How To Fix iOS 9 App Switcher Lag On Older Devices
As acclaimed for its design-focused strategy as Apple is, it too can, at times, make changes to its products that may be deemed questionable, the drastic design language shift that was iOS 7 and the recent hump-back iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case being two popular examples. Although iOS 9 didn’t bring significant cosmetic changes to the table, it did add a handful of new features and development APIs that have generally had a positive reception. One of the few design changes it did make was to the app switcher, shifting from the old Windows Phone-inspired look to a new cascading design reminiscent of the Android Lollipop app switcher.
Although many seem dissatisfied with the new app switcher’s interface, its appearance isn’t the core reason for it being criticized. The switcher seems to take quite a toll on performance, even on devices that are only a generation old, like the iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus, which is an unusual progression for the iOS, as Apple’s mobile OS is known to become faster with each major update. Thankfully, we have the jailbreak developer community to help us with these issues. If it’s just the lag that bothers you, try the free jailbreak tweak Switcher Speedster, which disables the progressive blur on the preview cards within the switcher and even lets you replace it with a nice, performance-friendly fade effect.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, of course, don’t have performance issues with the app switcher owing to the new A9 SoC that powers the new duo. This Cydia tweak is meant for older devices and fixes speeds up the iOS 9 app switcher without greatly compromising its look. It’s one of the first system tweaks we installed on our older devices after jailbreaking them and haven’t come across any problems yet.
The tweak also lets you disable the blurring of the app switcher’s background and remove the icons that are displayed at the top of each app’s card. You’ll find these options and the aforementioned App Card Alpha within the configuration menu that the tweak adds to the Settings app.
Switcher Speedster too is available for free on the BigBoss repository.
If it’s the app switcher’s look that bothers you, and you wish there was a way to bring the old one back, AppSwiZer (BigBoss) and LegacySwitcher (repo.cpdigitaldarkroom.com) are the tweaks you’re looking for. Both tweaks replace the iOS 9 switcher with its iOS 7 and iOS 8 variant and are available for free. AppSwiZer even lets you resize the app switcher’s preview cards. However, the tweaks seem to have a few appearance glitches and cause the SpringBoard to crash every time you try to swipe upwards on a card to dismiss it.
If you’re still on the earlier builds of iOS 9 and are thinking of hopping onto the jailbreak bandwagon, check out our detailed iOS 9 – 9.0.2 jailbreak tutorial. Already jailbroken? Don’t forget to check out our Cydia tweaks section.
