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I’ll be honest—each new iOS update often leaves my iPhone feeling a bit sluggish. Sure, I could run out and upgrade to the latest iPhone. But why do that when I can breathe new life into my older iPhone by taking advantage of a few easy tricks?
1Remove Unused Apps and Widgets
One of the best things I did to breathe new life into my old iPhone was declutter it—starting with unused apps. Like most people, I occasionally download apps for a one-time need or out of curiosity, only to forget about them later. These apps take up storage, run background processes, and slow down overall performance.
To clean things up, I regularly review the apps I have installed and delete the ones I don’t need anymore. To do this, you can head toSettings > General > iPhone Storageand go through all the apps one by one.
Sure, it’s a time sink of a process, but it helps to declutter my digital life and get my phone’s performance back on track.
Additionally, while widgets provide quick access to information, having too many can drain battery life and slow your phone down. I find it’s best to remove unnecessary widgets and organize the remaining ones. This not onlykeeps my iPhone home screen clutter-freebut also reduces unnecessary strain on my phone’s resources.
2Clear Storage Space by Moving Data to iCloud
Having ample free storage is crucial for any smartphone to run smoothly. Since my iPhone only has 128GB of internal storage, I’veupgraded to iCloud+ and opted for a 200GB storage plan. This gives me plenty of space to offload my data without worrying about running out of room.
With ample iCloud storage, I can upload all my photos and videos to iCloud, allowing me to delete them from my device without actually losing them. To make this process seamless, I’ve enabled theOptimize iPhone Storagefeature. This allows my iPhone to keep smaller, space-saving versions of photos on the device while storing the full-resolution files safely in iCloud.
3Clear Safari Data
I spend a good amount of time surfing the internet on my iPhone, and over time, browsers like Safari can become sluggish due to accumulated cached files, cookies, and browsing history. With so many websites requiring us to accept cookies these days, this data can quickly pile up.
When this happens, Safari takes longer to load and doesn’t feel as responsive as before. I’ve found that clearing Safari’s browsing history and data helps fix this.
All you need to do is head toSettings > Safari > Clear History and Website Datato wipe the browser data. This will not only speed up Safari but also free up some extra storage on the iPhone.
4Enable Reduce Motion and Transparency
Even with all the optimization, the fact that my iPhone 12 is more than three years old and doesn’t have the fastest processor doesn’t change. To lighten the load on the phone’s processor and ensure it runs smoothly with the latest iOS version, I’ve found that disabling animations and visual effects.
you’re able to do this by heading toSettings > Accessibility > Motionand toggling onReduce Motion. This cuts down on fancy animations, like the parallax effect on the home screen and app transitions, making my iPhone feel snappier. Instead of smooth zooming and sliding effects, apps simply fade in and out, which might not look as flashy but definitely speeds things up.
Similarly, I’ve enabledReduce Transparencyby heading toSettings > Accessibility > Display & Text Size. This minimizes the see-through effects in places like the Control Center and menus, making everything easier to read and less taxing on my iPhone’s processor.
The difference is subtle but noticeable—menus look more solid, and the interface feels more responsive overall.
5Turn Off Automatic App Downloads
While it’s convenient to have apps updated in the background, it can also drain battery life and increase the number of background activities—something I can’t afford on an aging device.
So, I’ve turned off automatic downloads by heading toSettings > Apps > App Store, and disabling the toggles underAutomatic Downloads. This way, I have full control over when and which apps update, ensuring my iPhone isn’t bogged down with unnecessary processes running in the background.
6Disable Background App Refresh for Unnecessary Apps
Aside from app downloads, I’ve also decided to turn off Background App Refresh for unnecessary apps. While this feature allows apps to fetch new data in the background and display timely notifications, it can also be a resource hog. Not all my apps—and certainly not games—need it enabled.
So, I toggle off Background App Refresh for apps that don’t need it by heading toSettings > General > Background App Refresh. This helps free up system resources and make my iPhone run smoother despite its age. If I notice an app isn’t updating when I open it, I can always turn it back on—but in most cases, I don’t miss it at all.
7Replace the Battery
Over time, smartphone batteries wear out, and when they do, their performance takes a hit. After using my iPhone for three years, I noticed that the battery struggled to last a full day. Apple’s Battery Health tool confirmed my suspicions:it was time to replace the battery.
Since I plan to keep this iPhone for a couple more years, replacing the battery was worth the cost—and the difference was immediately noticeable. My iPhone stopped shutting down unexpectedly, and I could get through a full day without scrambling for a charger.
8Disable Low Power Mode
While Low Power Mode is great for squeezing extra battery life out of the iPhone, it can slow things down significantly. Before replacing the battery, I relied on it daily just to make it through the afternoon, but it came at a cost of performance.
With a fresh battery, I no longer have tokeep Low Power Mode on all the time. The result? My apps run freely in the background, scrolling feels smoother, and my phone just feels snappier overall.
It served as a reminder that Low Power Mode is great for emergencies, but keeping it on all the time was holding my phone back.
It’s easy to assume an iPhone is doomed after a few years of updates, but with the right adjustments, it can still perform surprisingly well. With a fresh battery, some storage cleanup, and a few smart tweaks, my iPhone now feels faster, more reliable, and ready to last a couple more years.
