Q: How is iPad 2 performance using iOS 9.1?

I would not update to ios9 on your ipad2 this is why I am here today I also have a ipad2 2 never had any trouble with it till ios9 was updated now it is locked up I am trying to find a way to go back to ios8.

So, I don't think any company has ever admitted up front that update X is going to make your device slower. Heck, MS actually pushed OEM's to sell netbooks with Win 7 that was basically useless from the get go, and then still offered the upgrade to Win 7 ultimate on the same machine.

Apple has at least tried to be cognizant of performance for old devices on iOS devices (Siri, Multiview, etc) and they do say it many cases that it doesn't run as well on old hardware.

Now I've completed the update from 8.4.1 to 9.1 and I can say it is a huge improvement over 8.4.1.  I followed most of the guidance from others and added a few more:

1. enabled reduced motion
2. disabled transparency
3. I disabled most apps from background refresh (I kept things like email/skype/messages)
4. I reduced spotlight indexing to only apps / contacts
5. I ensured I had roughly 4 GB free space; removing apps I don't use or offloading images and video to my macbook.

Overall - performance within each application is much improved and actually the device is usable again. Here's where my pain points still are:

1. Launching apps is slow, and they sometimes crash on first strart.
2. Updating multiple Apps from App Store at the same time kills performance of the whole device.
3. Occasional blockly movement when going through lock screen.

So yes 9.1 can run fine on an iPad 2 - it just takes some configuration tweaks to limit the amount of eye-candy features that were added.

Has anybody else tried this successfully and ended up with an improved ipad 2? I'm on ios 7.1.2

If you decide to update.

My advice on doing ANY iOS upgrades/updates.

Ideally, your iDevice should maintain a minimum free storage amount of 4- 6 GBs or greater on any iDevice (the more free space, the better) , plus, more than 50%-60% battery status to ensure proper operation, as well as, to ensure the possibility of a successful iOS upgrade/update installation.

In addition it is best to upgrade an iDevice connected up to a computer running iTunes with you iDevice sync'd and backed up through iTunes rather than Over The Air (OTA) using a wireless WiFi connection, if this is possible.

Doing a major or critical OS upgrade/update can be risky to do over Wifi or cellular due to the potential of data interruption or data drop outs causing issues with the download of the OS data and the subsequent install to the device.

If you have no other choice than to use Wifi, then make sure you have a strong and stable connection signal the will not induce the potential for data drop outs.

Also, it is better to do the upgrade/update through iTunes as you'll get the entire upgrade/update and not just a smaller sized WiFi download version/portion that is based on your model iDevice that may or may not download everything your particular iDevice needs.

I prefer the iTunes method as there is minimal risk and I have never had ANY issues with ANY OS updates using this method.

After the upgrade to iOS 9.

In the Settings App under the General tab, to the right under Spotlight sesrch, try disabling the search under apps that really do not need a search, like some games, remotes, apps that really do not need to be searched, etc., to reduce the list for Spotlight to search.

In the Settings App, under the Safari Settings panel, tap the panel, in the right window, turn off/disable Safari Suggestions.

Try turning on Reduced Motion.

This is found in the Settings App in the General tab the left panel.

In the right panel look under Accessibility, the look for Reduce Motion and turn this feature "On".

You should see an appreciable performance increase on all iPad 2, 3 and 4 models.

In the Settings App under the General Tab, in the right column, look for Background App Refresh and turn this setting to "off".

If you purchased any music from iTunes, you will need to redownload that content back to your iPad for playing directly from your iPad and not from Apple Music servers.

Also, if your iPad contained a lot of images in the Photos app, these will take time to regenerate the original AND thumbnail images themselves inside of the Photos app when you first launch it.

Good Luck!

BS.

I have my iPad 2 with iOS 9.2.1, don't believe what envious Android trolls who can't update say. It runs great.