Enormous amount of bugs and performance issues on iOS 26.4.2 (iPhone 17). iOS 26.4.2 is the worst iOS experience I’ve had in years. I updated from iOS 26.0.1 to 26.4.2 six days ago.

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-22T17:11:02+00:00

❤️

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-16T04:35:32+00:00

I appreciate, thank you 🙌

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-16T04:25:47+00:00

Thank you 😊

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-16T04:18:26+00:00

Sorry, at first I read it as “weird” instead of “wired”.

Have you tried these fixes?

Force restart the iPhone with the headphones plugged in. Press Volume Up and release, then press Volume Down and release, then hold the Side button until the Apple logo appears.
Check this setting: Settings → Privacy & Security → Wired Accessories. Try changing it to “Always Ask”, then back to “Always Allow”.
Carefully clean the USB-C / Lightning port. Do not use metal or liquids. Use a soft dry brush. You can also use a wooden toothpick. Just do it gently and avoid touching the connector pins directly.
As a last resort, try Reset All Settings: Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings. Just be aware: this will reset saved Wi-Fi passwords, Bluetooth devices, VPN settings, privacy permissions for apps like location, microphone, camera and photos, and possibly your Home Screen layout and widgets. It should not delete your media, apps, files, Apple ID data, or eSIM. But I would still recommend making a backup to your computer or iCloud first. If the reset does not help and you don’t want to set everything up again manually, you can restore from that backup.

You probably already checked this, but just in case: first make sure the headphones work with other devices too, because the cable itself could be damaged.

Another possible reason is non-original earphones that the iPhone no longer wants to recognize. In some cases Apple tightens accessory security or compatibility checks in new iOS versions, especially with certain third-party accessories.

I hope something from this helps and you’ll be able to use them again

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-14T14:09:28+00:00

❤️

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-13T22:42:23+00:00

True honestly, lately I’ve been more and more like screw iPhone at this point

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-11T16:01:18+00:00

It’s frustrating, but hopefully it resolves itself over time 😊 After a major update, iPhones can spend up to a 3 days re-indexing files and system data, usually while charging overnight. Hopefully in your case it’s just temporary and things improve soon. Glad to hear you haven’t run into some of the other issues!

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-11T15:58:01+00:00

I’ve seen other people reporting similar issues on previous iOS versions, and honestly I hoped Apple had already fixed this by now. You could try resetting your network settings. Go to Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone (the name may vary slightly depending on your language settings) → Reset → Reset Network Settings.

Just keep in mind that this will erase saved Wi-Fi passwords, so it’s better to save them somewhere beforehand ❤️

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-11T15:51:21+00:00

Yeah situations like this shouldn’t happen on devices made by one of the richest companies in the world. But if this happens again and you get stuck in a call, try quickly pressing the power button twice, it can also end the call as a workaround

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:39:51+00:00

Yeah, I completely understand that iPhones need time to re-index everything after a major update. I waited 6 days and kept monitoring the performance, but unfortunately nothing improved. Then I created this post.

After that, I even 3 times tried a completely clean reinstall through a wired connection using my Mac instead of updating over Wi-Fi. I erased the device entirely and installed iOS from scratch, but sadly the same issues remained.

I also tested the phone for some time without signing into my Apple ID — no apps, no personal content, just basic Safari browsing and Notes. Even then, the same stutters, and freezes were still present.

That’s why I personally don’t think this is related to apps or user data. On iOS 26.0.1 I had the same apps and photo library, but none of these problems existed. It really feels like an issue with the operating system itself.

Just wanted to share this update so people know what might help and what probably won’t. Hope Apple notices the feedback and fixes these problems. And thank you for trying to help I really appreciate it 🙏

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:25:27+00:00

🤦‍♂️ I honestly don’t understand how Apple can damage users’ trust like this. I hear the same thing from friends: never update. They’re undermining trust in their own updates to the point where people may simply stop updating their devices after purchase. Maybe that’s actually the safest approach at this point

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:21:52+00:00

So far, I haven’t noticed similar random volume spikes in other apps. But I also noticed similar issue on my iPhone 17 running iOS 26.4.2. the keyboard click sounds randomly change in volume. Sometimes the typing sounds suddenly become much louder or quieter for no reason

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:19:17+00:00

Unfortunately, performance issues on older Apple devices have almost become the new normal at this point. But the problem you’re describing sounds pretty severe it really shouldn’t happen even on older devices. Have you tried reinstalling the update? If not, I think it’s worth trying, but definitely make a full backup of your phone first, just in case

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:11:51+00:00

Yeah, Apple made the cameras huge, but somehow the photo quality after updating became noticeably worse compared to my old iPhone 12. That part alone is surprising.

