How To Speed Up Your iPhone After the iOS 26 Update

Holding up after the iOS 26 update? Yeah, the lag can be a pain.

If you’ve recently jumped onto the iOS 26 beta—or even the official release—and your iPhone or iPad is suddenly feeling sluggish or unresponsive, you’re not alone. Trust me, I’ve been there. It’s super frustrating, especially when everything was smooth before. Usually, it’s because the device is busy reindexing, rebuilding caches, or just confused after a major update. The good news? There are a few things you can try that might bring some speed back. Sometimes, a simple reboot does the trick, but other times, you need to dig a bit deeper.

Quick first checks: Wi-Fi and resetting settings

This is where I got stuck for a while—checking the internet connection. Slow Wi-Fi can cause all kinds of background processes to lag out, so make sure your connection is stable. Once that’s sorted, try resetting your settings. It’s not as drastic as wiping everything; it just resets preferences. Go to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. No data loss here—just your personalized tweaks, wallpapers, etc. This can sometimes clear out little glitches that build up after a major update.

If that doesn’t help, and your device still drags, then it might be time to look into whether you’re on a beta build or not. Beta firmware is inherently unstable at times, especially with early releases or developer previews. You might want to disable or remove the beta profile. You’ll find it under Settings > Profile > iOS Beta Software Profile; on some devices, it’s tucked away in Settings > General > VPN & Device Management. After removing it, your device won’t get beta updates anymore, and you’ll need to keep an eye on the official releases going forward.

Downgrading to a stable iOS version — tricky but sometimes necessary

If you’re still experiencing severe lag, and it’s clear the beta build is the culprit, downgrading to a stable iOS release can be the answer. I’ve done this myself after dealing with buggy betas—especially during early testing phases. Of course, Apple doesn’t make downgrading super straightforward anymore, but it’s doable. First, you’ll need to connect your device to a computer (Mac or PC) with the latest version of iTunes or Finder. Then, put your iPhone into recovery mode—usually by holding the side button and either volume button until the connect-to-computer screen shows up. From there, you can restore with a signed IPSW file for iOS 16 or whatever the latest stable version is.”

If the direct OTA update won’t work or stalls, that’s when I looked into more involved options—like using tools such as 3U Toolbox, iMazing, or ReiBoot. They can help with stuck update screens or if your device refuses to downgrade normally. Be aware, these tools typically require putting your device into DFU mode (that’s the black screen mode where you connect to your computer and follow specific key combinations).Honestly, it took me a couple tries to get in the right mode, so don’t get discouraged if it seems finicky at first.

Once in DFU, you load the IPSW file for iOS 18 or whichever version you’re targeting, then hit restore or flash. It’s a wipe, so don’t forget your backups. This process forced a clean install of a stable version, and for me, it really smoothed things out—especially when OTA updates or beta installs left things buggy or laggy.

Other tips that might help

Sometimes, after big updates, your device is just reindexing or clearing temp files, which can slow things down temporarily. Giving it a few reboots or resetting all settings can do the trick without the need for full restores. Also, check which apps are consuming the most battery or CPU—head to Settings > Battery > Battery Usage. Turning off background app refresh for apps you don’t need might cut down on lag, too.

And, if you’re really clutching at straws, a complete wipe—after backing everything up—via iTunes/Finder and doing a clean install can be the fix that finally solves the sluggishness. Yeah, it’s a pain, but sometimes the beta updates leave a mess no quick fix can handle.

Wrapping up—what finally worked for me

At the end of the day, fixing this kind of lag usually involves a mix of patience, troubleshooting steps, and sometimes resorting to the “nuclear” option of a full restore or downgrade. Be sure to back up your stuff before messing with firmware flashing or restoring or whatever you decide to do. These methods aren’t without risk, but they often get your device back in shape.

Hope this helped — it took me way too long to figure out what was really kicking my device into slow motion. So, if you’re feeling the frustration, hang in there. Anyway, I hope this saves someone else a weekend of trying random things!