Experiencing a problem with iOS 15 on iPhone or iPadOS 15 on iPad? Having a hard time installing the update, or maybe the device is misbehaving after installing the update?
If you’re one of the people who is experiencing difficulties after updating to iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, read along to help troubleshoot the problem. Whether it’s battery issues, general sluggish performance, problems with installing or updating to iOS 15, wi-fi and networking problems after the update, issues with apps, amongst other problems, you’re probably not alone, this article aims to help get it all worked out.
There seems to always be a segment of iOS and iPadOS users who experience problems with system software updates or after updating, and iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are not exceptions. Fortunately most of the issues are well known enough to be able to remedy easily without a major hassle, so let’s dig into the troubleshooting.
Be sure you back up your iPhone or iPad before attempting any of these procedures, and also before attempting to install any system software update.
1: Can’t Install iOS 15 or iPadOS 15? Stuck on “Preparing for Update” or “Verifying Update”?
Sometimes installing the update itself can be problematic, often when this happens the software update section of the Settings app will spin endlessly, or show a “Verifying Update” message that doesn’t go away in a reasonable amount of time, or the indicator will show “preparing for update” but doesn’t seem to start.
Typically this is sorted out on its own with patience. Wait a bit then try again.
Sometimes rebooting the iPhone or iPad helps too.
You can also trash the update and then download it again, by going to Settings > General > Storage, finding and deleting the iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 update, rebooting the iPhone or iPad, and then returning to Software Update to install the update again.
2: iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 Update Not Showing Up?
If you’re behind a few releases of iOS, you may see iOS 14.8 available instead of iOS 15. If this is the case, scroll further down on the Software Updates screen to see the ‘also available’ section where iOS 15 will be shown as available to download and install.
If you don’t see the iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 update at all, it may be because the device does not have internet service, or because the device is not compatible with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15.
Be sure to check iOS 15 compatibility and iPadOS 15 compatibility to make sure your device can run the new system software.
3. Apps Crashing with iOS 15 / iPadOS 15
Sometimes apps start crashing after updating system software.
Typically this is because the apps have not been updated to support the latest iOS or iPadOS release yet.
If this happens, be sure to check the App Store for updates for the apps, and install them when they become available.
Some apps aren’t updated right away so it may take a few days to find an update available.
You’ll also want to check for any available system software updates, because sometimes Apple will release another small update quickly after the major update to resolve problems that are only found after the initial release. This often arrives in a form of something like iOS 15.0.1 or iPadOS 15.0.1.
4. iPhone / iPad Battery Draining, Bad Battery Life After iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 Update
Many users experience battery life issues after installing a system software update, where it feels like the device is draining faster than it should.
This is typically because the iPhone or iPad is running background tasks behind the scenes, doing things like indexing data on the device, scanning through photos, and performing general maintenance to make sure features work as expected.
The simplest solution to this problem is typically to plug in the iPhone or iPad overnight, connected to wi-fi, for a few days, and let the indexing complete. The more stuff on the device the longer this process takes. Usually within a night or two things are back to normal.
You can also check the general health of the devices battery, and battery usage to see if any particular apps or activities are draining battery by going to Settings > Battery
4b: Battery life horrible on iOS 15 and you use Spotify?
Spotify has acknowledged a bug with iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 which may cause the app to excessively drain battery. A bug fix update will be released to resolve this from Spotify.
For the time being, when you’re not using Spotify app, quit out of the app, or be sure to disable Background App Refresh as covered later in this guide.
5. iPhone / iPad is Slow After iOS 15 / iPadOS 15 Update
Performance issues are often noticed by some users after installing a major system software update to iOS/iPadOS.
Typically any performance issues are related to the indexing and background tasks that go on after updating iOS/iPadOS, and those can temporarily impact the speed of a device.
For the most part if you plug in the device to a power source, then leave it be for a night or two, the performance issues should resolve themselves as the device completes indexing, similar to the battery draining issues.
6: iOS 15 Failed to Install, And Now the iPhone / iPad Isn’t Working
Very rarely, an iOS or iPadOS update renders a device unable, rendering the device to be ‘bricked’ (ie unresponsive to anything).
This is rare, but if it does happen, read how to fix a bricked iPhone or iPad after the iOS/iPadOS update here.
7: Fix Safari Color Bar, Fix Safari Search Bar at the Bottom in iOS 15
You may have noticed Safari looks different, especially on iPhone.
