Apple iPhone 7 Performance Issue: Why is my iPhone 7 so slow? [Troubleshooting Guide]

Performance issues in mobile devices such as sluggish, lagging, freezing and not responding typically occur after several weeks or months of extensive usage. While it seldom manifest in brand new smartphones like the #Apple iPhone 7 (#iPhone7), some owners are already starting to notice relevant symptoms. As a matter of fact, an iPhone 7 owner has just dropped us an email requesting for support or recommendations to address slow performance issue on their new iPhone. Read on to learn the possible reasons as to why such a new powerful iPhone gets so slow at this very early stage.

iPhone 7 performance issues

Before going any further though, if you have other concerns with your new iPhone, make sure you drop by our iPhone 7 troubleshooting page for we have already started supporting the device. Moreover, if you need further assistance, you can always contact us by completing our iPhone issues questionnaire and providing us with sufficient information about the problem.

Relevant Symptoms

  • iPhone 7 freezes
  • iPhone 7 is lagging
  • unexpectedly turns off
  • iPhone 7 restarts by itself
  • iPhone 7 shows error messages

Why is my iPhone 7 so slow?

To many, this may sound like a bizarre query especially because what we are dealing with is a new iPhone. Nevertheless, it is not impossible for such a new device to get into such trouble.

There are various factors that can cause your phone to perform slow, sluggish, not responding, or shuts down unexpectedly. Usually, these symptoms are triggered by faulty programs or applications installed. There are also other cases where these problems are tied to a memory glitch, like when the device is already running of storage space or has insufficient memory storage to carry out more processes. It’s exactly the same with a computer, which internal memory is running out. When this happens, the device would usually begin to show symptoms like boot loops, lagging, and not responding. But that is of course, a faulty hardware does not exist.

How to fix slow iPhone 7

Considering that there are no physical or liquid damage to any of the iPhone components, the problem can still be remedied with some workarounds as outlined below. You may try any of the methods applicable to your condition.

Step 1. Soft reset your iPhone

If this is the first time you notice that your iPhone is getting sluggish while performing certain task, a soft reset would usually get it fixed. Minor issues affecting the iPhone system including slow performance, are typically resolved by a reboot. It is a safe process as it does not erase any of your contents or data stored in your iPhone. For starters, here’s how to perform a soft reset on the iPhone 7:

  • From the Home screen, press and hold the Power key and the Volume down key.
  • When the Apple logo appears, release both keys.

Wait for your iPhone to reboot completely and then test to see if it normally performs again.

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to a charge and allow it to charge.

Your iPhone will also become sluggish when it is already running out of battery. To determine if this is the case, check and ensure your iPhone is not low on battery. When your device is in this state, it will attempt to extend the battery life by slowing performance down. Also, when your device is low on battery, it can become more sluggish or even appear to be freezing especially if an app or background process requires higher performance. Charging your iPhone will provide enough power for it to function normally again.

Step 3. Check your iPhone’s memory status.

As what I have explained earlier, insufficient memory storage can also inflict slow performance or caused your iPhone to perform slower than usual, freeze, or even become unresponsive. If you think you already have stored a lot of new apps on your device, then go ahead and check its internal memory or clear up some space if needed. Here’s how to determine if your phone has low memory or not:

  1. From the Home screen, tap Settings.
  2. Scroll to and tap General from the Settings menu options.
  3. Tap Storage & iCloud Storage.

 

Carefully check the details and ensure your device has enough storage space available. If the remaining storage space is significantly lower, then most likely the problem is due to a low memory. In this case, you can uninstall any unused or unnecessary apps so as to regain adequate storage space. For starters, follow these steps to uninstall or remove unnecessary applications from your iPhone:

  • Tap and hold the app icon to be removed or uninstalled.
  • When the app icon starts to shake or jiggle, tap the X next to the preferred app.
  • Tap Delete to continue.
  • Press the Home key to confirm action.

After that, the selected app is already gone and uninstalled.

