No one likes an iPad that’s running slow. iPads are some of the best tablets in the market and for good reason. The hardware and software experience is so well-optimized that you rarely face issues in the performance department. But it does happen sometimes.
If your iPad is suddenly feeling slow and sluggish, there might be a number of reasons behind it. Low storage, outdated OS, a faulty app, or your Wi-Fi connection are common culprits. The good news is that you can fix a majority of these issues yourself without any expert assistance. Plus, if you can’t, you always have the option of giving us a call at iDevice Repair.
Simply follow the steps below in order and you’ll have your iPad back to its snappy brilliance in no time.
The Basics – Reboot & Check Wi-Fi
Before considering other factors, you should first reboot your iPad and see if that fixes the performance slowdown. Just like any other device, restarting your iPad will remove everything from its temporary memory and give the system a clean start.And don’t worry, rebooting won’t delete any of your data or apps. It’s a minimally-invasive method that might give your device a jump start.
If that doesn’t make a difference, you might want to check your internet connection. Sometimes it might not be your iPad at all that’s at fault. You might be suffering from a slow Wi-Fi network.
Make sure there aren’t any issues with your Wi-Fi configuration. Consider extending its range with a booster if you notice the speed increasing the closer your iPad is to your router.
The Must-Haves – Update OS & Fix Your Browser
Keeping your iPad up-to-date is a must if you want to always have the latest performance updates and security patches on your device. And it doesn’t hurt your iPad’s speed either. Your operating system is at the heart of anything you do on your iPad. Hence, an outdated OS version could be the reason behind a slow iPad.
Updating your iPad isn’t complicated either. You can easily do it by heading to Settings > General > Software Update.
Pro Tip: Set your iPad to update automatically by going to Settings > General > Software Update > Automatic Updates.
The next thing you need to look at is your browser cache and ads. Often, it’s Safari causing your device to crawl while browsing the internet. This is either due to an almost-full cache memory or too many advertisements slowing down your iPad. To fix your cache and remove some of the cached webpages, cookies, login information, and images, simply go to Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data > Clear.
As for the ads, install an ad blocker from the App Store to make web pages load faster.
The Unavoidable – Unnecessary and Misbehaving Apps
The bulk of slow iPad reasons is caused by your beloved apps. Having too many apps, resource-hogging apps, or always running apps are all performance killers. Often, you tend to install and forget many apps that end up using a lot of storage space on your iPad. To see the apps using the most space on your device, go to Settings > General > iPad Storage.
Delete the apps you seldom use or no longer need by tapping each and selecting Delete App.
You can also see large downloaded videos and iTunes videos here and can follow on-screen instructions to remove some of them to free up more space.
Also, it might be a good habit to remove apps from the App Switcher if you don’t need them for some time. The App Switcher keeps apps in memory for you to resume where you left off. But after a point, if it gets too full, your iPad starts running out of memory. Try removing some of these apps to free up some precious memory.
One thing you might want to try is doing some troubleshooting with the current app you’re running. Sometimes a particular app might be responsible for a slowdown. Try closing the app from the App Switcher and see if that fixes the issue.
Finally, you can consider turning Background App Refresh off. This feature keeps refreshing your apps in the background even when you aren’t using them. This is helpful to receive notifications from apps like Facebook and Twitter, but a major drain on your memory. To turn it off, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and toggle the Background App Refresh switch to the Off position.
Pro Tip: Don’t try to overdo closing apps from the App Switcher. Having 5-6 apps in the App Switcher is perfectly fine. In fact, aggressively removing everything from the App Switcher might cause your iPad to slow down even more.
The Last Resort – Factory Reset
If none of the tips above show any tangible benefits to your iPad’s performance, you still have one last card to play. Performing a factory reset on your iPad will remove all your apps, data, and settings from your device, except the ones you’ve chosen to back up to iCloud.
Once complete, your iPad will revert to the condition it was in when you first bought it. Though a bit drastic, it might be the only choice you have short of sending your device for repairs. To perform a factory reset, go to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPad > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings.
You can also choose the Reset All Settings option in the last step above to keep all your data intact and see if that helps the slowdown issues.
Wrapping Up
Keeping your iPad clean and up-to-date should be an ongoing process. But sometimes, you might need some drastic measures to fix some deeper issues. Simply keep this handy guide saved for when your iPad decides to slow down on you.
