How to fix an iPhone 7 that is constantly lagging and freezing [Troubleshooting Guide]

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Constant lags and freezes in mobile devices are often signs of memory problems and wear-and-tear. Symptoms like these usually occur on a device after several months or years of regular usage. However, these can also occur earlier than expected due to software errors or hardware damage.

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Tackled in this post is a similar issue on the iPhone 7 that is beginning to lag and freeze. Should these symptoms be inflicted by software-related issues on the phone, then you can try the subsequent solutions I’ve mapped out in this context. Read on to learn what to do if your iPhone 7 is constantly lagging and freezing.

Before going further, if you found this post because you were trying to find a solution to your problem, then try to visit our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed most of the commonly reported issues with the phone. We’ve already provided solutions to some of the problems reported by our readers so try to find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If they don’t work for you and if you need further assistance, fill up our iPhone issues questionnaire and hit submit.

How to troubleshoot apple iPhone 7 that constantly lags and freezes

To make sure that the problem is not isolated to an application, try to use other apps and see how your iPhone works. If the problem only occurs when using a certain app, then it’s not an iOS issue but rather due to an errant application. In this case, getting rid of the rogue app will solve the problem. Otherwise, continue to troubleshoot your device with these workarounds.

First solution: Clear all background apps then restart your iPhone (soft reset).

Background apps that crashed or became corrupted can trigger the device to act up. Background apps are applications you’ve recently used and not closed. They remain running in the background unless you clear them. To make sure this isn’t inflicting troubles, follow these steps to force close background apps on your iPhone 7:

  1. Press the Home button twice quickly. Doing so will launch a new screen containing a list of recently used apps that aren’t closed.
  2. Swipe up on an app’s preview to force close or clear individual apps. Do the same to clear the rest of background apps.

Once you’re done force closing or clearing background apps, restart your iPhone to dump cache files from the internal memory and refresh the operating system. If your device is responding, then you can do the usual restart or soft reset with these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Power button for a few seconds until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
  2. Then drag the power off slider to the right to shut down your iPhone completely.
  3. After 30 seconds, press the Power button again until the Apple logo appears.

If your iPhone is not responding, then you will need to perform the alternative reboot or force restart. This does the same as the soft reset in terms of clearing software glitches that caused minor software errors on the phone. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Press and hold both the Power and Volume Down buttons for about 10 to 20 seconds and then release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

Both these restart methods won’t affect internal data on your device, thus won’t result to data loss.

Second solution: Manage and free up memory space on your iPhone.

Your iPhone may be lagging and freezing constantly because it’s already running low on internal memory space. This is usually the case if you’re fond of downloading complex apps and multimedia files on your device. While your iPhone may have offer a huge storage capacity, it will eventually shrink from constantly adding new apps and contents in it. To check and manage the internal memory of your iPhone 7, follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap iPhone Storage.

View the available memory space on the following screen. If the available storage space is lower than 1GB, then you’ll need to free up additional space. To do so, delete old and unwanted contents including apps, messages, photos, videos, and audio files that are no longer needed. You can also back up your other important files to a computer through iTunes or back up to iCloud.

Third solution: Update apps.

Errant apps can also cause similar symptoms on your device. This usually happens when an application is afflicted by malware, which eventually affects the entire iOS functions. Installing new app updates can help in the case because app updates also contain bug fixes. To check for pending app updates on your iPhone 7, follow these steps:

  1. Tap the App Store icon from the Home screen.
  2. From the App Store main screen, tap the Updates icon at the bottom right. A list of apps with pending updates then shows up on the screen.
  3. Tap the Update button next to an application to update apps individually or tap the Update All button on the upper right of the screen to install all pending app updates at once.

Reboot your phone when all apps are finished updating and then try to see if that fixes the problem.

Fourth solution: Update phone software to the latest version available.

Aside from updating apps, installing the latest iOS version available for your iPhone can also be the key solution to this problem. Software updates usually offer system enhancements for better performance and stability. To check for new updates on your iPhone 7 wirelessly or over-the-air, follow these steps:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Tap Software Update.

If a new update is available, you will see an update notification, containing the update requirements and features. Before updating, back up all your important data for safekeeping. Then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install the new iOS update on your iPhone 7. Your device must have a strong and stable Internet connection, at least 50 percent of battery life and sufficient memory space to allocate the update file.

Fifth solution: Reset your iPhone to its factory defaults (master reset).

You may resort to a factory reset if none of the previous methods is able to solve the problem and your iPhone is still lagging and crashing. This will wipe everything from your iPhone system, including bugs and malware that might have triggered the symptoms to occur. Just don’t forget to back up your important data as they will also be deleted in the process. Once you’re all set, you can proceed with a factory reset through settings menu. This however is only possible if your iPhone is responsive. Here’s how:

  1. Tap Settings from the Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your device passcode.
  6. Then tap to confirm system settings reset.
  7. Allow your device to reboot and then proceed with the initial setup process.

If a factory reset through settings won’t be possible as your iPhone screen becomes frozen or unresponsive, you can factory reset through iTunes instead. To continue with an iTunes reset, you will need to secure a computer, either Windows or Mac, preferably the one that’s running a later or latest operating system and has the latest version of iTunes software installed. Once you’ve got your equipment ready, connect your iPhone to the computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable, wait for iTunes to recognize your device and then follow the onscreen commands to restore your iPhone 7 in iTunes.

Other options

Take your iPhone to an Apple Genius bar near your place and have it diagnosed by an iPhone technician for any indications of hardware damage. Constant lags and freezes are also among the main symptoms of physical or liquid damage on the phone, from previous incidents of dropping or liquid exposure.

For other options and official recommendations, contact your carrier or Apple Support. You may also want to consider opting for a device upgrade this time, with the iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and iphone x among the choices.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the 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.

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