If you’re an iPhone owner, you know how irritating and upsetting it can be when your device starts running slowly.
A slow-moving iPhone can strongly affect your user experience, and it can also be caused by a number of things. From a lack of storage space to not being updated, there’s a whole lot that can contribute to a slow-moving phone. One of those things is the kind of apps you have on it, as using them or simply having them downloaded might make your iPhone’s speed worse. Read more about three of them below.
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1. Facebook
Facebook is often considered the blueprint for most of today's modern social media apps, and though it contains a lot of entertaining features, those features are what can end up slowing down your iPhone over time.
"If you're still using Facebook in 2026, you should know Meta's app is heavy on background refreshing, notifications, and media preloading, which means that by the time you open the app, even if your internet connection isn't ideal, you're able to scroll through several posts and media," wrote tech writer José Adorno for BGR. "This constant activity in the background can put additional strain on the battery life of your iPhone and even contribute to slowdowns on older devices."
1. Excess Navigation Apps
For many people, they can hardly get through their day without using at least one navigation app, especially if they spend a lot of time in the car or travel frequently. However, it really is best to just have one on your phone, as they can easily take up storage and require a lot of power from your phone.
"They're constantly running processes in the background, such as checking GPS, Bluetooth, data, and your device's motion sensors," explains tech pro Steven Athwal. "Navigation apps also store large offline map files, which consume your phone's storage. These background processes and large storage consumption are causing high CPU usage and battery degradation. To combat, I'd try disabling background access for these apps."
2. Background App Refresh
If you're looking for an iPhone setting that can start saving some of your battery life almost instantly, it's Background App Refresh. It stops your busy and updating apps from working too hard behind the scenes, even when you don't have them open and aren't using them.
"The biggest hidden drains are Background App Refresh," adds Athwal. "If it's enabled, it'll update your apps even if you aren't using them. Social media, email, and news apps can repeatedly check for updates throughout the day, which keeps the phone's processor and network active. Turning this off for non-essential apps can really reduce passive battery drain."
