After updated to iOS 5 my Iphone 3GS became generel slow.
Graphics and starting apps are slow. Some apps have now up to 10-15 seconds start time.
I thought closing the Iphone and restart clould help, but NO.
Yeah, like OS windows upstarts. 😁
Ok. processor not the same as new Iphone 4s.
I started to regret my update to iOS5.
iPhone 3GS, iOS 5
this "LAG" issue has nothing to do with the carrier this is totally an ios issue. Been running ios 5, 5.0.1 (both slow as molasses and buggy) and found a new 3GS with 4.3.3 and works perfectly as it should.
My advise is inform (Overwhelm) Apple about this issue
Goto:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html
and make you voice heard....
Jim, the issue is that some users (such as yourself) find iOS5 on 3GS to be slow as molasses whereas others (such as myself) find it performs just as fast aswith iOS4. You and I both have exactly the same phone and exactly the same iOS5 so the question is: what could be different between yous and mine (as a good case in point). It could be:
What third-party apps are loaded/running
Phone settings such as sync, iCloud etc
Carrier
Hardware/firmware revision
Memory size
or what...?
What country are you in and what carrier?
Its not the carrier... My gf in Sydney has the same phone and she updated hers to ios 5 and is having the exact same issue! So... if it is carrier then its Telstra and Orange...
Is there a way to downgrade my phone back to iOS 4? I feel that was a far better software than iOS 5 for my 3GS and I don't need all the new features of iOS 5.
Hi polabreeze1. I have been very busy since yesterday searching clues as to how to help with this slow iphone. I finally bit the bullet and decided to do a complete a a restore and set up as new phone. Obviously I did all necesssary backups before hand and this I did to iCloud and Mac just to be sure. Setting up the iphone took ages as I have quite a few apps and thousands of songs!! Anyways; to cut a long story short - my iphone does 'appear' 'at the moment' to be working faster!!! Hurrraaaayyyy! Once installed as new I then reset all my icloud syncs etc, and updated outstanding apps. Apart from losing my complete text messages list - nothing else was or 'appears' to be disturbed. Few problems with finding iphone contacts at first, but iOS5 kindly put them in a ultilities folder! I have tested the wifi syncing and icloud syncing and all is well. My texting doesn't lagg 🙂 Apps open realtively quickly. I have yet to rest itunes/music. Should I find any problems I will be posting back... watch this space! I found this suggestion on Apple Discussions - but have since lost the link. 😟 They gace stpe by step on what to do... I'll try and find it again and post back on an edit. Good luck to those who plunge into this one.. hope it works for you. SM 🙂
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3398828?answerId=16663390022#16663390022
Re: Problems with iOS5 on iPhone 3gs
Nov 8, 2011 4:51 AM (in response to iphone-miles)
Like I've stated in earlier posts, upgrading to IOS5 brought with it a number of issues. After a fresh reload my 3GS performs as it did even with IOS5. I'll lay out the steps again.
1. Backup ALL, everything, to the local computer or iCloud and I do mean everything. The procedure I am explaining will wipe your phone, deleting everything that was. If is is not backed up it will be lost.
2. Restore your iPhone, select as a new iPhone.
3. The IOS5 update will be installed from the image that iTunes has locally (will not need to download again)
4. Once reloaded, run through the brief iPhone setup
5. Update all of your APPS in iTunes. This will make sure that your APPS are IOS5 compatible
6. Once completed you can re-sync your contacts, apps, music, videos, photos, etc.
After doing this I have not had any issues with my 3GS running IOS5.
Good luck
-LB
Message was edited by: Stressed Mum
Hi, (bit less?)Stressed Mum!
Glad you're having better results now. Funny thing is, I just had an episode of the fabled slow-as-molasses problem myself - lasted for about 30 mins then returned to normal. Symptoms: touch a button (for example a date in Calendar); no apparent response - but actually a many-seconds-delayed response. No apparent rhyme of reason to it. Mostly it's perfectly fine; just occasionally it gets stuck. Some kind of a mysterious bug in there somewhere. But the good news is that it's not a 3GS lack-of-oomph issue, which would be unfixable. It's some kind of a bug so that should be fixable with an update. Hurry up Apple!
Ok just followed your Quick step by step.. so far running beautifully... will keep you guys posted of the laggyness returned!
