How to Fix iPhone Freezing on iOS 14

Having problems with your iPhone randomly freezing after updating to iOS 14?

When Apple released iOS 14, we users were promised with lots of cool new features. Widgets have made our lives easier, and the App Library helps us hide annoying useless apps.

However, the new operating system has been under fire for having a ton of glitches. Apparently, iOS 14 is still far from being fully bug-free. A glance at their official discussions forum will show you multiple threads with varying problems.

Knowing this, a frozen screen is probably the last software issue you’d expect to run into. It’s 2020 and your phone costs a fortune. Why does this still happen? In this article, we’ll answer your questions as well as provide methods for you to deal with this problem.

Let’s get started!

 

1. Why Does My iPhone Freeze?

Software operations are continually running in the background of your Phone. These can be third-party applications, Apple’s default programs, or even the operating system itself.

Your iPhone freezing is most likely due to an overload of processing requests. If your phone gets stuck in an endless loop or a memory leak, this can use up all your processing power and completely lag your device. This is how you get a “frozen” phone.

Bugs that cause your iPhone to freeze are usually related to corrupted files or errors. These can cause problems between your applications. Having your phone access corrupted files is a prime example. Accessing these files can create an endless loop or a code failure which will cause your phone to freeze.

Furthermore, your phone can also freeze if its hardware components are damaged. This is rarely the case, but should always be a consideration. Have you dropped your phone or hit the camera hard against something recently?

Your device continually communicates with other hardware components, like the camera. If the integrity of these connections is compromised, consequences like a freezing screen can be expected.

So what if it is a software problem? Here’s a list of methods you can do to fix this issue.

 

2. Force Restart.

First off, what can you do when your phone freezes? It’s not like you can shut it off the normal way, your screen is completely unresponsive! If this were the early 2000s, people would probably tell you to just remove the battery and plug it back in. But this doesn’t really apply to your iPhone’s seamless back, or maybe it does.

Force restarting your phone is a popular fix that a lot of tech companies like to write as a “better restart”. But in all honesty, there’s no difference to how your phone’s software boots when it’s restarted conventionally or by force.

However, a force restart will deliberately unplug your phone from its battery. Doing so will forcefully turn off the power on a hardware level. Apple added this feature for this specific purpose, freezing phones.

The steps for a force restart will be different depending on your iPhone model. But it’s nothing sophisticated.

Here’s how you can force restart second-generation iPhones (8, 8 Plus, SE, and so on):

  1. First, press and quickly release the volume up button. After that, repeat this step for the volume down button.
  2. Now, press and hold the side/power button. Your phone should shut down. Wait for the Apple logo to appear before releasing the power button.

fix iphone freezing on ios 14


Here’s how you can force restart iPhone 7 and 7 Plus:

  1. Start by holding down the power and volume down button at the same time. Your phone should turn off. Wait for the Apple logo before releasing both buttons.

fix iphone freezing on ios 14


Here’s how you can force restart first-generation iPhones (6, 6s, 6s Plus, SE):

  1. Go ahead and hold down the power and home button simultaneously. Once your phone powers down, wait for the Apple logo before releasing both buttons.

fix iphone freezing on ios 14

 

3. Reinstall The Problematic App.

Does your phone freeze immediately after you open an app? Even if it doesn’t automatically freeze your phone, background processes from third-party applications run all the time.

Try troubleshooting your phone for any apps that are causing this issue. Before your phone kept freezing, did you recently install any third-party applications? If none of your apps come to mind, we can always try to check your analytics.

Apple continually collects errors, bugs, or crashes from your device. These are sent to their servers through your ‘Analytics’. Although we don’t expect you to be able to read the files, you might find logs titled with your problematic app’s name.

Here’s how you can access Analytics Data:

  1. First, open up your Settings app and go to Privacy.
  2. Next, scroll down and tap on Analytics & Improvements.

analytics & improvements data

  1. Finally, select Analytics Data and look for any recurring app names that may have been recorded after your phone froze.

Once you find the culprit, reinstall the application and see if your phone still hangs. This process can sometimes be trial and error. But this is the best way of looking for problematic apps that are freezing your phone.


Here’s how you can uninstall an app front your home screen:

  1. Tap and hold on the app you want to uninstall. This should open up a quick actions menu.
  2. Now, select Remove App.
  3. Finally, tap on Delete App to uninstall it from your phone.

fix iphone freezing on ios 14

If the problem persists even after the reinstallation, then try to leave the app uninstalled and monitor your phone for freezes. It’s always painful to say goodbye, but if this application is the root of your freezing problems, it might be better to leave it uninstalled. If it’s any consolation, there are a lot of great alternatives in the App Store.

