What to know

  • Many users report lag, stutters, and random glitches after updating to iOS 26
  • Issues include delayed app launches, touch input lag, and animations freezing
  • Common fixes: restart, reset settings, disable background processes, or reinstall iOS
  • Apple hasn’t confirmed a patch yet, so these are user-tested workarounds

If iOS 26 feels laggy or glitchy, you are certainly not alone. People on newer and older models—especially iPhone 15—have said that transitions are slow, apps stutter, and battery drains quickly right after the update. The new “Liquid Glass” design and extra system features use more storage and processing, leading to more reported frame drops and slower responsiveness on some devices.

Why iOS 26 feels laggy

Plenty of iPhone owners are saying iOS 26 runs worse than iOS 25. Complaints range from slow keyboard response to home screen stutters. For some, apps hang longer than usual before opening. Others say scrolling feels jittery, like frame drops every few seconds. The update seems to hit older devices harder, but even newer models aren’t immune.

How to fix iOS 26 lag

Below is a progressive approach: start with the lighter fixes and move to more disruptive ones only if needed.

Restart your iPhone / force reboot

  • Power off and turn back on (hold power + volume, slide off).
  • On newer models, if frozen, force a reboot (volume up, volume down, then hold power).
    This clears out many transient glitches and flushes caches.

Leave it idle for a while (overnight, if possible)

  • Let the phone sit plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi overnight.
  • The system should finish indexing, background optimization, and app updates.
    Many users notice that after 24–48 hours the worst lag diminishes.

Close unused background apps

  • Swipe up/double-press home to see open apps and swipe them away.
  • While iOS is good at managing RAM, heavy or buggy apps can hog cycles and worsen lag.

Turn off Background App Refresh

  • Go to Settings → General → Background App Refresh
  • Either disable it globally or disable it per app.
  • This prevents apps from “waking up” in background and competing for CPU.

Step 5: Enable Reduce Motion

  • Settings → Accessibility → Motion → turn on Reduce Motion
  • This reduces some animations, transitions, and fancy motion effects.

Turn on Reduce Transparency / increase contrast

  • Settings → Accessibility → Display & Text Size → enable Reduce Transparency
  • You can also turn on Increase Contrast or similar toggles
    Users report that this helps reduce stutter tied to compositing and blur.

Use a simple wallpaper, default icons

  • A busy or dynamic wallpaper forces more recalculation of translucency/blur underneath elements.
  • Stick to default icon style (rather than special “Dark,” “Tinted,” etc.) to reduce graphical complexity.

Free up storage

  • Settings → General → iPhone Storage
  • Delete unused apps, large videos or media
  • Offload apps you rarely use.
  • Low available storage is a well-known cause of slowdowns.

Clear caches and Safari data

  • Safari → Clear History & Website Data
  • For apps that allow cache clearing, clear them. This reduces unneeded storage overhead and device “clutter.”

Update all apps / reinstall problematic ones

  • Go to the App Store → Updates or individually within apps
  • Apps optimized for older iOS versions may struggle on 26
  • If a particular app repeatedly crashes or lags, uninstall and reinstall it

Check battery health

  • Settings → Battery → Battery Health
  • If your battery’s capacity is significantly degraded, iOS may throttle performance to avoid instability
  • Replacing the battery can restore better performance in extreme cases.

Reset all settings (without wiping data)

  • Settings → General → Transfer or Reset → Reset → Reset All Settings
  • This resets system settings (Wi-Fi, display, etc.) but keeps your data
    It can remove misconfigs that contribute to lag.

Restore fresh via DFU and set up as new

  • Back up your data
  • Use Finder or iTunes to restore via DFU mode
  • Set up as a new device (rather than restoring full backup)
  • Reinstall apps selectively

Why some lag might resist fix — and when a patch is your best hope

  • If the lag is rooted in low-level rendering regressions in iOS 26 (especially on specific chipset + model combos), no amount of toggling may fully restore peak performance.
  • New visual features (blur, translucency) may push GPU or memory in ways not optimized yet.
  • App developers may need to issue updates for their apps to be fully compatible with internal changes in iOS 26.
  • Reports of battery and thermal issues suggest that power / heat management is playing a role in degraded performance for some users.

Last Resort: Factory Reset or Downgrade

Some users find that downgrading to iOS 18 is smoother for now, though this is only possible while Apple’s signing window remains open. Reports say that newer iPhones run iOS 26 better after about three days, while older devices may benefit from staying on a previous version a little longer.

If none of these strategies work, keep an eye out for official Apple bug fixes in the coming weeks. User communities and Apple support are collecting feedback and may share additional workarounds soon.