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Techniques to Speed Up an iPad (or iPhone)

There are a lot of techniques out there for speeding up an iPad. I don't go into a lot of detail about each technique for an iPad (and these would also work on an iPhone); rather, this is a checklist of things to try based on my collection of information from articles and experience.

  1. Delete any unused applications. They may slow down the iPad because they take up usable memory, or they are requiring time for updating, notifications, background application refreshes, etc. Consider using stock apps, such as Mail, instead of a similar app, such as the separate Gmail app.
  2. Clear out unused content, such as old iMessages and texts, music, photos, podcasts, or iBooks.
  3. Reduce the number of emails since the mail program tries to index them.
  4. Settings > Notifications (and turn off any unneeded notifications)
  5. Settings > General > Software Update (to ensure that you are using the latest iOS)
  6. Settings > General > Siri (and turn off Siri if you do not use it regularly)
  7. Settings > General > Spotlight Search (turn all off or change on a case-by-case basis)
  8. Settings > General > Accessibility > Increase Contrast (turn on Reduce Transparency)
  9. Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion (turn on Reduce Motion)
  10. Settings > General > Gestures (turn them off unless you really use them)
  11. Settings > General > Background App Refresh (turn all off or change on a case-by-case basis)
  12. Settings > Privacy > Location Services (turn all off or change on a case-by-case basis)
  13. Settings > Safari > Clear History and Website Data
  14. Install the Battery Saver app to examine memory usage
  15. Check that your wireless connection is not slower than you expect. Visit fast.com or speedtest.net to test your network speed.
  16. Restart the iPad by holding both the Home and power buttons at the same time for at least 10 seconds

Lastly, I would only recommend that in an act of desperation you do this, but you could wipe all the data on the iPad and start anew by allowing it to restore from the iCloud. You'll first want to ensure that a backup has occurred. Here are the steps:

  1. Settings > iCloud > Backup > Back Up Now
  2. Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings