iPhone 13 mini Specifically 13 mini users who upgraded to iOS26

[Alpha Centauri]

So am wondering, those 13 Mini users that have upgraded from iOS 18 to iOS 26,

are you happy with your move?

I'm wondering about major shifts in battery life and keyboard lag. But feel free to comment on the UI also.

Cheers.

 

[The_Auryn]

I'd also like to know too. I'm on a 12 Pro Max.

 

[klasma]

I'd also like to know too. I'm on a 12 Pro Max.

This thread is specifically for the 13 mini, so please let’s stick to that.

 

[vvvvvv]

I didn’t notice much of a hit to battery. The transitions were pretty not-smooth even after indexing, though. The added padding in menus wasn’t implemented with the mini’s size in mind at all.

 

[kguay]

My wife updated her 14 mini this morning and it was very slow/laggy. Even simple apps like settings became unresponsive at times. I know that it’s an old phone, but still, it’s disappointing that Apple added such computation heavy graphics to their OS without a real way to turn it off (reduce transparency doesn’t count).

Fortunately I downgraded right away (because she only had an iCloud update and I didn’t want to lose it) - very glad I did since they just stopped signing 18 😔. Probably time for a new phone eventually - wish they still made a phone that size though.

 

[conmee]

I chose not to install iOS 26 on my mini after seeing the extra space it takes up on my 15 Pro. Even the launchpad is taller/fatter for some reason. I figured with a lot of UI elements being enlarged/overlapping, that wouldn’t work well with the 13 mini display size.

 

[turbineseaplane]

The added padding in menus wasn’t implemented with the mini’s size in mind at all.

Ugh. That seals it. I will not be upgrading ever.

I lived through that getting worse and worse in Apps on my SE1.

 

[zilchfox]

The 13 mini is my backup iPhone, and it didn't seem to perform very well on iOS 26. My main iPhone is an iPhone Air, which is on iOS 26 obviously, and iOS 26 is fine on that.

 

[vvvvvv]

Ugh. That seals it. I will not be upgrading ever.

I lived through that getting worse and worse in Apps on my SE1.

Yeah, stay on 18.7 if you’re able. I’m never one to favor UI/battery over security, but that was the final straw for me before grabbing an Air.

 

[applefanb0y]

It’s far smoother and responsive tha 18 was for me. I wouldn’t hesitate to upgrade.

 

[Moreplease]

I bought an iPhone 17 and transferred my data from my 13 mini.

But the 17’s display quality was so disappointing that I had to return it – story elsewhere.

That meant I had to transfer my data back to my [prematurely wiped] 13 mini. It was either compulsory to upgrade my 13 mini to iOS 26 as the first step of the transfer or I got suckered into thinking it was.

Long story short: I’m back on my 13 mini having unintentionally upgraded to iOS 26.

It works fine here.

Battery life has been poor for a while (certainly since iOS 18) but I didn’t notice it getting any worse on iOS 26 – after it settled down.

Same for animations and UI lag. If anything it’s smoother than iOS 18 for me, certainly for text entry. iOS 18 was the one that did all the damage to my 13 mini.

On the other hand, the new Safari UI for accessing open tabs to switch between them or close one – you know, the thing we do all day long in the browser – is dog-sh*t. It adds another slow, fussy step for no benefit at all. Is this Apple trying to deprecate tabs or something? Bizarre.

And are there any improvements amid all this glitz? I have found just one so far, and as usual these days it’s a fix for something they gratuitously broke a few versions ago: the Snooze button is no longer given more emphasis than the more-used Stop button when an alarm rings. They’re now two buttons of the same size. Trivial but welcome.

So it’s mostly window dressing. But it’s mostly harmless.

Of course Steve Jobs would have strangled someone for all the bugs, and Jony Ive’s old design rigour is long gone. But that is Apple today. We’re never getting Jobs and Ive back.

 

[thadoggfather]

While I would be curious how it is, I'm not going to do it for now.. especially without downgrading possible any more.

Might keep mine on iOS 18.7 forever.

