iPhone 12 Extremely Laggy? Here’s How to Fix It

If your iPhone 12 has started lagging badly—apps freezing, screen stuttering, or slow touch response—it can make everyday tasks feel frustrating. While iPhones are generally smooth and responsive, performance issues can crop up due to software glitches, background apps, or overloaded memory.

Here’s a full list of fixes you can try to speed things up and stop the lag.

Close Background Apps and Force Restart Your iPhone

Apps left running in the background can hog memory and slow your phone down, especially if they’ve been open for a while.

To close background apps:

Swipe up from the bottom of the screen and pause.
Swipe through the list of open apps.
Swipe up on each app to close it.

Then force restart your iPhone 12:

Press and quickly release Volume Up.
Press and quickly release Volume Down.
Press and hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.

This clears system memory and kills minor glitches.

Check for a Software Update

Lag issues can sometimes be due to bugs in iOS. Apple regularly pushes out updates that improve stability and performance.

To check for updates:

Open Settings > General > Software Update.
If an update is available, tap Download and Install.

After installing the update, restart your iPhone and check if the lag is gone.

Update All Your Apps

Outdated or buggy apps can drag the whole system down, especially if they’re running in the background.

To update apps:

Open the App Store.
Tap your profile icon at the top right.
Scroll to see available updates.
Tap Update All or update individual apps.

Once done, restart your iPhone again to refresh everything.

Factory Reset Your iPhone (Back Up First)

If your iPhone is still laggy, a clean slate might help. A factory reset removes all settings, apps, and glitches, but you’ll need to back up your data first.

To back up with iTunes:

Open iTunes on your Mac or PC.
Connect your iPhone using a Lightning cable.
Click the device icon and choose Back Up Now.

To reset your iPhone:

Go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
Tap Erase All Content and Settings.
Enter your passcode and confirm.

After the reset, set up your iPhone as new or restore from backup. Then test the performance before reinstalling all apps.

Restore iPhone via iTunes (Reinstall iOS)

If the issue feels deeper than a glitch—like a corrupted iOS install—restoring the firmware through iTunes can help.

Here’s how:

Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone.
Quickly press and release Volume Up.
Quickly press and release Volume Down.
Hold the Side button until the recovery mode screen appears (don’t let go when you see the Apple logo).
In iTunes, choose Restore.

This reinstalls a fresh copy of iOS. Keep your iPhone connected until the process is complete.

Still Lagging? It Could Be Hardware

If your iPhone 12 is still sluggish even after a fresh reset and restore, the problem may be hardware-related—like failing storage, overheating, or a logic board issue. In this case:

Visit an Apple Store or authorized service provider.
Or chat with Apple Support via support.apple.com.