iOS 8 is the latest, and supposedly greatest edition of Apple's mobile software, but many users -- particularly those running older devices like the iPhone 4s -- have found that the most recent installment can cause issues in terms of speed and general functionality. Here, we look at a few tips to help rejuvenate your beloved device, and even if you're not experiencing any problems, it's worth running through the checklist to ensure you're getting the most out of your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.
How To Speed Up Slow iPhone, iPad Running iOS 8
Make Sure It's Up-To-Date
With every update, Apple includes swathes of bug fixes and general performance enhancements, which can often bring a new lease of life to your iOS device. If you're not running the latest version, or are unsure, you can check the state of play by heading to Settings --> General --> Software Update.
At the time of writing, the most recent public build is iOS 8.2, and since Apple has added a number of security patches and other treats, be sure to run an update to give your device the best chance of performing at its optimum level.
Reduce Apple's Fanciful Effects
With iOS 7, Apple introduced a number of visual effects that arguably offer a touch of finesse to proceedings. However, while parallax effects on icons may look nice, they're also hindering the performance potential of your device.
There are a couple of things you can do here. Firstly, you'll want to reduce motion, which can be achieved through Settings --> General --> Accessibility --> Reduce Motion and setting Reduce Motion to ON. After you have done this, parallax will be no more.
In addition, reducing transparency is also helpful. Go to Settings --> General --> Accessibility --> Increase Contrast, and toggle Reduce Transparency to ON. You will forgo the transparent background effects, but in turn, gain speed, which for the purpose of this guide, is the important thing.
Remove Apps That You Don't Need
Another great way to speed up iPhone is to delete apps that aren't integral to your day-to-day usage. Believe it or not, clogging up your storage with apps and games -- even if you're not using them -- can slow things down rather considerably.
Before you do anything, navigate on through to Settings --> General --> Usage and hit Manage Storage. From there, you can see precisely which apps are commanding the most storage, and if you're happy to delete one or maybe even a few, tap on them and hit Delete.
This is not a one-off procedure, either. You should get into the habit of deleting apps on a frequent basis, which will ensure that your device isn't been dragged down by unnecessary storage-fodder.
Deactivate Spotlight Search
Spotlight Search is useful if you happen to depend on it, but if you don't, then it's secretly eating away at your resources. If you don't want Spotlight to siphon off your memory and storage, you can speed up iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices by going to Settings --> General --> Spotlight Search, where you can remove the options that you don't want and thus spare your resources for features you actually want to use.
Restore Your Device
Restoring an iOS device can often make it feel brand-new, and should the above tips offer little by way of solution, we'd recommend this as a last resort.
Before restoring, you'll need to back up your data via iTunes or iCloud. This is very important if you don't wish to lose your data.
Once you've proceeded through your preferred backup method, go to Settings --> General --> Reset --> Erase All Content and Settings, and after being prompted for your Passcode, you'll need to sit back and let the device work its magic.
After a few minutes, you'll be back to factory settings, and once you restore from your previously-saved backup, your device should feel much slicker than it did before the restore.
So, that concludes our checklist. There are other ways to speed up iPhone, iPad and iPod touches running iOS 8, but in our experience, those outlined above have the most effect. So try them out, and let us know how you get on by dropping a comment below!