The search bar / address bar / toolbar is now on the bottom of the Safari screen. If you want to make Safari look like it used to, do the following:
Go to Settings > Safari > select “Single Tab”
Safari also now uses colors that highlight the toolbar on iPhone and iPad.
If you want to disable the color toolbar on Safari for iPhone and iPad, disable “Website Tinting” in the same settings menu Go to Settings > Safari > uncheck “Website Tinting”.
8. Bluetooth Problems with iOS 15 / iPadOS 15
Some users experience Bluetooth problems after updating their device. Rebooting the iPhone or iPad can often fix these issues.
Some users have also discovered their AirPods are disconnecting after updating to iOS 15. Typically re-pairing the AirPods works to resolve that issue – yes it’s a little annoying.
Persistent Bluetooth issues can often be resolved by re-pairing a Bluetooth device. This can be done by going to Settings > Bluetooth > tapping (i) on the device, then choosing to “Forget this device” and then going through the pairing setup process again.
9: Wi-Fi Problems with iOS 15 / iPadOS 15
Is your wi-fi disconnecting or having issues after the iOS 15 update?
First, try rebooting the iPhone or iPad by turning it off and on again.
Next, disconnect the wi-fi network, wait a few seconds, then reconnect to see if that resolves the problem.
Finally, you can reset network settings, but doing so will forget all of your wi-fi passwords and other network customizations. This can be done by going to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset Network Settings on the iPhone or iPad.
You can read more detailed instructions on troubleshooting when wi-fi is not working on iPhone or iPad here.
10: Erroneous “Storage Almost Full” Alert on iPhone and iPad with iOS 15 / iPadOS 15
Some users are getting an erroneous “iPhone Storage Almost Full” or “iPad Storage Almost Full” error message in settings after updating to iOS 15 / iPadOS 15. This message shows up even if the device has plenty of storage available.
While you may try rebooting the device, the message often sticks around.
This appears to be a bug that will likely be repaired in a future software update. If you have a solution to the iOS 15 “Storage Almost Full” error, let us know in the comments.
Update: this bug has been resolved with iOS 15.0.1 / iPadOS 15.0.1
11. Device Crashes, Randomly Restarts, Freezes, Stuck on Black Screen, etc
Noticing the iPhone or iPad randomly crashing, restarting, freezing, or stuck on a black or white screen? These are somewhat rare issues but typically a quick force restart is all that is necessary to get out of the situation of a frozen device or blank screen.
To force restart iPhone / iPad model with Face ID, press the volume up button first, then press the volume down button, and then hold the side/power button until the Apple logo shows up on screen.
To force restart iPhones and iPads with physical home buttons and Touch ID, hold the power button and home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo appear on screen.
12. Apple Watch problems with iOS 15 and iPhone 13
A known issue is causing the Apple Watch unlock mechanism to not work properly with iPhone 13 models. A bug fix update is expected to resolve this issue.
Update: this bug has been fixed in iOS 15.0.1
13. AirPods Problems with iOS 15
Some users have noticed their AirPods disconnect, or need to be re-synced to function properly with iOS 15.
Additionally, some users have noticed sound quality or performance of AirPods seems to be lessened, and that the microphone is having issues, and that Siri is not working properly on some AirPods Pro that prevents the noise cancelation feature from toggling off or on as usual.
Some of these are known issues that are set to be resolved in a future iOS software update.
If you’re experiencing syncing issues or disconnecting issues with AirPods, forgetting the device in Settings > Bluetooth and going through the setup process again typically remedies those issues.
14. Touch Screen Unresponsive / Problems After Updating iOS 15
Some users report the iPhone touch screen becomes unresponsive, or less responsive, after updating to iOS 15.
Some users report that turning the iPhone off and back on again, or force restarting, temporarily resolves the issue.
This is a known issue that will apparently be resolved in an upcoming iOS 15 software update.
15. Phone Calls Dropping, Speakerphone Turns Itself On
Some users have reported their phone calls are dropping more often after updating to iOS 15 on iPhone. Typically placing another phone call is sufficient to resolve this issue, as it is more likely to be an issue with cell tower connections than the OS itself.
Other users have reported that speakerphone randomly turns itself on while on a phone call, particularly if the iPhone is in a pocket or purse, with AirPods or headphones in use. This may be related to the Touch Screen issues reported by other users. There is no known solution to this issue, aside from not having the iPhone in a pocket, purse, or other enclosure while on a phone call.
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Have you experienced any problems or issues with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15? What were they? Did the above troubleshooting steps help to resolve the problems? Let us know your experiences, tips, and thoughts in the comments.