Pleased you're finding the complete reset to new iphone working for you. Hope it continues. I definitely have found mine better over the past 24 hours or so - I too will keep posting on this thread to keep others updated. Unfortunately I can't convince my hubby that this is the way to go... he's still plodding through - hoping that a fix will be out soon! :{
:( unfortunately the slowness has returned to me.... It's defo a performance issue... Once I've opened a few apps it gets sluggish to type and do stuff... However... If I close the apps properly via (double tapping home button and closing the apps that are open in the background) the sluggyness lag disappears!!... :(
Hi
For all who have problems with a slow 3Gs. I personally don't think this is a hardware issue. Reasons:
Not much has technically changed. for iOS5. Push notifications, location services etc have always been existent and no matter if it's called MobileMe or iCloud, many of these features have also worked just fine before iOS5 (Calendar, Mail, Adress Book have been synced online for years).
I found in a German forum a quite hidden setting that was not mentioned here before and I feel the phone is a bit faster now. It probably helps for the battery as well.
Go to Settings > Location Services. Scroll down to the bottom and choose System Services (I guess many of you haven't even known yet there is another menu). In this menu you can deactivate all the features that you don't need. For me Setting Time Zone and Location-Based iAds worked just fine. If you don't use map apps you might need Compass Calibration and Traffic either.
Check if the system works faster after that.
Another menu: Settings > General > About > Diagnostics & Usage
Turn off this function by choosing Don't Send as it will at least help to increase battery life.
I hope that helps for you guys.
Hi Dirk,
Yes, I agree with you it can't be a hardware issue. The symptoms just don't fit. It's some kind of software misbehaviour, where sometimes it goes off into never-never-land and gets very sluggish for a bit. For some people it's very occasional; for others, apparently, it happens often.
Personally I haven't found any of those turn-features-off actions make any difference either way. The sluggishness appears randomly (or it seems that way to the user) and personally I haven't been able to find any cause-and-effect relatiionship that's repeatable. It's quite a mystery.
Right thought I would weigh in since I recently solved the problem (fingers crossed). I and my girlfriend both have 3GS iPhones each. She has had this issue and currently her phone is slow and unresponsive on a regular basis. I on the other hand have not experienced it once. Only major differences I can think of is mine is 32gb and hers 16gb, I also updated the firmware through iTunes wired whereas I upgraded hers through wifi.
Basically the only major things I changed for her phone was spotlight and then clearing safari of its cookies and data. I usually turn off all spotlight search options on both of ours but she had voice and reminders on, probably since ios5. I haven't needed to clean up safari on mine but I did it anyway for her. I also did a hard reset which involves holding the power and sleep buttons until the phone switches off and back on, when you can see the apple logo. I did a few minor things like turned off some location services and notifications for apps I didn't think she used.
Her phone is very responsive now with no issues. Previously it had gone on for a while and she noticed it usually got particularity bad after using the Guardian app, but it was a general thing. The phone would get lag and affect things like app switching, browsing app pages and overall use including sliding the phone out of sleep. Simple things like closing apps and turning phone off and on did not make a lasting difference.
One last thing I wonder would help for those thinking about restoring thier phones, has anyone tried resetting all settings in the General > Reset tab? This wouldn't erase anything I don't think and would of been the next thing I would do (after backing up just incase). I think its a known fact restoring will solve it but as a lengthy process, its something I wanted to avoid. Anyway hope this helps someone!
My opinion is that this forum is stalled, appears no outside TS or resolution steps can solve this issue only Apple can.
So I think it would be best to talk with Apple care and discuss this issue and if they ask for a support agreement advise this issue is due to an Apple update and they will waive the fee...
If anyone hears any news on a fix, please post...
Turning everything off, simply does not work
I coudn't agree more - turning everything off is simply not a solution. I have found though that my 3GS is still working wonderfully since I did a complete reset as new iphone... a fix fromApple would have been better - and I am not holding my breath - I guess it could start slowing up again... How sure are you that Apple waive the fee for support due to an upgrade issue? In my experience I've not got that response. 😟
The thread linked below suggests that the issue occurs on iPhone 4 too, not just 3GS. Also that WiFi update (as opposed to wired) can corrupt files and cause the issue:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3403012?start=0&tstart=0
However likely/unlikely this is, it might be wise for those having issues to do their next update wired to their laptop (ie not over the air).
Oh, and iPod too:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3376176?start=75&tstart=0
Misery loves company!
Iphone 3GS slow after update to iOS 5
