Does Apple slow iPhones with each new iOS update

With annual iOS updates, users often ask whether these updates slow down their iPhones. The answer is not straightforward: it largely depends on the device’s age, battery condition, and the first few days after installing the update.

According to SlashGear.

Why the phone may "feel slower" after an update

Every year, iOS brings new features and security patches, and Apple strives to support as wide a range of models as possible — sometimes going back 5–6 years. As a result, updates also reach older devices: for example, the iPhone 11 (2019) ran iOS 18 in 2024 and even received iOS 26 in 2025, though support for some even older models has already ended. The issue is that modern features, designed for newer chips, do not always run seamlessly on older hardware.

In practice, this can mean longer app launch times, less responsive interfaces, or noticeably higher battery drain after an update. Often, this effect is temporary: during the first few days, the system indexes data, completes internal processes, and receives fixes — the sluggishness usually disappears in subsequent micro-updates. However, the limitations of older hardware remain.

This very gap fueled suspicions for years. Apple has already faced fines for reducing performance without warning. The company now acknowledges that on devices with worn batteries, it limits performance to prevent unexpected shutdowns, and allows users to disable this feature. Whether this is intentional slowing or a natural consequence of new software on older chips, the result is the same for many: the phone may seem slower after an update.

Apple insists it does not slow down iPhones to push upgrades. Benchmark results confirm this: tests on models from iPhone 5s to iPhone 7 show that CPU and GPU performance remains consistent between iOS 9 and iOS 11, and observed drops are minimal and unlikely to be noticeable in daily use.

Another factor is that apps themselves have become "heavier" over the years. What ran smoothly in 2018 now requires more resources — even if the raw chip performance hasn’t changed. Combine this with an aging battery, and the perception of a "slow" phone appears without any deliberate throttling. In response, Apple added transparency: iOS now displays battery health and allows users to disable performance management, accepting the risk of sudden reboots.

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