Especially since I got 17 pro

 

[Moreplease]

For anyone upgrading, the main thing to be aware of is accessing Safari tabs.

Find a YouTube video or something about that so you know what you’re getting into. It’s seriously annoying.

I think Apple will have to fix this at some point, but who can be sure …

 

[GoodWheaties]

On the other hand, the new Safari UI for accessing open tabs to switch between them or close one – you know, the thing we do all day long in the browser – is dog-sh*t. It adds another slow, fussy step for no benefit at all. Is this Apple trying to deprecate tabs or something? Bizarre.

Switch your tabs from Compact to Bottom in Settings>Apps>Safari. It returns it to iOS 18 style. It was a life saver for my wife.

 

[Paddle1]

For anyone upgrading, the main thing to be aware of is accessing Safari tabs.

Find a YouTube video or something about that so you know what you’re getting into. It’s seriously annoying.

I think Apple will have to fix this at some point, but who can be sure …

In addition to the above you can simply swipe up on the address bar to open the tabs view. (While it is expanded, not when shrunk down) I've been doing it that way even before iOS 26, much bigger touch target.

 

[The_Auryn]

This thread is specifically for the 13 mini, so please let’s stick to that.

Friendly. (control freak)

 

[LacrosseChic]

Switch your tabs from Compact to Bottom in Settings>Apps>Safari. It returns it to iOS 18 style. It was a life saver for my wife.

Thank you for this!

 

[lococroco]

I am generally quite happy with iOS 26 on my 13 mini. Buttons, list items and tap areas seem to be a bit bigger generally, which helps on the mini. Performance seems good, but I do have some annoying delays/stutters in the Camera app, although that was also the case in iOS 18. Also, some UI elements, for example the tab bar in Safari, minimize further during scrolling so it feels like the usable screen size got quite a bit bigger in some stock Apple apps. Although, I also was annoyed that accessing the tabs and some other things like the share sheet requires new gestures or additional taps in Safari. I do feel like battery life has taken a small hit, though. But that could also just be because I am more aware of it.

 

[Moreplease]

Switch your tabs from Compact to Bottom in Settings>Apps>Safari. It returns it to iOS 18 style. It was a life saver for my wife.

In addition to the above you can simply swipe up on the address bar to open the tabs view. (While it is expanded, not when shrunk down)

Good points. Thanks, both.

I should have taken my own advice and watched a YouTube video. Like this one that summarises the options:

Well, that cures my main gripe about iOS 26.

I do feel like battery life has taken a small hit, though. But that could also just be because I am more aware of it.

It’s possible my battery life has gone down too. Hard to be sure. It’s not a big change. The big reduction compared to what my 13 mini was like when new already took place in past iOS upgrades. The relentless video ads, etc., on web pages don’t help.

 

[applefanb0y]

Another data point - it’s been faster for me and also longer battery. I just let it stay plugged in after update so maybe that helped?

 

[vvvvvv]

The relentless video ads, etc., on web pages don’t help.

AdGuard Pro

 

[rui no onna]

I'm keeping my 13 mini on iOS 18 for now.

I upgraded one of my SE3s to iOS 26 (iirc same chipset and RAM as the 13 mini). Some minor choppiness but it's not that bad. Battery life seems the same but it was already kinda poor to begin with. Agree with other posters on way too much padding and inefficient use of space.

Next to be sacrificed is the 12 mini.

 

[klasma]

I'm keeping my 13 mini on iOS 18 for now.

I upgraded one of my SE3s to iOS 26 (iirc same chipset and RAM as the 13 mini). Some minor choppiness but it's not that bad. Battery life seems the same but it was already kinda poor to begin with. Agree with other posters on way too much padding and inefficient use of space.

Next to be sacrificed is the 12 mini.

I tried out iOS 26 on an old 12 mini. It’s largely the visuals and usability regressions that will make me stay on iOS 18 for quite a while. Performance didn’t seem great either, but not to an extent that would necessarily be a showstopper. We’ll see how things will evolve over the next year.