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You are here: Home / Tips and Tricks / Why is my iPhone 15 slow? 11 ways to troubleshoot your phone

Why is my iPhone 15 slow? 11 ways to troubleshoot your phone

Last Updated: November 10, 2023 by Moses Gitari

If you’ve found yourself asking why your iPhone 15 is so slow, fear not. In this article, you’ll discover the reasons your iPhone 15 is sluggish—and how you can spee it up.

Contents show
1 KEY TAKEAWAYS
2 Why is my iPhone 15 so slow?
3 How to fix slow iPhone 15
3.1 Upgrade to the Latest Version of iOS
3.2 Update your apps
3.3 Get rid of widgets you don’t need
3.4 Reduce motion effects
3.5 Disable automatic updates
3.6 Disable Background App Refresh
3.7 Clear your cache
3.8 Remove apps that you don’t use often
3.9 Clear your phone of malware
3.10 Reboot your iPhone
3.11 Avoid extreme temperatures
4 Fix Your Slow iPhone 15 With These Tips
4.1 Editors' Recommendations:

KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • If your iPhone 15 is slow, making a few tweaks in the settings can significantly improve performance.
  • Common fixes include restarting your iPhone and updating to the latest iOS version.
  • You can also try to remove unused apps and clear the cache on your iPhone.

Why is my iPhone 15 so slow?

There are lots of reasons your iPhone 15 might be performing slowly. Here are some of them:

  • Outdated Software
  • Low Storage
  • You Could Have Malware
  • An App May Be Using Energy in the Background
  • Your Phone May Need Rebooting
  • Extreme temperatures

The stability of iPhone 15 is significantly better than earlier iPhone models. In fact, I can’t recall the last time my iPhone 15 crashed. However, this doesn’t mean everything runs smoothly all the time. Over days and weeks of use, my iPhone 15 become sluggish, apps slow down, and battery life starts to wane. Fortunately, there are simple solutions.

Note: information in this article apply to iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max.

How to fix slow iPhone 15

Upgrade to the Latest Version of iOS

If you’re running an older version of iOS, your iPhone 15 might be slow. Newer iOS versions are optimized for speed and also deliver newer features. To check if an iOS update is available go to Settings > General > Software Update.

Update your apps

Old apps may not run as smoothly or quickly on the new iPhone 15 without an update. To check if you’ve got app updates waiting. Open the App Store app, tap your profile at the top right of the screenand tap **Update All **to update your apps.

Get rid of widgets you don’t need

If you have too many Widgets on your Home screen, they can significantly impact your iPhone 15 performance. Luckily, removing them is super easy.

  1. Touch and hold the widget that you want to remove.
  2. Tap on Remove Widget.
  3. Tap on Remove again to confirm the action.

Reduce motion effects

Apple uses a number of effects to give iOS a sense of depth as you tilt your phone or open and close apps. These motion effects generally improve your experience, but can slow down your iPhone 15. To disable, go to Settings > Accessibility > Motion and toggle on the toggle switch next to Reduce Motion. You can also toggle off Auto-Play Message Effects, but that’ll take some of the fun out of texting.

Disable automatic updates

iOS runs processes in the background to make your life easier. Apps update themselves in the background, for example, which saves you from having to stare at an ever-increasing number in the badge alert on your App Store icon.

Updating apps in the background, however, is a process that occupies your iPhone 15 CPU causing it to slow down. You can disable this feature and update your apps manually via the App Store app.

To do so, go to Settings > App Store and tap the toggle switch to turn off App Updates in the Automatic Downloads section.

Disable Background App Refresh

In addition to updating automatically, apps also refresh their content in the background. For example, your Facebook or Twitter feed will update without you manually updating when you open the app. This is handy, but it occupies CPU cycles that causes iPhone 15 to run slowly. To turn it off, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and tap the toggle switch off. Or, you can take the a la carte approach and leave Background App Refresh enabled at the top and turn it off for individual apps from the list below.

