Lags and freezes in mobile devices can be attributed to software issues, if not hardware damage. In old devices, these symptoms are usually inflicted by some damaged components, most likely from wear and tear. Memory-related issues in earlier devices like when the internal memory is shrinking, are also among the common causes. Just like computers, smartphones with shrinking memory space are more prone to such atypical behaviors. On the other hand, new devices that are experiencing similar symptoms are likely experiencing some random system flaws, making system functions unstable. If you happen to encounter the same problem on your newly procured iPhone, I’ve managed to gather and line up a few effective solutions below. Feel free to use this context as reference whenever you need more inputs to troubleshoot an iphone 11 Pro Max that keeps lagging and freezing.
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Troubleshooting an iPhone 11 Pro Max that keeps lagging and freezing
A faster way to fix software-related problems is to determine the onset of the problem. That said, try to recall how and when your iPhone started to lag and freeze. If you couldn’t figure that out, then you will need to go through a trial-and-error procedure. Just don’t forget to test your device after performing each of the following procedures to determine whether or not the problem is fixed.
First solution: Force restart your iPhone.
Random display issues such as lags and freezes caused by minor firmware crashes or app glitches are often resolved by a force restart. This is an alternative way to restart a frozen or unresponsive iPhone. Similar to the typical reboot or soft reset, a force restart effectively clears out random software errors that caused various types of minor problems on the phone. It doesn’t require backup creation because it doesn’t affect any saved information on the internal memory of your iPhone. Just follow these steps whenever you’re all set to force restart your iPhone 11 Pro Max:
- Quickly press then release the Volume Up key.
- Quickly press then release the Volume Down key.
- Press and hold the Side button for about 10 seconds then release when you see the Apple logo.
Wait for your phone to finish rebooting and then try to use it again as you normally do to find out if the problem is gone.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone XS that keeps losing Wi-Fi signal after iOS 13 update [Troubleshooting Guide]
Second solution: Update your apps.
Rogue apps can also affect system functions and trigger similar symptoms to occur on your iPhone. An effective solution to rogue apps is to update the app. Any of your downloaded (third-party) apps can be the culprit, so you better consider installing all pending app updates on your iPhone 11 Pro Max. Here’s how it’s done:
- From the Home screen, tap on the App Store icon to open the application.
- Tap on Today tab at the bottom.
- Then tap on the user profile icon (Apple ID header) on the top right corner of the screen. You should see the account details.
- Scroll down to the Available Updates section.
- Tap on Update next to the name of the app to install individual app updates.
- If multiple app updates are available, tap on Update All to update all apps at once.
If your iPhone started to lag and freeze after installing a certain app, then there’s a better chance that the problem is isolated to that application. Perhaps, that app is corrupted or bugged. If this is the case, deleting the application would be necessary. So here’s what you should do then:
- Get to your iPhone’s Home screen to get started.
- Scroll to and find the app that you’d like to delete or uninstall from your iPhone.
- Tap and hold on the app icon for a few seconds. Keep holding the app icon when the pop-up menu appears and then release when the app icon starts to jiggle.
- Tap Delete from the warning message.
- Follow the same steps to delete other apps that you’d like to uninstall.
- Finally, tap Done on the top-right corner of the screen once you’re done deleting apps.
Repeat the same steps to uninstall any other suspected apps from your iPhone. Then restart or soft reset your device when you’re done removing bad apps.
Third solution: Install the latest iOS update to fix your iPhone 11 Pro Max that keeps lagging and freezing.
Aside from app updates, installing the latest iOS update on your iPhone 11 Pro Max is also another potential solution you should try on. Apple typically released iOS updates containing required fix patches to address widespread issues on iPhones and iPads. If possible, try to check if a new iOS version is available, through these steps:
- From the Home screen, tap Settings.
- Select General.
- Tap Software Update.
If your iPhone is completely frozen or unresponsive, you can use iTunes to manually check and update iOS on a computer instead. Here’s how it’s done:
- To get started, open Finder (if you’re using a Mac with macOS Catalina 10.15). Otherwise, open iTunes on your macOS Mojave or earlier or on a Windows computer. Be sure to use the latest version of iTunes app on your computer.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using the original USB cable/Lightning cable.
