iPad Air 2 slow after iOS 12 update

The iOS 12 update seems to have a heavy negative impact upon Apple A7 64-bit processors - these being the oldest CPU for which iOS 12.x.x is declared as “compatible”.

Despite Apple’s “marketing” claiming that Apps open faster, complaints posted throughout the Apple Communities (and personal experience across multiple A7 devices) suggest that performance claims for iOS 12 cannot be substantiated for A7 devices.

> Just because Apple pushes iOS/macOS upgrades/updates to their devices and computer, doesn’t mean you are forced to install them.

Not entirely true. If you know a way to reject the latest iOS after factory reset, I'd like to know it. Otherwise, 'force' is the right word for it.

You can’t roll back, but if in doubt about any iOS upgrade/update, the procedure I outlined temporarily gets rid of these upgrades/updates for a time, so you are not tempted to install them OR, in the case of some users, accidentally install these.

Been doing these particular actions for the past two major iOS upgrades.

Also, Apple, more or less, pushes these upgrades/updates constantly over night ( after midnight ), when your iDevices are plugged into power charging and are still connected up to a WiFi network.

If I leave my iDevices plugged into power charging during the day still connected to a WiFi network, I never get any Apple iOS upgrades/updates ever during the day.

Simple solution.

So, what I do to make sure I do not receive these upgrades/updates overnight is if I need to charge my iDevices overnight, I simply turn off WiFi before I plug my iDevices in to be charged up.

That way my iDevices are not active online for Apple, or anyone else, to push ANYTHING to my iDevices that I do not want.

If iOS 12 doesn't shape up before the end of its cycle, I will be skipping this major version, as well.

It's not worth it to lose so much performance in these expensive devices to iOS upgrades/updates that start just whittling away at the performance of these expensive devices.

My three year old iPad Pro and iPod Touch will perpetually stay with iOS 10.

I'm not looking for help. I know enough about iOS devices and there is no cure in iOS slowing down old devices. FYI yes I disable everything I can to help speed things up. It's still slow and that's the fact.

MichelPM wrote:

Have you done a complete erase and restore, using iTunes or iCloud of your iPad Air since installing iOS 11?

As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't looking for help but if you must know, the answer is yes on the factory reset and yes on the restore since iOS11. Didn't help the slow down (compared to earlier iOS) of iOS 11. You can ask me more questions but I'm confident I've done it. I don't understand why is it so difficult for some Apple users to accept that the latest iOS slows down older devices?

MichelPM wrote:

Also, keep in mind, too, that a 1st gen iPad Air ONLY has 1 GB of internal RAM.

I know that too. Thanks. And yes, I have more than 30GB of available free space so that's not the reason why it is slow. I'm done troubleshooting because there's nothing to troubleshoot the slowdown. I just accept it. It's great that Apple still supports devices that initially come with iOS 7. That's 5 major updates. However, the trade off is a heavy tax on performance or speed.

Just because Apple pushes iOS/macOS upgrades/updates to their devices and computer, doesn’t mean you are forced to install them.

All of my iOS devices that are capable of upgrading to the current iOS are all still on iOS 10.3.3.

iOS 10, like iOS 9, has been running and working stable across all my iDevices with nary an issue.

So, I choose/chose stability.

There was really NOTHING I really wanted in iOS 11 and so far only a handful of things I was looking forward to in iOS 12.

My Mac has only been upgraded and maintained on OS X 10.11.6 El Capitán, but I regularly run and use the older OS X 10.9.5 Mavericks.

YOU DO have a choice.

Sure, many apps I use are not current, but they all still work and I can still use these without issue.

For the time being, small price to pay for a device that is still working as well now as it was three years, ago!

My opinion that since Apple's big push to 64-bit hardware/software iOS ecosystem, both iOS 11 and, so far, iOS 12 have been garbage. iOS 11 WAS REALLY total garbage and while iOS 12 appears to be better in some respects, there are STILL glaring issues and bugs that have kept me from upgrading my iDevices to iOS 12 when I really wanted to be able to upgrade, this time around.

Mainly for group FaceTime and things like the new AR-based Measure app.

Apple has forced me, once again, and for the near future, to have to wait out another major iOS version to see how it is going to shake out in the end.

For some reasons, totally unknown to my own tendencies and sensibilities, everyone with Apple mobile products and computers always just stupidly anf blindly upgrade/update their Apple devices and computers immediately, if not sooner, and end up living with the results. Good or bad.

The days of iOS/macOS upgrades/updates just working, with minimal issues, is gone!

