iphone Spotlight search is very slow

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iphone Spotlight search is very slow

I frequently use an iPhone Spotlight search (swipe down from the top of the screen) to look for an app or contact on my iPhone. I find it more convenient that scrolling through screens to find the app, or opening Contacts.

This option used to work great. Spotlight would immediately find what I was looking for, and old be all set. But in recent months it has slowed down greatly, to the point where it sometimes takes 20-30 seconds to find what I'm looking for, or even doesn't find it at all.

How can I fix the problem and make Spotlight search functional again?

Thanks.

iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 10.2.1

Posted on Mar 11, 2017 2:41 AM

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Answer 1

chris_g1

Community Specialist

Mar 11, 2017 2:57 PM in response to omccreary

Hello omccreary,

Thanks for that info and choosing the Apple Support Communities. Based on what you stated, it seems you are having issues with searching with Spotlight being slower than expected. If you haven't already, restart your iPhone as the shut down and start up process is important to keep the iOS software running properly. iOS clears cached data and does other system optimizations when you turn your device off and on.

Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

If that doesn't resolve your issue, we would like you to reinstall iOS on your device; this will help us isolate the situation further. Reinstalling iOS should not affect any of your data, but it is always a best practice to make sure you have a current backup in either iTunes or iCloud.

How to back up your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
Import photos and videos from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch

Once you have a current backup, follow the steps from the "If your device turns on but gets stuck during start up" section in this article:

If your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch won't turn on

These steps will reinstall iOS. Keep in mind that these steps were written for a different issue, but they will still help us isolate the situation further. Cheers!

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