Apple iPhone XS keeps lagging and freezing after iOS 13 update

Lagging and freezing problems are common issues that emerge after installing new system update. Though Apple devices are rarely to act up, these post-update errors are inevitable. Software-related issues are the most common factors that trigger your iPhone to face performance issues including lags and freezes. Considering the fact that the problem instigate from an iOS update, there’s a higher chance for you to fix it by some workarounds.

To give you some inputs, I have lined-up potential solutions that you can utilize whenever you’d need some help dealing with the same problem on the same iOS device. Keep scrolling to view more detailed solutions.

Troubleshooting an iPhone XS that’s suddenly lagging and freezing after updating to iOS 13

Before we move on to our troubleshooting, if you happen to find this post while looking for a solution to a different problem, then visit our iPhone XS Help Guides page for we have already addressed some of the most common issues with this device. We may have already published articles that could help you fix your problem. Find issues that are similar to yours and feel free to use our solutions.

First solution: Clear all background apps.

When you have left your apps running in the background while updating your iOS, these apps become corrupted. Hence, rogued and corrupted apps can also affect your phone’s overall functions. If your phone’s screen is still responsive, simply close all the running apps to fix the problem. Here is how:

1. From the Home screen, swipe up from the bottom then pause slightly in the middle of the screen.
2. Swipe left or right to navigate through the app previews.
3. Then swipe up on an app preview to individually close the apps.
4. Do the same to the rest of the running apps.

After closing all the background apps on your iPhone, try to use your phone’s features to see if the issue is already fixed. If it still keeps lagging and freezing, try the next solution.

ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone XS that cannot open email attachments, unsupported file error

Second solution: Reboot (soft reset) your iPhone XS.

If your iPhone XS is lagging but the screen is still responsive, perform a soft reset on your device. This reset will completely clear out cache files from rogue apps saved on your phone’s internal memory that trigger the symptoms. To proceed, follow these steps:

1. Press and hold the Side/Power button and either Volume buttons simultaneously until the Slide to Power Off command appears.
2. Drag the power off slider to the right to turn off the phone.
3. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Side/Power button again until the Apple logo appears.

But if your phone’s screen is no longer responding to touches, a forced restart should be carried out to fix the problem. Doing so will also give your iPhone XS a fresh restart. Here’s how:

1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
3. Finally, press and hold the Side/Power button until the Apple logo appears.

This trick will provide the same output as with soft reset. Post-update symptoms like lagging and freezing triggered by random bugs should then be corrected.

ALSO READ: Apple iPhone XS Screen Frozen and Can’t Turn Off

Third solution: Check for and install apps updates.

Out-dated apps will tend to misbehave and become erratic after an iOS update. This is because their current system are yet to adapt with the recent iOS changes. As a result, your iPhone’s performance will become sluggish. If out-dated apps are deemed to be the underlying cause for your iPhone to keep lagging and freezing, updating these in-apps might as well help fix the problem. To do the apps update, follow these steps:

1. From Home, go to the App Store.
2. Select your Apple ID icon located at the upper-right corner of your screen.
3. Scroll down to the Pending updates section. This section will only be visible when pending apps updates are available.
4. To individually install the app updates, tap Update next to the name of the app.
5. Otherwise, select Update All to install all the pending apps updates at once.
6. If you wish to check the apps that you recently installed, select Updated Recently  section.

Make sure to reboot (soft reset) your iPhone XS after installing all the pending apps updates to ensure that all updates will be implemented and applied properly. All damaged files and data from your rogued third-party apps should also be dumped after rebooting your phone. In addition, these in-apps will now be able to cope up with your phone’s new software.

However, if your iPhone XS is still lagging and freezing even after installing all pending apps updates, move on to the next solution.

ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone XS that is stuck on infinite boot loops after an iOS update

Fourth solution: Reset all settings on your iPhone XS.

iOS update might have automatically overrides your phone’s current settings especially if it was customized prior to the update. To rule this out, simply reset all settings on your iPhone XS to delete all customized settings and restore the default options. Any invalid settings along with the associated symptoms should be deleted as well after the reset. Follow the steps below to reset all settings on your iPhone XS:

1. From  Home, go to Settings.
2. Select General.
3. Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
4. Select Reset all settings from the options.
5. Enter your device passcode when asked to continue.
6. Then select the option to confirm all settings reset.

Your phone will reboot automatically once the reset has been completed. Then proceed to enable all the features that you want to use again. Afterwards, use your phone as your normally do to check if the lagging and freezing issue is now fixed.

ALSO READ: How to fix Apple iPhone XS microphone that is not working

Fifth solution: Perform a master reset to fix lagging and freezing symptoms.

In the event that your iPhone still keeps lagging and freezing after performing all the above-mentioned solutions, you might be dealing with tough iOS bugs. Being said, doing a full system reset should now be your next resort. But keep in mind that this reset will delete all critical files saved in your phone’s memory. Therefore, creating a back-up is necessary. You can back up your files to either iCloud or iTunes. After securing all your iOS files, proceed to perform the master reset through your phone’s settings. Here’s what you need to do:

1. From Home, go to Settings.
2. Select General.
3. Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
4. Select Erase all content and settings option.
5. Enter your device passcode when asked to continue.
6. Then select the option to confirm the full system reset.

Alternatively, you can also restore your phone to its factory settings via iTunes especially if the screen of your phone is still freezing and is no longer responsive to touches. This option requires you a Windows or Mac computer with the same OS as with your iPhone XS, and the latest iTunes version installed in it. Once these requisites are met, proceed to restore your iPhone to factory settings using these steps:

1. On your computer, open iTunes.
2. Connect your iPhone XS to the computer using the supplied USB or Lightning cable.
3. When iTunes recognizes your device, select your iPhone name.
4. Scroll down to the Summary section in iTunes.
5. Then click on Restore {iPhone} button.
6. When prompted, click Restore again to confirm the action. Doing so will command iTunes to wipe your iPhone XS and install the latest iOS version available.

Once the process has been completed, follow the onscreen instructions to set up your iPhone XS as new again.

Sixth solution: Perform a recovery mode restore via iTunes.

If the problem still persists after performing a full system reset, you may now consider to do a recovery mode restore on your iPhone via iTunes. Doing so will allow iTunes to fix any corrupted system files from the recent iOS update while your device is in a recovery mode. Same with factory reset, this method will also require you a Windows or Mac computer with the latest iTunes software installed. Connect your iPhone XS to the computer using the provided USB cable. Then follow the steps below to put your device in a recovery state and then fulfill the recovery mode restore via iTunes:

1. Quickly press and release the Volume Up button.
2. Quickly press and release the Volume Down button.
3. Press and hold the Side/Power button until Connect to iTunes screen appears. This indicates that you have successfully entered recovery mode.
4. When provided with options to Update and Restore, select Restore.
5. Then follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

Wait until iTunes has finished to download and install the latest software on your device. Then you can either restore from the previous iOS back-up you have created or you can start setting up your iPhone as new again. See if that fixes lagging and freezing issues on your iPhone XS.

Connect with us

We are committed to helping our readers fix the problems with their phones as well as learn how to properly use their devices. So, if you have other issues, you may visit our Help Guides page so you can check by yourself the articles we’ve already published that contain solutions to common problems. Also, we do create videos to demonstrate how things are done on your phone. Visit our Youtube Channel and please subscribe to it. Thanks.

ALSO READ: How to fix an Apple iPhone XS that can’t play videos on YouTube app