Here’s a look at why an iPhone might keep freezing up, and what you can do to fix the issue.
Space Problems – No, not like NASA-style space problems. Since the iPhone is essentially a mini-computer, it needs a certain amount of free space to operate correctly, and many iPhone owners aren’t aware of this fact. You should keep about 1-2 gigabytes of space free on your iPhone at all times. It’s good practice that will avoid some freezes and crashes, especially on iPhones with a lot of installed Apps (the apps may draw on temporary space that the iPhone has).
Installed App Issues – Newly installed apps may wreak a bit of havoc with the iPhone, so be sure to reset your iPhone occasionally to give apps a chance to finish installing. This will fix quite a lot of freezing that’s caused by those third party apps, especially the larger apps, which tend to be more complex and use more of the iPhone’s computing resources. To reset your iPhone, completely power it down by holding the top button and waiting for the option to “Slide to Power Off” comes up. Turn off the iPhone, then hit that button on the top for a few more seconds to restart the iPhone.
More Serious Problems – If an iPhone repeatedly freezes, and you’ve reset it and you’re keeping some space free, consider that you may need to call in your warranty or at least call Apple support to get some idea of whether you’re having a common issue. You can also try re-installing your iPhone’s software completely, which you can do by plugging the iPhone into your computer and WHILE holding down the home button until a message appears saying that the iPhone’s in recovery mode.
Recovery mode will allow you to completely reinstall the operating system and software of the iPhone, which can fix a lot of the more dire issues. If you use your iPhone pretty responsibly, usually it won’t come to this, so be aware of whether your warranty’s intact, and if necessary, use it! There’s no sense in sticking with an iPhone that keeps freezing when you can get a replacement or a repair without a charge, and if you go to an AT&T store you can often get another phone to use in the interim until your repair’s completed.
Do you have any other tips for addressing an iPhone that keeps freezing up? Share your thoughts in our comments section below.