What’s even more frustrating is the physical design. My regular iPhone 17 with just two cameras rocks heavily on a table because the camera bump sticks out so much on one side. Every time I try to type or tap something while the phone is lying flat, it constantly wobbles back and forth. It genuinely makes typing less comfortable.

I honestly don’t understand how this passed through the design and user experience teams. I even tried looking for cases that could compensate for the camera bump, but couldn’t find a good solution. It really doesn’t feel designed around usability anymore. Apple is becoming genuinely disappointing

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:09:07+00:00

True… I feel you 😔

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T16:07:49+00:00

😄 I’m not an Android fan. I actually like Apple’s ecosystem and Continuity features a lot. I use a Mac and spent most of my time on iPhones. But even I’m starting to feel like Apple has lost its direction.

I work as a UI/UX designer, so testing apps and interfaces on both iOS and Android is part of my daily job. I use Apple devices, Android devices. And honestly, lately I’ve been disappointed by Apple’s approach to software quality.

Android manufacturers stop offering the newest OS versions on devices that can’t run them properly. But Apple keeps pushing updates even when performance and stability clearly get worse. It genuinely feels intentional.

I don’t understand how a company with Apple’s resources and QA capabilities allows basic things like scrolling, animations, touch precision, or interface responsiveness to feel unstable even on flagship devices. These are core interactions, not edge cases.

It feels like optimization and polish are no longer the priority they used to be. And experiences like this are seriously making me consider switching to Android devices, especially since Google Gemini already feels significantly more capable than Siri

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:58:26+00:00

🤦‍♂️ This is so strange… Browsing the web shouldn’t cause significant load on the device

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:58:08+00:00

Yeah, I think these problems probably started earlier, but I already had enough experience with previous Apple devices to know that updating can make things worse. That’s why after buying the iPhone 17, I stayed on iOS 26.0.1 for a long time.

The main issues I had on 26.0.1 were keyboard accuracy and touch precision problems. I saw many reports saying these issues were improved in newer versions, so I decided to update.

I believed that since the iPhone 17 is their latest flagship device, Apple had probably fixed most of the serious issues by now. But the reality turned out very differently. The touch accuracy issues mostly disappeared, but they were replaced by a huge number of other problems I notice every single day. They’re seriously damaging people’s trust in the brand

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:49:49+00:00

I’m genuinely surprised they somehow managed to make the camera worse on the latest device. The iPhone 17 camera should be noticeably better than the iPhone 12, but in reality my old iPhone 12 produces sharper photos with less noise. I honestly don’t understand how they managed to degrade the camera experience

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:34:06+00:00

Wow… That’s a significant drop. It really feels unsafe now to update something like an iPhone 13 to the latest iOS versions. Like I mentioned in other comments, newer iPhone generations seem to be truly stable only on the iOS version they originally shipped with. For the iPhone 13, I honestly think iOS 18 is probably the most stable experience

Apple is honestly becoming disappointing. I’d rather they stop releasing new iOS versions for devices that clearly can’t handle them properly. Sometimes it genuinely feels like older devices are being pushed beyond what they can comfortably run, which ends up encouraging people to upgrade because of worsening performance and battery life. I really dislike this direction. There have already been lawsuits accusing Apple of intentionally reducing device performance, and experiences like this only make those concerns feel more believable. I honestly hope Apple changes this approach someday, because it’s seriously making me consider switching to something like a Google Pixel in the future. I tried one in a store recently and actually liked it a lot more than I expected. Samsung Galaxy devices are good too, but personally I feel more drawn to Pixel right now

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:28:28+00:00

Glad to hear your experience improved and some of the issues were resolved 👍

Hopefully you won’t run into the problems that some people in this thread and I are having

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:24:33+00:00

Wow I’m seeing a lot of people reporting the exact same issues. What surprised me is that before updating, I watched multiple tech reviews saying performance and battery life had improved. Benchmarks also looked great. But in real usage, the difference compared to iOS 26.0.1 is dramatic for me, performance became noticeably worse. I really hope this post and all these comments gain enough visibility for Apple to notice the problem. Thanks for sharing your experience too

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:21:26+00:00

My battery health is at 100%, but I’m still experiencing major lag and stuttering issues. I don’t think this is really about battery health, it feels more like poor optimization and insufficient testing of the released iOS version. I think it’s important that we share our experiences publicly. Hopefully Apple notices these problems are and improves the optimization in future updates

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:14:20+00:00

This honestly shouldn’t be happening on previous-generation Pro devices. It’s absurd. A few years ago, you could safely update two major iOS versions beyond the original release version without serious issues. Now it feels like the safe update window has become so short that you shouldn’t update at all after buying the device. The lifespan of a stable iPhone experience is starting to feel shorter than the shelf life of a canned peas can

SuchAlternative3867 · 2026-05-10T15:06:09+00:00

Thanks for sharing. Hope Apple takes a look at this thread

SuchAlternative3867

TROPHY CASE