I’ve been reading comments about how Apple Intelligence needs more RAM and only certain iPhones will support AI. That’s fine but what are the chances that iOS 18 will slow down those iPhones that won’t support AI? My reasoning is that if AI features will be ‘disabled’ on my iPhone 11 it should run just fine on iOS 18… right?
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Will iOS 18 slow down my iPhone?
- Thread starter Sami13496
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There will be slowdowns no matter what. But, whether the slowdown can be felt by you is another matter entirely. Apple tends to give a longer window to downgrade your iPhone to older major iOS version, so you can experience yourself. Do remember to do a backup first.
I'm on the iOS 18 Developer Beta 7. iPhone 11 Pro Max. Haven't noticed any slowdowns. I will add though, since for most people this seems to be relevant, I don't use my iPhone as a substitute computer/media device/game console/tv.
Also take in mind that older iPhones like your 11 will not use all of the features of iOS 18 because it’s formatted for the 16 and 16 pro iPhones. It will still be iOS 18 but with less features. So I don’t think it will slow you down much
There is a high possibility that iOS 18 is the last major version for iPhone XR, XS/XS Max, 11/11 Pro/11 Pro Max
Even if you think iOS 18 will slow down or affect the performance of iPhone 11, it will not have the same feature set as the newest set of devices [iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 series]
And if iOS 18 is indeed the final major version, you'll be forced to update to it in the future anyway once apps require at least iOS 18.x
Even if you think iOS 18 will slow down or affect the performance of iPhone 11, it will not have the same feature set as the newest set of devices [iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 series]
And if iOS 18 is indeed the final major version, you'll be forced to update to it in the future anyway once apps require at least iOS 18.x
There is ONE feature about iOS 18 that caused me to violate my own policy of not installing betas on my primary device and that is dark mode app icons.
With dark mode and now dark icons, I have in 2024 finally achieved stock what I had for so many years via jailbreak. It's an odd feeling.
It is for this reason I will be looking to upgrade to the iPhone 16 series when the iPhone 18 launches.
Although I am currently on the beta of iOS 18 on my 11 Pro Max, I don't believe I've ever caved in to a forced upgrade over an app. I'll either use a computer or another device if I must use a specific app. Not really interested in being told what to do if there's a way to do it my way elsewhere.
The fear of a new version of iOS wrecking an older iPhone due to slowing it down too much — is valid and warranted.
Historically, has killed off more iPhones via iOS updates than any malware creator could ever hope to. In fact, itself is the number one killer of iPhones via software updates making them unbearable to use.
Yeah they’ll still work — but so slowly that you’ll want to throw the phone in the trash.
Lately though, this hasn’t been true with the newest iPhones because they are very powerful devices, but in the past, an iOS update pretty much guaranteed a big slow dawn.
My advice?
Wait. Wait a long time before considering installing a newer OS. Only install it if you really have to, not because you’re bored.
Historically, has killed off more iPhones via iOS updates than any malware creator could ever hope to. In fact, itself is the number one killer of iPhones via software updates making them unbearable to use.
Yeah they’ll still work — but so slowly that you’ll want to throw the phone in the trash.
Lately though, this hasn’t been true with the newest iPhones because they are very powerful devices, but in the past, an iOS update pretty much guaranteed a big slow dawn.
My advice?
Wait. Wait a long time before considering installing a newer OS. Only install it if you really have to, not because you’re bored.
True. Apple is the biggest malware creator in iOS history, malware that does one thing best: slow devices down. I refuse to believe they care about older devices, for they want to sell new ones more.
I always set my phone up as new when I install a new os. The only thing that carries over is contacts, texts and my passwords. I have to redownload every app and re-sign into them which is a pain, but it also helps me to get rid of the ones that I don’t have a need for anymore as well. That’s why I’m glad I do this on a Friday and have the whole weekend to do this painstaking process.
Yeah. Same. Clean install (using a computer) always.
And, yeah, pretty sure iOS 18 will be the last major release for A12 and maybe even A13 devices.
No one here knows. If we knew the future, we'd all have won the lottery or made millions in Vegas by now.
Clean install don't change anything. We're not on an old Windows computer anymore. It is proved multiple times. Usually, new OS are not as good as the previous one for the first couple of months and that's why nowadays Apple continue to release updates for the current OS even for devices supporting the new OS for people who don't want to update yet because of this. So if you really care about bugs, slow down or battery life not as good as previous OS, just keep iOS 17 until Apple stop supporting it on your current phone. It usually happen around december with the .2 update.
If people repeat this often enough it becomes their truth… No phones were ever ‘killed’ by Apple’s updates. There is simply too much hyperbole in these statements.
Yes, sometimes the new functions perform somewhat sluggish on older iPhones. That’s it. Apple often disables those functions on older phones.
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I’m so happy you came out with something clever to say because I’m such an idiot. Now I think MacRumors website should be shut down. So silly of us to speculate on stuff when everything will be revealed on product launch. Du’h. Thanks for your wisdom.
In my experience, every iPhone since the 6S has performed very well even on its last supported version of iOS. I have an iPhone 11 and won't hesitate about installing iOS 18 once its released.
For best possible outcome, “wipe -n- setup as new!!
Backup as needed first though. If every his already saved in iCloud, even better/easier.
I DFU the new version yearly. All my junk is in iCloud, so I always set up the phone as “new”
idk, i havent experienced that in years. my 11 is still plenty snappy and smooth on ios 17 navigating the phone itself, the only place it feels slower is in certain apps and on the web, but apple doesnt have any control over those
are there android phones that have received 5 years of updates and still feel as fast as when they were new? how fast is a pixel 4 these days? im honestly curious
That's only worth trying when performance after an incremental update proves unsatisfactory.
Yes! It will! Immediately!
Like it happened all the time in the recent years. E.g. none.
The battery throttling was a stupid decision but never did any iOS update really slow down any iPhone.
Newer software will always result in a more challenged hardware as it gets older.
The same questions every year.
Uhhhh
iOS 12 absolutely ruined my iPhone 6 Plus. It ran fine on iOS 9. iOS 12 made it slower than molasses. I jumped directly from iOS 9 to iOS 12, skipping 10 and 11, and the end result was a disaster.
iOS 9 ruined my iPhone 4S and everyone else’s It ran fine on iOS 8. Became way too slow.
iOS 10 ruined my iPhone 5. Became way too slow
How many examples do you want?
Apple has been sued hundreds of millions of dollars because of this intentional “ruining” of iPhones through iOS updates that they assured people were fine.
They have a long track record of wrecking iPhones.
Gets 5 years of software support which was extremely unusual back in the days. Old hardware slows down.
:Surprised Pikachu:
It's like installing Windows 7 on your Windows 98 machine and being surprised about the slow down.
Ever heard of Moore's law? Yes. There you have your answer.