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I don’t recommend disabling all notifications. It’s better to disable them on the vast majority of apps that just aren’t critical. If you have a lot of apps, this may take some time. You’ll probably be surprised at how many apps have notifications enabled, even if you opted-out when the app was first launched. First, tap on Settings > Notification Center. Next, tap on an app and then switch off Notifications. Go back and repeat this process until only a few critical apps have notifications enabled. You will see a remarkable increase in performance and battery life.
Turn Off Location Services
Much like Notifications, Location Services are another iOS feature that constantly runs in the background. I recommend keeping Location Services activated on your iPhone, unless you have serious privacy concerns. If your iPhone is lost or stolen, it will be easier to find your device with Location Services turned on. Location Services could also save your life if you happen to drive off the road or become injured in a remote location.
I turned off Location Services on my iPad 2. The device rarely leaves my home and I just didn’t find it useful. I noticed an improvement in performance after deactivating Location Services. It also improved my iPad’s battery life. You can turn off Location Services by tapping Settings > Privacy > Location Services.
Upgrade to iOS 8.1.1
iOS 8 had a rocky start, but I actually think it was a smoother release than iOS 7. iOS 7 was plagued with problems from the start, and it took a few months before apps such as Mail and Calendar were reliable. Even then, I probably had about 10 app crashes in 2 months. That’s actually normal and expected with other mobile operating systems.
I didn’t have any app crashes with iOS 8. The most annoying bug was that copy/cut/paste didn’t work properly. iOS 8.1.1 fixes this defect and also improves performance on older devices, like the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S. I find that iOS 8.1.1 offers better performance than iOS 7. If you already upgraded to iOS 8 and avoided 8.1.1, I recommend installing it as soon as possible. It’s a great release. iOS 8 has managed to become stable and reliable, less than 2 months after its initial release. It took iOS 7 a little longer to attain this level of quality. For more information on iOS 8.1.1, check out this article.
Speed up Safari on iOS 8
Like many iOS users, Safari is the main web browser I use. It’s a great web browser, but Apple keeps cramming in features that can slow it down, especially on older devices or slow networks.
iOS 8 introduces a Safari feature which preloads the top hit from search results. This assumes that the first search result is what you want. This often isn’t the case, but Safari is taking up network bandwidth and processor cycles to download something you might not even use. Even users with brand new iPads and iPhones notice that Safari seems to become unresponsive. Preloading the top hit is the reason why Safari seems to stall. You can turn this off by tapping Settings > Safari > Preload Top Hit.
By default, iOS 8 will also preload any new tabs that you open. This has the consequence of slowing down the tab you are currently viewing. It may be difficult to scroll. Other elements, such as embedded media, might not load properly. Fortunately, you can turn this off by tapping Settings > Safari > Open New Tabs in Background.
iOS 8 is Better Than iOS 7
iOS 8 is a major improvement over iOS 7. Early adopters of iOS 8 had a few issues to overcome. Overall, iOS 8 offers better quality and reliability than its predecessor. The tips in this article will improve your iOS 8 experience. You’ll find, even on an older device, the performance is as good, if not better, than iOS 7. I use my iPad 2 with iOS 8 several hours a week. I play high performance video games on this device. I don’t find it to be slower or less reliable than iOS 7. After a few months of using iOS 8, I don’t regret upgrading.