I still run iOS 8.4 on my iPad 2. I'm hesitant to update to iOS 9 since there is no going back. (This model does not support iOS 10.)
For people who have updated iOS on that particular model, does iOS 9 run faster, slower or the same as iOS 8?
iPad 2, iOS 8.4
It maybe a RAM issue as an iPad 2 and 1st gen iPad Mini only has 512 MBs of RAM onboard.
Most new and newer model iPads have, at least, 1 GB of RAM and many models, now, have 2 GBs of RAM and the large screen iPad Pro has 4 GBs of RAM!
So, there is a severe limitation of how many open, active website tabs you can have running in the Safari web browser.
Also, with an iPad 2, you should limit the amount of background running apps to 10 of less...ideally 6 background running apps or less.
See my tips here for improving iPad 2 performnance.
Many of these tips will still apply to older iOS versions.
Good Luck!
It kinda depends on what you're doing with it. My mom just checks mail and looks up crossword puzzle answers and gets along just fine. But the reason I handed it down was because it wouldn't play other games without crashing.
The lower operating system may work for a while but you will hit the point where your apps no longer update (if you haven't already). iOS9 will buy you some time but it is a 5+ year old device. (My mom is using mine until it dies then it goes away....unfortunately tech has short life spans)
If it's running fine on 8, just hold it there. If you want to update it will work ok. Just know that it may not have the zip and zing that it had when it was new.
iOS 9 runs slow and flakey for some iPad 2 users.
I am running iOS 9.3.5 and is running pretty well on it.
But I seem to be part of a small majority of iPad 2 users who haven't run into too many performance issues with iOS 9.
My ONLY explanation seems to be that I completely skipped iOS 8 on all of my iDevices because I didn't like it and it offered no compelling features for any of my iDevices.
So, whatever was wrong or buggy with iOS 8 it never got worse when I finally decided to upgrade to iOS 9 as I never installed iOS 8 on any of my iDevices.
As I stated earlier, some iPad 2 models didn't like iOS 9.
Especially the 16 GB storage models when users have run down the free data storage to 2 GBs and less.
If your iPad 2 is still running fine with iOS 8 and your devices is still receiving app updates, forget about upgrading to iOS 9 and put off having to upgrade to iOS 9 for as long as possible.
Keep your iPad 2 on iOS 8.4.
Good Luck!
Thank you both. I read a number of reviews, most of them written when iOS 9 was released, comparing 8.3 with 9.0 (in some cases the public beta). At the time, speed was similar with a very slight advantage for 8. I don't know if that changed with 9.3.
I also find that apps are becoming bloated as they contain retina resources that are useless on the iPad 2. They are also written for faster processors, which makes older devices feel slower than before.
The one bug I keep running into is when opening a web link in the Facebook app. Half the time, the page loads 80-90%, disappears and starts loading again. Not sure if the problem is with Facebook or with Apple's UIWebView. If it's the latter then an update might help.
Yes, it's almost 6 years old, but I don't see the need to buy a newer model for my use.
I don't know your financial situation, obviously, but my Mom was, for four years, struggling with her 16 GB iPad 2.
Early last year, I had her purchase a 128 GB storage iPad Air, from Apple's Refurbished Store, at a whopping 38% discount (nearly $280 off its original retail price) and this was a serious night and day boost in iPad performance and features, but they still have issues with Wifi running throughout their home.
Their home has a some Wifi "blind spots".
My point being is if you can find a reputable Apple product local or online reseller (forget eBay), you might be able to get a newer, more capable iPad model used or even new for a lesser price than Apple's full retail if you can't find anything from Apple's refurbished store.
You have to check Apple's Refurbished store daily as refurbished inventory and pricing changes daily.
Good Luck!
Have you tried to just do facebook via Safari? I tried the app and stopped using it because it was so buggy. I just access it via Safari. you might try that.
Does iPad 2 run better with iOS 8 or iOS 9?