Clear your cache

Speaking of background tasks that can slow down your iPhone 15, the built-in browser and other apps could also be bogging down your system.

For instance, Safari maintains a cache of recently visited web pages as well as cookies, login information, and other data. These help you have a smooth web browsing experience. But when the cache gets too big, it can slow down your iPhone 15.

If you notice your phone is especially sluggish, you need to clear the cache.

To clear Safari cache:

  1. Go to Settings.
  2. Tap Safari.
  3. Tap Clear History and Website Data.

To clear cash for other apps, you can delete and re-download them on the App Store. See how to delete an app in the next solution.

Remove apps that you don’t use often

Apps can slow down your iPhone 15 in two different ways. Firstly, if you’re running low on storage, that can slow down your phone. Secondly, rarely used apps running in the background can gum up your phone as well.

That’s why you should look at the apps you have installed on your phone and uninstall any that you rarely (or never) use.

To delete an app, touch and hold the app icon, tap Delete App, then tap Delete.

Clear your phone of malware

The chances of your iPhone 15 getting malware are slim, but it is possible—especially if you jailbreak your device. If your iPhone 15 is lagging, checking for malware is a good idea;

Malware can slow down your iPhone if infected because it will hog system resources. Signs that your phone is infected by malware include a fast-draining battery, overheating, unexplained apps, and a spike in data consumption.

To get rid of malware on your iPhone, you can try restarting it, clearing the cache and browser history, or performing a factory reset.

Reboot your iPhone

If your iPhone 15 is still slow, go ahead and restart your device.

Rebooting offers several benefits, such as:

  • Improved performance: Rebooting your iPhone clears out temporary files, cached data, and wipes any memory leaks, helping to improve overall performance.
  • Resolving minor issues: Many minor software glitches or bugs on an iPhone can be fixed by a reboot, preventing the need for more advanced troubleshooting.
  • Refreshing system processes: Restarting the device can help refresh the system processes and services, ensuring that everything is running properly.
  • Better RAM management: Rebooting can clear RAM, which in turn improves the overall speed and performance of the device, especially if it has been running for an extended period without a restart.
  • Improved app performance: Some apps might not work as intended because of memory leaks or other issues. Rebooting can help resolve these issues and restore performance of the apps.

If your iPhone has been on constantly for days or weeks at a time, give it a break and power it off and back on. Sometimes a simple reboot will put a little pep back in its step.

Rebooting is quick, easy, and painless, and should take no more than a couple of minutes. Here’s how:

  • Press and hold one of the volume buttons (either one) and the side button until the power-off slider appears.
  • Drag the on-screen slider to the right.
  • Wait 30 seconds for your device to turn off.
  • To restart the iPhone, press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

Avoid extreme temperatures

Sometimes, your phone’s performance might have nothing to do with anything on your device. The weather outside can also affect how well your phone works.

In general, iPhones can work without issues between 32°F and 95°F (which is roughly 0°C and 35°C). When the temperature drops below freezing, the weather may begin to slow down your phone.

If you live somewhere with harsh winters (or extreme summers, for that matter), you can’t do too much about this. And if moving somewhere with consistent temperatures year-round isn’t yet possible, you can try some of the following:

  • Turn your phone off when you’re not using it in public. iPhones are a little sturdier in extreme temperatures when they’re not turned on.
  • Only use your phone when you’re out of the elements.
  • Buy a special case for extreme temperatures.

Fix Your Slow iPhone 15 With These Tips

Using an iPhone 15 that sluggish is frustrating. Give all these tips a try, and one of them should fix your problem.

Editors' Recommendations:

  1. 5 Reasons to Choose a Mac as a Blind Student
  2. Top Apple Watch Series 9 Tips and Tricks You Should Know About
  3. How to spot a fake AirPods Max from a real one
  4. How to tell if the Apple Pencil 1 is fake in a variety of ways

About Moses Gitari

Moses Gitari is the Editorial Director of iPhoneArena and has been writing about iPhones, iPads, Macs, accessories, and software for over 10 years.

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