Note: Some pre-installed apps on your iPhone 7 cannot be uninstalled. The aforesaid steps are only and mostly applicable to third-party apps.

Step 4. Close all running apps.

Each application you open takes up space of your phone’s internal memory. So the more apps you open at the same time, the more memory space it takes and often leads to slowing down your device’s performance. While new iPhones are designed to carry multitasking, they still can become sluggish in time especially if you are using bulky programs such as gaming apps, simultaneously for several hours already.

Follow these steps to close apps that are running in the background on your iPhone 7:

  • From the Home screen, press the Home key twice.
  • You will then see a pop-up screen that contains recently active apps. To close an app, just swipe the app upwards.
  • Repeat for each open application.
  • When you are finished closing all unused apps, tap the Home screen. The background apps are now closed.

It is highly recommended to close background apps when they are not in use so as to free up more space of your iPhone’s internal memory.

Step 5. Clear browser apps cache.

If the symptom appears while using Safari app or any other browsing app on your iPhone, then more likely what you are dealing with is actually a slow browsing issue. In this case, clearing of the browser’s history, cache and data can potentially resolve the underlying problem.

Here are the steps to clear (Safari) browser cache on your iPhone 7:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Scroll to and tap Safari.
  3. Scroll to and tap Clear History and Website Data.
  4. If prompted, tap Clear History and Data to continue.

Wait for your iPhone to complete the process. After that the browse cache is already cleared.

Note: Menu options may vary depending on the browser application you use as well as the software version.

Step 6. Update your iPhone software.

Software updates are generally designed to optimize device performance. In this regard, make sure that your iPhone 7 is running the most recent iOS firmware. If you are not sure, you can check for software updates available for your device with the following steps:

  • Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  • Scroll to and tap General.
  • Tap Software Update.
  • If an update is available, follow the onscreen instructions to proceed with the update download and installation.

You can also update your iPhone software using iTunes.

Step 7. Perform a DFU mode update.

A DFU mode update utilizes a special phone state that lets your iPhone communicated with iTunes without your iPhone fully turning on. You can use DFU mode to update or restore iOS.

iTunes will attempt to preserve your settings and contents while performing an update or reinstalling via DFU mode. However, if you select the option to Restore, all settings and contents will be erased. Restore should therefore only be used as a last resort.

Follow these steps to update or restore your iPhone 7 via DFU Mode:

  • Connect your iPhone to a computer with iTunes installed. A latest version of iTunes software is highly recommended.
  • While your iPhone is connected, press and hold both the Power and Volume Down keys at the same time.
  • When the iTunes logo, arrow, and lightning cable appear on your iPhone screen, release both keys.
  • An iTunes prompt will then show up, asking you to either Restore or Update.
  • Select Update to update your iPhone to the latest iOS version available. Otherwise, select Restore.

You may opt to Restore from a previous backup of your iPhone if the symptom began after updating software or contact Apple Support to escalate post-update issue on slow performance. If you get any error codes or messages, take note of them as they will give you clues as to what might have possibly went wrong and begin troubleshooting it.

If you suspect that the problem is triggered by a faulty hardware like a physical or liquid damage is likely present, then you can take your iPhone to an authorized service center nearby or contact your device carrier for other recommendations. You may also avail for warranty offers for newly procured iPhone 7 experiencing problems from faulty hardware or device components.

Connect with Us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the new Apple iPhone 7 smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone 7. If you have other concerns or encountered some troubles while using the phone, you can reach us through this form. Just be sure to tell us more details of the problem or device issue(s) you may have and we will be more than happy to assist you further.

1 thought on “Apple iPhone 7 Performance Issue: Why is my iPhone 7 so slow? [Troubleshooting Guide]”

  1. The iPhone 7 become slow in touch after upgrade to iOS 11.0, Our Technicians team has found the reason and the solution of this problem.

    So the screens and the touch function can only work perfectly after you put on the front camera flex we removed all parts one by one and the issue is coused by a bad proximity sensor.
    After you install a new front camera flex ,the touch will be smooth and work perfect.

    Smartphone Repair Clinic Team

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