Contrary to popular belief, new updates for your iPhone do not deliberately impact its performance.
It’s a debate that comes up every year. When a new version of iOS arrives, many users complain about the declining performance of their iPhone. A subject that has come up time and time again in the media, and in particular on certain television sets like Quotidien in 2018.
According to many users, Apple would practice what is commonly called “planned obsolescence” when the manufacturer deploys an iOS update. With the release of iOS 18, several reactions appear again on social networks and complain about a sudden slowness on their iPhone which would be linked to the new update.
iOS 18 looking fresh but seems to be slowing the phone down big time immediately after install. Not sure if this delay will go away but right now it’s very noticeable. pic.twitter.com/HODodFtzoe
— TrickDice (@exzisd) September 17, 2024
However, as several specialized media outlets such as Numerama in France have demonstrated, these updates do not deliberately intend to slow down your iPhone. Therefore, will installing the new iOS 18 update slow down your iPhone? The answer is a little more complicated than “yes” or “no”.
iOS 18 Might Slow Down Your iPhone, But It’s For Your Own Good
When a major update like iOS 18 is installed on an iPhone, it has to do more than just add features. The iPhone has to review your files and sometimes even completely reorganize them, as well as your phone usage habits. As a result, the first few hours with a new version of iOS can feel like a drain on your battery. The optimized recharge may also be different since it has to take your habits into account again. In short: your iPhone running iOS 18 is likely to see its performance decrease.
However, the impact of iOS 18 mainly depends on the condition of your iPhone. The more recent a model is, the less likely it will be impacted by performance or battery life losses. Integrating iOS 18, a very recent update with many new features, into a 4 or 5 year old smartphone is a complicated thing to set up for Apple. Owners of older iPhones must then ask themselves the question: “do I really want the new features of iOS 18 at the risk of impacting the performance of my iPhone?”
At the editorial office, we always advise you to keep your iPhone up to date and install iOS 18. This update does not only contain new features, it also fixes several bugs and possible security flaws that can protect you against computer attacks and scam attempts.