How to Fix iPhone 7 Lagging or Slow After iOS Update

Updating your iPhone should make it better — faster, smarter, more stable. But sometimes, things go sideways after a software update. If your iPhone 7 suddenly feels sluggish, laggy, or slow after installing a new iOS version, you’re definitely not alone. Here’s why this happens and, more importantly, how you can fix it.

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Why Your iPhone 7 is Sluggish After an iOS Update

A slow iPhone after an update doesn’t always mean the update itself is broken. Here are the most common causes:

• App incompatibility: Some apps may not be fully updated for the new iOS version, causing conflicts or crashes in the background.
• Low storage space: Major updates are large. If your iPhone was already low on space, it might now be struggling to operate properly.
• Background processes: After a big update, your iPhone spends a lot of time reindexing files and optimizing apps, which can temporarily slow things down.

Hardware issues are rare after updates — most of the time, it’s a software or memory problem that you can fix.

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How to Fix a Slow iPhone 7 After Updating

1. Free Up Storage Space

Running low on storage is a classic cause of poor performance. Here’s how to fix it:

• Delete unused apps.
• Clear old text messages and attachments.
• Remove large videos or photos (or back them up to iCloud/Google Photos first).
• Empty your Safari cache:
  • Go to Settings → Safari → Clear History and Website Data.

Close all background apps too:

• Double-tap the Home button.
• Swipe up on all open apps to close them.

You can also control which apps are allowed to refresh in the background:

• Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh and toggle it OFF for unnecessary apps.

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2. Reset All Settings

If your settings got scrambled during the update, it can cause performance problems. Resetting all settings can often fix weird glitches without deleting your data.

To reset all settings:

• Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings.

This will:

• Reset Wi-Fi passwords.
• Reset customized settings.
• NOT delete apps or data.

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3. Restore iPhone via iTunes

If a settings reset doesn’t help, a full restore might be necessary.

To restore using iTunes:

1. Connect your iPhone 7 to your computer.
2. Open iTunes (make sure it’s updated).
3. Select your device, then choose Restore iPhone.
4. Follow the prompts to reinstall iOS fresh.

Tip: Always back up your data before doing this!

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4. Perform a DFU Restore (Last Resort)

If nothing else works, a DFU restore can give you a completely clean start by wiping everything at the firmware level.
Warning: This is advanced and risky. Only do this if you’re confident, and be sure to back everything up first.

To enter DFU mode:

1. Connect your iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
2. Power off the phone.
3. Hold the Power button + Volume Down button together for 10 seconds.
4. Release the Power button but keep holding the Volume Down button for another 5 seconds.
5. If your screen stays black but iTunes recognizes your device, you’re in DFU mode.

Now you can choose to Restore the iPhone through iTunes.

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Still Slow? Get Help

If you’ve tried everything and your iPhone 7 is still crawling, it’s time to contact Apple Support. They might need to run diagnostics to check for deeper issues — or there may be a follow-up update from Apple that fixes lingering bugs.

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Pro Tip: After any major update, your iPhone can act slow for a day or two as it reindexes all your data. Give it a little time before assuming the worst — but if the lag persists, the steps above will usually get you back to smooth sailing.