 

4. Clear Safari’s History and Website Data.

Are you having problems with Safari? Getting an isolated case like this is not uncommon. However, you cannot uninstall Safari since it is Apple’s default application. Here are two options you can do to go about this problem.

One, install a different browser on your iPhone and set that as the default browser. Yes, you read that right. Apple now allows users to have different default browsers and mail apps. Refer to their official guide here for more instructions.

Two, clear Safari’s history and cache files. All your apps, browsers, and even websites collect bits of data from you all the time. This helps them keep any alterations you made as well as record your preferences. For example, ‘cookies’ in websites will keep a cache file of your data saying that you prefer this website in dark mode. When you close and enter the website again, it will load your settings and open in dark mode.

Safari does this as well. This is how they keep you logged in to websites when you revisit them again. Your browser history is also stored the same way. Corrupted cache files can mess with your experience, so let’s get rid of them.

Here’s how you can clear Safari’s history and website data:

  1. Go ahead and open up your Settings and head to Safari.
  2. Once you’re there, scroll down a bit and tap on Clear History and Website Data.

clear history and data

  1. You might be required to input your PIN, but follow the prompts until you’re done.

With all your settings reset, any cache files giving you problems should now be completely erased.

 

5. Reset All iPhone Settings.

If all the methods above still didn’t work, you might be considering a factory reset. Hold on! You can still try to reset all your iPhone’s settings. Apple caringly allowed its users to retain their personal settings on the upgrade to iOS 14.

These preferences could cause problems if they are corrupted in the process. Resetting all your settings will not delete any personal files. However, you will have to re-enter your Wi-Fi connection and pair your Bluetooth devices again.

Here’s how you can reset all your iPhone’s settings:

  1. Quickly open up your Settings and navigate to General.
  2. Once you’re there, scroll down to the bottom of your screen and tap on Reset.
  3. A list of things you can reset should be displayed on your screen, for this method, tap on Reset All Settings.

reset all settings

  1. Now, you should be asked to enter your PIN or Passcode, fill these in and proceed through the prompts.
  2. Lastly, your iPhone will restart to finish the reset.

Open up a couple of apps to test your phone if it freezes again.

 

6. Factory Reset Your iPhone.

If your third-party apps and iPhone settings haven’t fixed your device, it’s time to nuke your operating system. By now, we’ve exhausted all options to fix your problem without involving your iOS.

Performing a factory reset on your phone will delete and reinstall your entire copy of iOS 14. This will also delete all your personal data and files, which is why we’ll be backing up your folders. Refer to our guide here for more instructions.

Contrary to a lot of misinformative articles, DFU mode is not the ‘Holy Grail’ of factory resets. There’s a popular idea that says DFU mode will reset your phone better than the conventional method. This is absolutely wrong. Going into DFU or Recovery mode has no difference in how your phone will reset.

factory reset

Whenever your phone is connected to a computer with iTunes or Finder, these apps run their latest iOS version into your phone. This is how they communicate with your device through a clean and fully functional operating system. If your phone’s iOS 14 is corrupted, iTunes or Finder will override whatever operating system is on your phone and switch your device into Recovery mode.

Phones that have compatibility issues with this method are the devices that DFU mode was made for. DFU mode will bypass the foreign iOS 14 process and immediately go into Recovery mode. This is how people jailbreak their phones and install older iOS versions since no iOS operating system is currently running on the device.

Although that was a long explanation, hopefully, we’ve educated you on one of the most misinformed topics of tech fixes on the internet.

If performing a factory reset still didn’t do the trick, try contacting an electrician. You can easily look for a nearby Apple Store here. Furthermore, try and check for any available warranties on your device to avoid extra costs.

Now that you’ve reached the end of this article, hopefully, we’ve fixed your “iPhone freezing on iOS 14” issue. If you have any questions or clarifications, feel free to leave a comment down below!

If this guide helped you, please share it. 🙂

Author

  • Mako Young

    Mako is a staff writer at Saint. He's been writing about tech for more than a decade. When he isn't reading about the latest news on Apple, he's busy studying cybersecurity, cryptocurrency, cloud computing, and other IT-related sectors. His exceptional work graces technology and Apple-related blogs like How-To Geek, VEED.io, Macgasm, onMac, PhotoWorkout, GameRant, and many more. He also has a Bachelors in Computer Science and has been writing since 2018, with over 400 posts published. LinkedIn X (Twitter)

2 comments
  1. I’ve updated to ios14 and can not flip through at once the screens as before, the worst is the first page which gets stick

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