If you start noticing slowdowns, random reboots, or crashes in the iOS 12 beta, we’re here to help. In this guide, we will help you speed up your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch and avoid upgrading to iOS 11.
Apple’s new iOS 12 update aims to improve overall performance, especially on older devices like the iPhone 5s.
We probably won’t see the full extent of these improvements until the official release this fall, but the iOS 12 beta has a chance to speed up your device and fix performance issues. There is also a possibility that the iOS 12 beta may cause performance issues on your device.
iOS 12 beta testers have encountered various issues in the weeks since the update arrived. iOS 12 beta issues range from minor bugs to serious performance issues including freezes, UI lag, and random reboots.
If you start noticing these issues, you may want to revert to a more stable version of iOS. Apple is logging out in iOS 11.4 giving you a possible downgrade option. While some of you are better off on the official version of iOS, others might want to hang out with the pre-release software.
If you want to continue testing the iOS 12 beta, you’re on your own until Apple releases the next beta with bug fixes and improvements. Fixing performance issues on your own can be difficult, but there are several proven solutions that have worked for us and many others in the past.
Restart your device
Restarting your device can have a profound effect on its overall performance. This is especially true if you haven’t turned it off in a while.
If your device slows down while running the iOS 12 beta, try a simple reboot. Turn the device off, wait a minute, and then turn it back on.
Free Up Storage Space
If your device is struggling, now is the time to check your internal storage. If your iPhone or iPad is running out of internal storage, you should do some cleaning. Reducing clutter on your phone can do wonders for its performance.
Fortunately, iOS 12 makes it easy to clear things you no longer need. If you’re really running out of space, here’s how to quickly handle your data.
If you are in the right place, you should see loads of information about the data stored on your device. iOS also makes some recommendations based on your storage usage.
Use this information to make some decisions about the files you currently store on your phone or tablet. If you have a lot of Messages that you no longer read but still want to keep, you should consider using Messages in iCloud.
If you have tons of music you no longer listen to, photos you no longer want, or movies you no longer need in internal storage, consider deleting them to make room.
For more information on how to quickly free up storage space on an iPhone or iPad, you’ll want to check out our detailed guide.
Disable Widgets
Widgets are quite prominent in iOS 12 and if you don’t use them, you should try turning some or all of them off to see if it improves the speed and performance of your devices.
Disabling widgets is easy in iOS 12. Here’s how to do this:
If you’re on the right screen, you should see many apps on your device listed on several different lines. Apps with a red “-” sign next to them are your active widgets. Those with green “+” sign next to them are your inactive widgets. To disable a widget, you need to:
We recommend starting with widgets you’ve never used. If this doesn’t have the effect you want, you should scroll down the list and disable the rest and check your device’s performance.
Stop Background Refresh
If you’re not using Background Refresh or don’t know what it is, you can try disabling it to see if that’s why your device is slowing down.
When Background Refresh is enabled, most of the apps on your device are updated with new information while they are idle in the background. This feature can be a resource hog and turning it off can lighten the load on the processor.
If you’re up for it, here’s how to disable Background Refresh in iOS 12:
If you prefer to keep the feature enabled for some of your apps, you can disable the apps on a case-by-case basis.
On the Background App Refresh screen, you will see a list of your apps. If Background App Refresh is turned on, you can turn apps on or off individually.
Reduce Animations
If you start noticing choppy animations while running in iOS 12, you can try reducing them.
Reducing Motion Effects on your device can help eliminate some of the interruptions. Here’s how to reduce Motion Effects on your iPhone or iPad:
If you turn on Reduce Motion, you will disable some animations in the Messages app, such as the bubble effect. If it solves your performance issues, we imagine most of you can live with it.
You should also try reducing the transparency and blur effects on your device. Reducing them can help reduce the load on your processor and therefore increase performance. Here’s how to do it.
Update and Delete Your Apps
App performance can be problematic with pre-release software like iOS 12 beta and you may notice apps crash more frequently. You may also notice additional errors. There’s no way to ensure a great experience in beta software, but you can do a few things to help your cause.
First, make sure you keep your apps up to date. iOS 12 support updates won’t arrive until the official release of iOS 12 this fall, but these updates may help stabilize the software temporarily.
If you’re still struggling with issues, try reinstalling the app that’s causing the issues. Delete the app from your device (hold the icon until you get the little X) and then redownload it from the App Store.
Download Latest iOS 12 Beta
Apple will gradually improve iOS 12 over time, and you can expect future iOS 12 beta releases to include fixes for bugs and performance if we’re lucky.
Keep your eyes peeled for new iOS 12 beta releases around 12:00 pm PT on Mondays and Tuesdays. New betas usually arrive biweekly and weekly as release approaches.
