How to fix an iPhone 7 that keeps crashing and freezing after installing new iOS update (easy steps)

Software updates are supposed to make devices more optimized and perform better. But it turns out the opposite as several people ended up facing different kinds of problems after installing a new update to iOS including the recently rolled out iOS versions 11.3 and 11.3.1 for later iPhone and iPad models. Among the transpiring symptoms include system crashes, lags, and freezes to name some. If you happen to encounter any of these symptoms on your iPhone 7 after implementing the new iOS version, then this post might be able to help you fix it. Here’s a rundown of workarounds and generic solutions you can refer to, if needed.

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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.

First solution: Soft reset or Force restart.

If this is the first time your iPhone is acting weird, then most likely it’s an update bug that’s causing it to crash and freeze. As first potential solution, you can try a soft reset or force restart. A soft reset or device restart can help clear up minor glitches and errors that might have messed up the system functions after implementing the new platform. This however is only applicable if your iPhone screen is able to respond to touch inputs. Otherwise, performing a force restart is needed. If your iPhone is responsive, you can do the usual reboot or soft reset with these steps:

Press and hold the Power button until the Slide to Power Off prompt shows up.
Drag the slider to turn your iPhone off completely.
After about 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button and then release when the Apple logo appears.

If your iPhone screen is frozen or unresponsive, then force it to restart with these steps:

Press and hold down the Power button and the Volume Down button simultaneously for about 20 to 30 seconds.
Then release both buttons when the Apple logo appears.

It is a simulated battery removal process equivalent to a soft reset or usual reboot but done using the hardware keys since the screen is unresponsive. And just like a soft reset, a force restart does not affect any of your data saved in the internal memory of your device. Wait for your iPhone to finish booting up then see if that fixes the problem.

Second solution: Check and manage internal memory.

Some update files come in complex formats or bigger file size and therefore can utilize more space of your iPhone’s internal memory. That shouldn’t be an issue if your device still has a lot of space left. But if you’re fond of downloading complex apps and multimedia files, chances are that the available memory is too low. When this happens performance problems including frequent crashes and sluggishness instigate. This then denotes the need for you to manage or free up some space of your phone’s internal storage. You can delete all unnecessary contents including old messages, apps, and files that are no longer useful. Other things you can do to clear up memory space are as follow:

Clear background apps. Background apps are apps you’ve recently used but not closed. These apps in standby mode, running in the background and therefore using up space of the internal memory.
- To clear background apps on your iPhone 7, press the Home button twice quickly. Doing so will show up a list of your recently used apps. Then swipe up on each app’s preview to clear it.
Delete unnecessary apps and data. This is the right time to let go of your old and unused contents. So start digging up and obliterate unwanted files from your iPhone message inbox, photo galleries and other media folders you have.
- To delete unused apps, tap and hold on any app icon from the Home screen. When the icons start to jiggle, tap the X in the corner of the app you want to remove or uninstall. Finally, tap Delete to confirm.

To apply these changes and refresh your iPhone system, do a soft reset or force restart one more time.

Third solution: Reset all settings.

To rule invalid settings out from the underlying cause, you can reset all settings on your iPhone. The new update might have altered your current settings automatically and adversely affect your iPhone’s performance. If you wish to take chances in this reset, then you may do so with these steps:

Tap Settings from the Home screen.
Tap General.
Scroll to and tap Reset.
Select the option to Reset all settings. Doing so will reset all your settings and restore their default values. This won’t affect your data and personal information.
If prompted, enter your device passcode to continue.
Then tap the option to confirm reset.

Reboot your iPhone afterwards then enable the features you want to use such as Wi-Fi networks and Bluetooth, to name some.

Fourth solution: Factory reset/master reset.

You may consider performing a factory reset or master reset as your last resort if the problem persists. The new update might have contained some bugs that caused terminal errors that can only be rectified by erasing your device. This however will result to data loss so don’t forget to back up your important data. And since your iPhone may not be responding to touches, you will need to carry out a master reset using iTunes on a computer. You can use a Windows PC or Mac computer running on a later or latest OS version and with the latest iTunes software installed. In case you need some help, here’s how to restore your iPhone 7 to factory defaults using iTunes:

Open iTunes on your computer.
Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
If prompted, enter your device passcode or tap the option to Trust This Computer on your phone then follow the onscreen instructions.
Select your iPhone when it appears in iTunes. If it doesn’t show in iTunes, force your iPhone to restart and reboot your computer.
Navigate to the Summary panel in iTunes main screen.
Click Restore [iPhone name] button.
Click Restore again to confirm. Doing so will trigger iTunes to start erasing your device and install the latest iOS version available.

After your iPhone restores to factory settings, it will reboot automatically. Wait until it has finished booting up then you can set it up as new.

Fifth solution: Perform a DFU mode restore.

Aside from master reset, you can also resort to a DFU mode restore if nothing else works and you’ve run out of options. This is the deepest type of system restore you can do on your iPhone. Putting your iPhone in DFU (Device Firmware Update) mode allows it to communicate with iTunes on a computer without activating the bootloader or operating system. If you wish to proceed, then here’s how to put your iPhone 7 in DFU mode and restore (downgrade) iOS:

Connect your iPhone to your computer using the supplied USB cable. You can do it while your phone is turned on or off.
Open iTunes on your computer then wait until it recognizes your iPhone.
When connected, press and hold the Power button and Home button simultaneously for about 8 seconds.
After the elapsed time, release the Power button but keep holding down the Home button until you see the message saying that, “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode.”
Then release the Home button.

You will know if you’ve already entered DFU mode if your iPhone screen remains black after releasing the Home button. But if you see any logo or text on the display, you will need to go back from the very beginning. Once you’re in DFU mode, follow the onscreen instructions to restore iOS to a previous backup.

Other options

You may opt to report the issue to your carrier or Apple Support for further assistance and recommendations. Should this be proven triggered by an update bug, then a fix patch is needed. Otherwise, you can take your device to a service center and have it examined by an Apple technician instead.

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.

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