How to fix an Apple iPhone XR touchscreen that’s responding very slowly, delayed touchscreen response issue [Troubleshooting Guide]

Delayed touchscreen response or touchscreen that’s responding very slowly in smartphones can also be associated with lags (when using certain apps) or slow browsing (when browsing through websites and pages). These symptoms usually occur when the internal memory of the phone is shrinking, thus these symptoms are typically seen on early devices. But new devices aren’t totally free from showing such flaws as there are also other factors that can cause the same symptoms. And these would include rogue apps, corrupted files, bad updates and network connectivity problems like Wi-Fi drops.

On the brighter note, all these factors are software-related. This means that they can be remedied at home by some tweaks. This post outlines the most effective thus highly recommended workarounds to deal with the same problem on delayed touchscreen response affecting the new iPhone XR device. Read on to learn what to do if your iPhone XR touchscreen is responding very slowly.

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you are looking for a solution to a different issue, make sure you drop by our troubleshooting page as we’ve already addressed some of the most common problems reported by our readers. Find issues that are similar with yours and use the solutions we suggested. If you still need our help after that, then feel free to contact us by filling up our iPhone issues questionnaire.

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How to troubleshoot iPhone XR with touch screen that’s responding slowly

Before you perform any of these workarounds, check and ensure that your iPhone has strong and stable Internet connection. This is a must-do if your phone is loading very slowly when trying to access websites on a browser or using online apps. If the Internet connection is fine and the symptoms aren’t only transpiring online apps, then you may go ahead and troubleshoot software-related problems that may be causing your iPhone system to perform sluggishly.

First solution: Clear all background apps.

Background apps that have gone rogue or corrupted are usually to blame. This is usually the case when you’ve left multiple apps suspended or running in the background for long. Any of these apps might have been corrupted and eventually affected other apps and services, thus makes the phone performing sluggishly. To rule this out, clear all background apps on your iPhone XR with these steps:

  1. From the Home screen, swipe your finger up and then pause.
  2. Swipe right or left to navigate through apps preview.
  3. Then swipe up on an app preview to close apps individually until all app previews are cleared.

Second solution: Soft reset or force restart your iPhone XR.

If the problem isn’t resolved by clearing all background apps, then restarting the phone can be considered as the next option. A device restart (soft reset) is a simple yet very effective solution to random software errors that caused apps to glitch and other symptoms to occur. To soft reset your iPhone XR, simply refer to these steps:

  1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously for a few seconds.
  2. Release the buttons when the Slide to Power Off command appears.
  3. Drag the power off slider to the right.
  4. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power/Side button again until the phone reboots.

If your iPhone XR touchscreen is still responding very slowly after performing a soft reset, then try to force restart it instead. A force restart works similar as the soft reset when it comes to dealing with minor software issues. This is often needed when the phone screen is frozen or not responding to touches. All suspended apps, corrupted data, and errant cached files from the memory are forcibly cleared out in the process. Here’s how it’s done:

  1. Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.
  2. Then press and quickly release the Volume Down button.
  3. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.

Both a soft reset and force restart don’t affect internal data, thus won’t cause permanent data loss.

Third solution: Install pending updates for apps and iOS.

Apps that are not updated are usually the ones that are acting up more often. And when this happens, there’s a tendency for other apps, if not, the entire system operations become adversely affected. To rule this out, manually check for, download and install pending app updates on your iPhone XR with these steps:

  1. Tap App Store from the Home screen.
  2. Scroll down to and then tap the Updates tab to show the list of apps with pending updates.
  3. Tap the Update button next to the name of the app to update apps individually.
  4. Tap the Update All button on the upper-right to update all apps simultaneously.

Aside from app updates, installing the latest iOS update available for your iPhone can also help. Software updates usually offer fix patches to get rid of bug-inflicted symptoms including constant lags and sluggishness. If your iPhone has stable access to the Internet and ample of battery life, then you can check for OTA updates to download and install.

  • To view and update iOS via over-the-air, go to Settings-> General-> Software Update menu. Then follow the onscreen instructions to download and install new updates.

For safekeeping, back up all your important files to iCloud or iTunes before updating. After installing new updates, reboot your iPhone (soft reset) to apply the new system changes and to clear cache from and refresh the internal memory.

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XR.

Software resets are usually needed if the problem is tied to invalid settings or incorrect configuration. This is usually the case if the symptoms started after customizing or modifying some settings on your iPhone. To clear this out, follow these steps to erase all customized settings and restore the default options and values. Here’s how:

  1. From the Home screen, tap on Settings.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down to and tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset all settings.
  5. If prompted, enter your device passcode.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm all settings reset.

Fifth solution: Restore factory default settings on your iPhone XR.

A factory reset is often needed when dealing with more complicated system errors that might have caused the device to perform very slowly. This will wipe everything from the phone including all your saved contents thus creating backups would be necessary beforehand. Once everything is set, follow these steps to reset your iPhone to factory defaults via settings menu:

  1. Tap to open the Settings app from your Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down to and then tap Reset.
  4. Select the option to Erase all content and settings.
  5. Enter your device passcode, when asked to proceed.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm factory reset.

In case your iPhone display isn’t responding, you can do the alternative reset through iTunes. To get this done, you will need to secure a Windows or Mac computer that’s compatible with your iPhone XR platform and has the latest iTunes software installed. Once you’ve got everything ready, follow these steps to begin resetting and restore iOS factory defaults in iTunes:

  1. Open iTunes on a computer.
  2. Connect your iPhone XR to your computer using the supplied USB cable or Lightning cable.
  3. If prompted on your iPhone to Trust This Computer or to enter the device passcode, follow the onscreen instructions to continue.
  4. Select your iPhone XR when it shows up in iTunes.
  5. Navigate to the Summary section on the left panel and then click the Restore [iPhone] button.
  6. If prompted, read and review the information to confirm iOS restore. iTunes will then instigate the system reset and then download the latest software version for your iPhone.

Other options

  • iOS restore. You may resort to performing a recovery mode restore if your iPhone XR is still showing delayed touchscreen response or responding very slowly. This would be necessary to deal with more complex system errors that could not be rectified by a factory reset. In this case, you can try restoring your iPhone XR in recovery mode through iTunes. If that doesn’t help either, then you can move on and try the deepest type of iPhone restore called DFU or Device Firmware Update mode restore through iTunes.
  • Service/iPhone repair. There is a higher chance that the symptoms your iPhone is showing are attributed to hardware damage if they persisted after exhausting all the above procedures including iOS restore. To rule this out, take your iPhone to the nearest Apple-authorized service center in your place and have it thoroughly scrutinized by an authorized technician. To prevent voiding any warranty, call your device carrier for further recommendations.

Connect with us

If you need more help with the use of certain functions and features of the Apple iPhone XR smartphone, feel free to visit our Tutorial Page or our Youtube channel. There you can find a list of how-to contents, step-by-step tutorials, as well as answers to FAQs regarding iPhone XR. 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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