Since iOS 8, I have look at iOS device upgrades/updates with extreme caution and, usually, wait out most of the iOS version update cycle before making the major decision to upgrade my expensive Apple devices and computers.

Once again, you DO have the choice to upgrade/update iOS devices and since Apple makes this a one-way only move, Apple iDevice users should really think hard before performing ANY iOS upgrades/updates.

FYI,

For future reference there is a way to temporarily remove any iOS upgrade/update so it can't be downloaded at all or by accident.

Go into the Settings App, General Settings panel.

In the right hand column, tap Storage ( and iCloud Usage, if still using iOS 9 or 10 ).

At the top in the first block of 3 panels where it is titled at the top of this block Storage, tap the panel that says Manage Storage.

A list of every app will generate itself.

Once this list stops generating, look through this list until you see something like iOS 10/11.x.x in this list.

Tap on the gray disclosure arrow at the far right on that iOS 10/11.x.x panel.

It will bring you to another screen that will allow you to completely delete/remove the entire iOS upgrade/update.

This removal/deletion of an iOS upgrade/update is not permanent and may return at anytime when the iOS upgrade/update at some point will get re-pushed to your iDevice, where you can simply perform this procedure, again.

Perhaps you never reset your iPad when there is a newer compatible iOS out there. That's what I meant by "force". You have no choice if you want to sell your device. It has to have the latest compatible iOS.

Same here. iPad Air 2 lagging during login and startup of misc apps after upgrading to version 12. Disappointing. I recall Apple stressing this update would make older phones and iPads faster not slower....

Actually, Apple stated the iOS 12 was going to be more of a bug fix release and Apple was going to fix most of the outstanding issues iOS 11 still had and to make iOS 12 more stable.

The only are only a few things that would make certain things in iOS 12 appear faster, like app launching and launching of iPhone/iPad's cameras and one or two other UI enhancements that elude my memory at the moment.

I have an iPad Air 1 and I just deleted all apps including Facebook, Messenger, Skype, Photos, GarageBand, Weather, Music, simply ALL EXCEPT SAFARI. And my iPad is still unusable! I can’t surfing on the internet! They should tell us iOS 12 isn’t for old devices not the opposite! On iOS 11 my iPad Air 1 was working perfect comparing to 12! Of course on iPhone7 and 8 plus, iOS is working, but I want my iPad back without complicating and researching the best way how to install some older of iOS back! I have iPad for reason, so what if it’s old! I think it’s enough that every year I’m buying Apple expensive iPhones. I was considering to go from PC to Mac, because I was really satisfied with my old iPad until now and iPad Air was a main reason I went from Android to iOS. But it seems Apple is not what it used to be.

My mom has a 128 GBs, 1st gen iPad Air 1 and hasn't been upgraded to iOS 12 yet, but it has been running iOS 11 just fine.

Her iPad Air still has lots of free data storage space (over 60 GBs ), though.

Frustrating the slowdown issue you are having.

There have been other 1st gen iPad Air slowdown postings here, in the iPad forums, as well.

I hope this does not turn into a repeat of the slowdown issues that iPad 2 owners had with IOS 9 where the slowdowns were kinda random and didn't affect all iPad 2 users.

I experiencing same problems, I never expect such bad move from Apple, as customer and ios developer. The firmware is simply making Ipad air 1 and 2 unusable. They should keep signing IOS 11 for iPads.

The problem I am experiencing has nothing to do with DNS issues. All applications safari and others are maxing out cpu resources so you can type a text and do not see it typing seconds later. Is it simply maxing out all cpu resources

Thanks for Help Michael. It is a fresh install of IOS 12 plublic version abd ai tried dev beta as well. I understand all your siggestions, just one app running and it makes not sense need to disable most the services. I am in IT for more than teo decades and I moved companies from PC to macs. Everyone know me knows I am huge apple supporter but after steve jobs pass away the company is not the same. The firmware clearly heavy load old IOS devices that have been running vwry well on aiOS 10 or 11. The simple solution is keep signing old firmwares. Suggestions like that I use to see in microsoft world and that is why I shift many companies in Brazil, including petrolium distributors to macs since microsoft is the one who develops heavy software that runs poorly in most hardware. I appreciate your suggestions thought. Best regards

Michael, I understand you and I am not refusing your tips and your effort explaining all here buddy. Sure I will implement them all. I just explained my frustration with the need of it. As I said, I use to switch companies to apple platform and everyone knows me consider me the biggest Apple advocate the meet in their lives. I am just a bit frustrated with some Apple moviments lately, firmware, macbook exagerated thermal issues, keyboard, bended brand new ipads and so on. Appreciate your assitence anyways. I will let you know the results. Regards