- Locate your iPhone 11 Pro Max on your computer.
- Then click General or Settings.
- Click the Check for Update button.
- Then click Download and Update to start updating.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to proceed.
Once your iPhone is finished updating, reboot or soft reset to apply the recent system changes and to clear out errant cached files.
ALSO READ: How to fix Netflix app that keeps crashing on your iPhone 11 Pro
Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone.
Settings that aren’t properly configured as well as faulty overrides from recent firmware updates are also among the possible triggers. To clear this out, performing a full system settings reset can help. This will not affect any saved data on the iPhone storage but will erase all your current settings and customization. Any associated errors are likewise eliminated. After the reset, original values and options are restored. Just follow these steps if you wish to try it:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Tap Reset All Settings from the given options.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
- Confirm action by tapping on Reset All Settings again.
Allow your phone to finish resetting and then restarts on its own. After it boots up, re-enable individual features that you want to use on your phone again.
Fifth solution: Factory reset your iPhone to restore its factory default settings.
An ultimate solution to major system errors that caused recurring performance issues on your iPhone would be a factory reset or master reset. Through this reset, you can erase everything from your iPhone system including stubborn bugs and system errors that destabilized your phone’s system functions. If your phone is still able to respond to touches, then you can use these steps to factory reset through settings:
- From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
- Select General.
- Scroll down and tap on Reset.
- Tap Erase all content and settings from the given options.
- Enter your passcode if prompted to continue.
- Confirm action by tapping the option to erase and reset your iPhone.
If your iPhone has totally become unresponsive, the above procedure wouldn’t be applicable. As an alternative solution, you can use iTunes to manually erase and restore factory default settings on your iPhone 11 Pro Max through a computer. Be sure to back up files from your iPhone to iTunes beforehand. Then follow these steps when ready:
- Open iTunes on your computer, if you haven’t already.
- Connect your iPhone to the computer with the USB cable or Lightning cable that came with it.
- Wait for iTunes to recognize your device and when it does, you should see your iPhone’s icon in iTunes.
- Click to select your iPhone 11 Pro Max when it appears in iTunes.
- Then navigate to the Summary section.
- Click on the Restore [iPhone] button.
- If prompted, click on the Restore button again to confirm.
- This should prompt iTunes to start erasing your device and then installs the latest version of operating system available.
Recurring symptoms inflicted by fatal system errors are usually resolved by a factory reset. Thus, your iPhone should no longer lag or freeze at this point unless more complex iOS errors, if not hardware damage are present.
ALSO READ: How to fix an iPhone XS stuck on blank, black screen after iOS 13 update [Troubleshooting Guide]
Is your iPhone 11 Pro Max still lagging and freezing?
To deal with software-related performance problems that could not be dealt by a factory reset, restoring iOS through iTunes is usually needed. If you wish to proceed, you can try a recovery mode restore next. While in recovery mode, you can use iTunes to restore the system from a previous iOS backup. And if that doesn’t help either, your last option would be to restore your iPhone 11 Pro Max in DFU mode. DFU or Device Firmware Update mode restore is the deepest type of system restore you can do on your iPhone. Running your device in DFU mode lets iTunes sync and access your iPhone without activating the bootloader. That said, there’s a higher chance for iTunes to repair fatal system errors that caused your device to lag and freeze.
If all else failed to fix the problem, then ruling out hardware damage should be your next choice. Performance problems depicted by frequent lags and freezes that are not resolved by the previous methods are more likely attributed to some damaged components. Even the new and robust smartphones are not exempted from acquiring any sort of physical or liquid damage, especially with unintentional liquid exposure, hard bumps, and drops. You can report the problem straight to your iPhone provider/carrier for further assessments. If it’s proven to be a factory defect, then you should be eligible for a new unit replacement. Otherwise, you should avail for service warranty for free iPhone repair.
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