If your iPhone has been feeling a little sluggish lately — taking longer to open apps, freezing randomly, or draining battery faster than usual — you’re not alone. Over time, even newer phones can start to slow down, and the cause isn’t always obvious. While things like outdated software or limited storage space can definitely play a role, what’s running on your phone often makes a bigger difference than people realize. In fact, some of the biggest culprits behind poor performance are the apps we use every single day.
Social media apps, in particular, are known for being especially guilty when it comes to battery and resource usage. They’re constantly refreshing in the background, using location data, and loading media-rich content that can quietly bog down your phone. If one of your goals is to get your iPhone running more smoothly, it might be time to take a closer look at how these apps are affecting performance. In some cases, simply adjusting a few settings can make a noticeable difference — but for others, deleting one or two of the most demanding apps could give your device a much-needed speed boost. Here are two apps that may be causing your phone to slow down.
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1. Facebook
Facebook might not seem like the biggest offender when it comes to slowing down your iPhone, but it’s surprisingly demanding. The app constantly runs background processes—like refreshing your feed, tracking notifications, and updating location services—which can quietly drain both your battery and your phone’s processing power. Over time, all that activity can contribute to lag, especially on older devices. If you’re not ready to delete Facebook, you can reduce its impact by turning off background app refresh, disabling location access, and clearing the app’s cache by going to Settings > Facebook > Offload App.
2. Snapchat
Snapchat is fun and may be one of your primary ways of staying in touch with people, but it’s also one of the more resource-heavy apps on your iPhone. Between constantly syncing snaps, running the camera in real-time, applying filters, and loading new content from friends, Snapchat uses a lot of memory and can make your phone feel sluggish. It also tends to keep working in the background unless you manually shut it down. To keep Snapchat from slowing your phone down, consider turning off background app refresh, limiting notifications, and closing the app fully when you're done using it. You can also regularly clear your cache within the app by heading to Settings > Account Actions.
