iPhone keyboard lagging after iOS 18 Update

Yes, right after an update, as right after a reboot, the keyboard seems to be working fine, but a couple of hours later (this varies a lot based on the usage, that’s why I think of a memory leak) the keyboard starts lagging again.

So frustrating, as the phone is so fast switching contexts but then it’s ridiculously slow when typing.

i was able to finally replicate this. it has to do with some emojis in predictive i think, which is odd because even with predictive off it does it. but for example i typed bee, and hit space, typing as fast as i always do. there is a clear distinct lag when you hit space and that's what's making typing choppy. it has to be something with the emojis. i've reset keyboard dictionary, i've turned predictive on and off, and i was able to replicate this on both my 15 pro max and 16 pro max! just type bee and keep typing fast anything after that, and you might notice the lag. its not every emoji though which is odd!!!! but bee was one of them lol btw i'm on 18.0.1 and it still does it. "phones" just did it as well, as it was populating all the phone emojis. but then i turned predictive off, did both, and it still lagged. so confusing, but i think it has to do with that.

**EDIT*

i just deleted the emoji keyboard and the word bee still triggers the lag. so i don't know what's going on.

It stared for me when I had my iPhone 11 Pro on iOS 17. I thought that it was something wrong with the phone but then I upgraded to 15 pro max and guess what it still happens. They released an update to patch that specifically and it did absolutely nothing.

I'm now on iOS 18.0.1 and guess again- the lag is still here. It only occurs if you have bilingual keyboard, otherwise seems fine. What's strange though is that I also have a 14 pro max for work with another Apple ID and on that phone nothing ever happened

I have been testing it the entire day before updating with my experience. I think there has been a slight improvement, but from time to time with some apps the keyboard is still very laggy and some keys don’t respond. In my case when the keyboard is laggy the backspace is not working well, like I am not pressing the button hitting the action center.

Actually, while I am writing this comment, the keyboard started being laggy again, confirming what I thought already, basically even when the text becomes longer the keyboard starts being slow.

after trying every suggested fix - I finally managed to stop the keyboard lag in my notes apps

it's the new "math results"!!!!!!

default on all individual devices is to "suggest results" - switching this to "off" has made all the difference in the world = notes typing lag is completely GONE

iOS location is the 'three dots in a circle' drop down

Mac OS location in 'format' menu

so much relief as I've wasted hours logging in and out of iCloud services, deleting and re-installing the app.

hoping this helps others

Issue still present in 18.2.1. The phone has become unusable to me for anything requiring text input. Major downer. I literally have to type things five times to get the correct letters to appear, and this after typing the correct keys precisely, as identified by the elevated keys displayed under the momentary taps. For some reason, the tapped keys are not registering. I turned off auto correct and predictive because they categorically suck for people with multi-lingual and technical vocabularies.

Apple, you do not know what I'm thinking because you don't operate at my level with resect to the things that I am writing. Leave my keyboard alone after you fix it, please.

I've been using the same temporary resolution as you for a while now; it feels nostalgic returning to the caveman approach. It reminds me of the iPod touch glory days—we've truly come full circle. It's amazing when you think about it; I wouldn't have thought it possible to return to a bygone era.

It's frustrating that instead of focusing on fixing core features like communication and search functionality, more effort seems to go into adding flashy, often unnecessary AI features. Meanwhile, excessive background tasks and visual animations are inevitably sapping the life out of our processors. 

These processors—hyped as some of the best in the world—are being run into the ground by relentless, unnecessary processes Apple insists on running.

For example, when I type "Instagram" into Spotlight search, Siri is forced to dig through a massive amount of data across all the apps I have that start with 'inst.' This process is unavoidable, burning through finite processing power and system resources. It's not just inefficient—it actively slows performance and accelerates wear on the hardware.

My battery health has declined to 80%. While there may be other factors involved, it’s hard to ignore that these endless background processes, along with unavoidable index searches, are directly contributing to battery degradation. Worse, these constant tasks and high CPU usage are actively wearing out the one part of the device we can’t repair or replace—the processor—and we paid a premium for this hardware.

Sources for Verification:

1. https://keutek.com/blogs/news/some-ios-16-users-complaining-about-slow-spotlight-search-and-battery-drain
2. https://nypost.com/2024/09/17/lifestyle/apple-users-complain-that-ios-18-is-killing-their-iphone-batteries/

I've been using the same temporary resolution as you for a while now; it feels nostalgic returning to the caveman approach. It reminds me of the iPod touch glory days—we've truly come full circle. It's amazing when you think about it; I wouldn't have thought it possible to return to a bygone era.

It's frustrating that instead of focusing on fixing core features like communication and search functionality, more effort seems to go into adding flashy, often unnecessary AI features. Meanwhile, excessive background tasks and visual animations are inevitably sapping the life out of our processors. 

These processors—hyped as some of the best in the world—are being run into the ground by relentless, unnecessary processes Apple insists on running.

For example, when I type "Instagram" into Spotlight search, Siri is forced to dig through a massive amount of data across all the apps I have that start with 'inst.' This process is unavoidable, burning through finite processing power and system resources. It's not just inefficient—it actively slows performance and accelerates wear on the hardware.

My battery health has declined to 80%. While there may be other factors involved, it’s hard to ignore that these endless background processes, along with unavoidable index searches, are directly contributing to battery degradation. Worse, these constant tasks and high CPU usage are actively wearing out the one part of the device we can’t repair or replace—the processor—and we paid a premium for this hardware.

Sources for Verification:

1. https://keutek.com/blogs/news/some-ios-16-users-complaining-about-slow-spotlight-search-and-battery-drain
2. https://nypost.com/2024/09/17/lifestyle/apple-users-complain-that-ios-18-is-killing-their-iphone-batteries/

It works for me, thank you!!

Issue still present in iOS 18.1

Updating to 18.2 and keyboard has taken a hit again and slow. Not as bad as previous update. But definitely the emoji button lags a lot. Using 15Pro

Still happening with 18.2 on my 13 pro max

I do know once you drop to 80% or less an iPhone is going to struggle with some things. It’s why Apple got in trouble over the battery thing a few years ago. They were throttling the phone because the reality is with lithium ion batteries as they age, not only does the size capacity get smaller but it’s ability to maintain voltage also lowers as well and just a small voltage drop can cause performance issues or the phone to freeze and lock up or shut down. So actually throttling is better than leaving it in full performance mode because at least the phone will still function and not randomly crash. I know someone with an iPhone 12 with less than 80% and it was constantly crashing or shutting down at the most random of times. I encouraged her to get a 14 plus and she’s thrilled now. But she now has to avoid charging it to 100% and fully discharging it.

some research came out a few years ago showing that to get the most out of a lithium ion battery the sweet spot is between 50-65% but that’s very unrealistic. That’s why a lot of phone and computer companies now put the max on 80%. But even 80% is in the spectrum of battery degradation. And fully discharging is also bad for lithium ion. So I’m in the habit of keeping it between 30-70% and that’s why I’m able to get a phone to last 3 years without it going below 80% unlike several people I know who drop below 80% in less than 2 years

The auto correct has been so bad for so long…turning it off actually makes the swipe to type experience so much better. I typed this without having to fix a single thing…typically I’m fixing multiple words per sentence…

let people decide what works for them. lag/frozen apps is a pretty unbearable experience.