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I have an iPhone SE (2nd Gen) and whenever I am on my Home Screen the spinning wheel in the upper corner appears and doesn’t go away until I open an app. I’ve tried all the quick fixes (toggling airplane mode, rebooting the device) but it always seems to come back eventually. What could be the cause of this?
iPhone SE, iOS 15
Hello TheChadLemon,
We understand that you have concerns regarding the loading/syncing icon you are seeing on your iPhone. To make sure we've got it correct, take a look at the article below to review and confirm the icon you're seeing. The one we believe you mean is marked as "There's network activity".
Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support
If this is correct, it could simply be that data is syncing across your network. Do you know of any features you have enabled that would automatically sync? Do you find this happens with a cellular or Wi-Fi connection?
Best regards.
Hello TheChadLemon,
We understand that you have concerns regarding the loading/syncing icon you are seeing on your iPhone. To make sure we've got it correct, take a look at the article below to review and confirm the icon you're seeing. The one we believe you mean is marked as "There's network activity".
Status icons and symbols on your iPhone - Apple Support
If this is correct, it could simply be that data is syncing across your network. Do you know of any features you have enabled that would automatically sync? Do you find this happens with a cellular or Wi-Fi connection?
Best regards.
Hey there TheChadLemon,
Do you happen to have any widgets on your Home screen? Some widgets may need an active data connection.
Use widgets on your iPhone and iPod touch
It would also be a good idea to review the apps using your data to help determine which may be the cause, if not related to an active widget.
Use cellular data on your iPhone or iPad
Have a good one!
Hi TheChadLemon,
Is Background App Refresh on? Let's try temporarily turning it off if it's on.
After you switch to a different app, some apps run for a short period of time before they're set to a suspended state. Apps that are in a suspended state aren’t actively in use, open, or taking up system resources. With Background App Refresh, suspended apps can check for updates and new content.
If you want suspended apps to check for new content, go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh and turn on Background App Refresh. If you quit an app from the app switcher, it might not be able to run or check for new content before you open it again.
The information above is from Switch apps on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. If the issue continues, let us know what you found out when you turned the feature off.
Best!
Hi,
The icon is definitely the network activity symbol, but the thing about it is that it only appears when I return to the Home Screen, stays on as long as I’m there, and only goes away when I open an app or restart the phone. I’ve tried investigating what may be causing it and to my knowledge at this point there’s no features turned on that may be the culprit. It happens regardless of whether I’m on wifi or cellular.
Thanks!
Thanks for the reply! I have widgets but I looked and apparently none of them would be using an active connection. The nearest thing I think I can pinpoint it too would be app updates, since it always appears after they are available.
Hello TheChadLemon,
We appreciate the follow up!
What version of iOS is currently installed on your iPhone? You can verify this information by going to Settings > General > About. The reason we want to check this is that often times network performance is improved by installing software updates.
Next, we would want to begin to isolate the issue. Does this always occur in one location such as your home, at work, or while on the go? The reason this is important is if it only happens in an area where the data connection is not as stable, we are more likely to see the device attempting to connect.
Best!
Hi, the problem still persisted through the last couple software updates so I don’t know what’s up. I’ve tried resetting network setting but it also didn’t seem to be effected by that or by my location.
Spinning wheel in status bar on iPhone constantly spins while on Home Screen, goes away when an app is opened
