So, you’ve had your beloved iPad for quite some time now, but it’s beginning to slow down a bit and take longer to do normal functions. Sound familiar?
Perhaps you try to free up some space on it by deleting all of the apps that you no longer use. Then, maybe you offload all of your photos and data to the iCloud to free up a bit more storage. But your iPad is still running sluggishly.
While you are off to a good start, there are some other ways in which you can revitalize and rejuvenate your iPad, bringing it back to life and speeding up its pace just a bit. Here are some different steps you can take, listed in no particular order:
Make Sure Your iOS Is Updated to The Latest Version
This might not seem like it is that imperative, but in order to keep your iPad running smoothly, it is necessary. Every time Apple updates the iOS software, they take extra care to ensure that it is optimized to the most recent hardware. In addition to this, they optimize the new software for older versions of the iPad hardware. Basically, this means that in order to keep your iPad running smoothly, you need the updated iOS software. Here is how to make sure you are running the latest software:
Settings->General->Software Update. If the latest version is already installed and your is up-to-date, it will tell you. However, if a newer version is available, it will alert you and give you the option to download and install it.
Clear Old Data from Your Cache
When browsing the internet, does Safari seem to be taking longer than normal to download sites and information? Then perhaps you need to clear the cache, browser history, and stored website data.
In order to access your website data, go to Settings->Safari->Clear History and Website Data. When selecting this option, all of your browsing history, cookies, and additional browsing data will be cleared. However, it will not just be cleared on your iPad, but on all devices linked to your iCloud account.
Additionally, you can choose to clear site-specific data to be removed by going to Advanced->Website Data and then hand-selecting the data you would like to erase.
Manage Your Background Process
Background app refreshing is a useful tool on the iPad. However, the downside to this is that it hogs the battery and can slow your device way down. This is because sometimes there is too much going on behind the scenes. But luckily, you have the choice of turning this feature off altogether or of refining which content you want to be refreshed.
To manage this feature, go to Settings->General->Background App Refresh.
Perform A Hard Reset
This is one of the easiest options there is for breathing new life into an old, sluggish iPad. Simply perform a hard reset.
In order to do this, all you have to do is hold the home button and sleep/wake button down simultaneously until your iPad shuts off and turns back on again, displaying the Apple icon. Once you see that, you can let go and wait for your iPad to reboot.
This is an easy and convenient way of handling any issues with rogue apps that continuously run in the background, even when not being used.
Restore Your iPad as New
While this is a last resort, don’t feel defeated if you get to this point. It happens to the best of us. Also, don’t worry about all of your previously-synced content. As long as your iPad is backed up before the reset, all of your content will be able to be recovered. While it is an inconvenience it might actually feel nice starting over. It’s almost as if you have a brand new iPad to play with! You have plenty of freed-up space to do things with and it can feel a bit freeing knowing this.
After Thoughts
While it can be a pain in the you-know-what to deal with an older, slow-moving iPad, there are many options that can help bring it back to life and speed up its actions. Just remember, not all hope is lost. Simply try one or more of these suggestions and see which works for you.
Perhaps you only need to try one of these options, or maybe even all of them. Whatever the case, you will be able to rejuvenate your iPad and have it working again as if it were brand new.
Did we miss anything? If you have any suggestions or tips on how to help someone deal with a slow-moving iPad, please don’t hesitate to share them in the comments section below.
