgrade from ios 26 to a previous version, is there a way?

Oct 5, 2025 5:02 PM in response to haadee

Im having the exact same issue! I have the IPhone 15 Pro (honestly this phone’s camera is so bad I shouldn’t have chosen this one but alas) and I’ve experienced more hardships than advantages with the new update. Had anyone experienced any of the specific issues below? I wish I could undo it.


  1. The first is that I have trouble finding photos using search and my pics and videos don’t sync onto the cloud as easily or frequently. With the old version I could search for something and find what I was looking for but now the results are warped.
  2. The second is that I have experienced significant battery depletion. My battery health is normal yet with this update, I feel like I am bleeding battery all the time
  3. The third - GLITCHING AND LAG IN ALL APPS. So much lag on across all apps and specifically glitches with messages app. When I type it’ll just glitch and spaz out. I can say this has ever happened before.
  4. connectivity to internet too. The fourth thing I’ll add is that my MacBook Air and iPad both connect then disconnect to the WiFi. I know it’s the update that’s causing this because as soon as I updated my MacBook, my Internet stopped working as it would connect then disconnect connect disconnect so thinking my computer was broken. I got out my iPad, which did not have the new update and no issues however I did update my iPad to double check and see if the same thing would happen and sure enough the same thing happened.


What do I do?

Slow performance and lag after iOS 26 update on iPhone

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