How to fix slow internet browsing issue on your Apple iPhone XR [Troubleshooting Guide]

You’re surfing the web but it takes too long for the websites and pages to load. If it’s not a site server error, then you’re likely experiencing slow browsing issue on your device. Several reasons can cause this problem. It can occur as an isolated symptom of an errant browser app, software bugs and malware, network connectivity issues, and software problems on the device. Firmware issues on the wireless router/modem are also a factor to consider.

Generally, it’s a software-related problem hence can be dealt with by some workarounds. Basing on the possible causes, troubleshooting slow browsing problem requires you to work on both the router/modem and the affected device. To give you some clues on how to deal with this issue on your new iPhone XR device, I’ve outlined some standard procedures and workarounds you can try on as potential solutions. Read further and learn how your iPhone XR that’s experiencing slow Internet browsing problem.


How to fix iPhone XR with slow internet browsing issue

Before troubleshooting, check and ensure that your iPhone is running on the latest iOS version. If not, then consider updating iOS first. Should this be a problem with any of the built-in network apps, then installing the latest iOS version will likely fix it. If all your devices are having the same problem at the moment, contact your Internet service provider to rule out account-related issues from the underlying causes. Some carriers would impose data capping on accounts with unsettled balances, so be sure to take care of that, if necessary. If the symptom is only affecting your iPhone XR, then try applying any of these possible solutions.

First solution: Power cycle the wireless router/modem.

As mentioned earlier, the problem could be with the modem or wireless router in use. To rule this out, consider power-cycling of the wireless router/modem as your first solution to try. By power-cycling means turning the device off for a few moments and then turn it back on. Internet service providers recommend this as the first, if not the last solution when dealing with various types of problems affecting the Internet. It works by clearing errant data segments from the network equipment that might have caused occurrence of Internet problems including slow browsing. And here’s how it’s done:

  1. Flip the power switch to turn the router/modem off.
  2. While it’s turned off, unplug the AC adapter from the power source and leave it that way for about 1 to 2 minutes.
  3. After the elapsed time, plug the AC adapter back into power and then switch to turn it on again.
  4. Wait until all the light indicators on the router/modem become stable, particularly the Wi-Fi signal indicator.

Once the Wi-Fi signal resumes, all connected devices should also re-establish Internet connection. Wait until your iPhone XR is connected then open your browser app to start browsing through websites and pages. If the sites are still loading very slowly, then move on and troubleshoot further.

Second solution: Soft reset/reboot your iPhone XR.

Random software issues on the phone can also affect the browser app’s normal functions and thereby triggers occurrence of slow browsing. To clear this out, restarting the phone can help. A soft reset or restart gets rid of minor errors affecting the phone system and likewise refreshes the internal memory. Junk files that are stored among other cached files from apps and phone memory are likewise cleared in the process. So if you haven’t already, follow these steps to soft reset your iPhone XR:

  3. Drag the power off slider to the right.
  4. After 30 seconds, press and hold the Power button or Side button again until the phone reboots.

Aside from a soft reset, clearing cache and temporary data for your browser app is also recommended. In iOS devices, clearing cache and data is typically done through app deletion and reinstallation but if you’re using Safari as your browser, you can clear cache and cookies as well as browsing history through the app settings itself. Here’s how to clear cache and browsing data from the Safari app on your iPhone XR:

  1. Tap Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Scroll to and tap on Safari.
  3. Then scroll down to and tap Advanced.
  4. Select Website Data from the given options.
  5. View how much space is used up by website data and then tap the option to Remove All Website Data.

Doing so will instigate clearing of cache and temporary data from the Safari app. Wait until Safari is finished clearing cache and browsing data. Reboot your iPhone XR then retry browsing through different websites to see if sites and pages are already loading faster.

Third solution: Refresh Wi-Fi on your iPhone XR.

There are different ways to restart Internet connection on your iPhone XR. You can toggle the Airplane mode switch on and off, toggle the Wi-Fi icon from the control center, toggle the Wi-Fi switch on the iPhone off and on or tap the option to disconnect Wi-Fi and reconnect on your iPhone. All result the same positive result. For this particular guide, restart your Wi-Fi internet connection by toggling the Wi-Fi switch from the settings menu. Here’s how:

  1. Go to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu.
  2. Then toggle the Wi-Fi switch to turn off.
  3. Perform a soft reset or restart your iPhone XR.
  4. Then go back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu and turn Wi-Fi back on.

Wait for your iPhone to reconnect. Once it’s connected, open your browser then navigate through different websites and see if the browsing speed has improved.

Fourth solution: Forget your Wi-Fi network then reconnect.

By “forgetting the Wi-Fi network” means deleting the network from your phone’s Wi-Fi network directory. This is often needed when dealing with persistent internet problems due to a corrupted Wi-Fi network. You can give this method a try, to rule out corrupted Wi-Fi network from the underlying causes of slow browsing problem on your device. Here’s how to forget Wi-Fi network on the iPhone XR:

  2. Tap Wi-Fi.
  3. Tap the information icon (i) next to the name of the Wi-Fi network you want to forget/delete.
  4. Then tap the option to Forget This Network.
  5. When asked to confirm, tap Forget.
  6. If you see other saved Wi-Fi networks, delete them all to prevent any of them from causing conflict with the current wireless network used on the phone.

Once you’re done deleting all saved Wi-Fi networks, reboot/soft reset your iPhone to apply the recent changes and refresh its memory. As soon as it boots up, head back to Settings-> Wi-Fi menu, toggle the switch to enable Wi-Fi and then select the Wi-Fi network you want to join or connect to. Be sure to enter the correct Wi-Fi network password, when asked.

Fifth solution: Reset network settings on your iPhone XR.

This is usually needed when dealing with network connectivity issues that are attributed to incorrect network settings on the phone. Doing so clears your current network settings and then restores the default network configurations. Network-related errors are also eliminated in the process. Before you do so, take note of your Wi-Fi password because you will need to re-enter it as you set up and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network. Here’s what you should do then:

  1. Open Settings from your Home screen.
  2. Tap General.
  3. Scroll down to and tap on Reset.
  4. Select the option to Reset network settings.
  5. Enter your device passcode when asked to proceed.
  6. Then tap the option to confirm network settings reset.

Your iPhone should reboot automatically when the reset is complete. As soon as it boots up, turn Wi-Fi on and reconnect to your Wi-Fi network.

Seek more help

If none of these methods worked and your iPhone XR is still experiencing slow browsing problem, contact your wireless internet service provider/carrier to escalate the problem and ask further assistance. If the problem is neither the iPhone system nor the browser app you’re using, then temporary network outages are more likely to blame. You can ask your network provider to verify and confirm through their system. If all your devices are experiencing the same symptoms, then it could be an issue with the wireless router or modem. In that case, you can ask more help from the device carrier or manufacturer to reset the router’s firmware.

Connect with us
