How to Clear RAM on an iPhone to Fix Sluggish Performance

Why Clear Your iPhone’s RAM?

While Apple’s iOS is exceptionally good at managing system memory (RAM) automatically, sometimes your iPhone can still become bogged down. If you notice severe UI stuttering, unresponsive apps, or unusual battery drain, the quickest way to restore snappy performance without performing a full device restart is to manually clear the RAM. This forces the system to dump all temporary background data and start fresh.

Step 1: Enable AssistiveTouch

On older iPhones with a physical Home button, clearing the RAM is straightforward. However, on modern iPhones without a Home button (iPhone X and newer), you must temporarily enable a virtual Home button using the AssistiveTouch accessibility feature to perform this trick.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Scroll down and tap on Accessibility.
3. Under the Physical and Motor section, tap on Touch.
4. Tap on AssistiveTouch at the top of the screen.
5. Toggle the switch to turn AssistiveTouch On. A floating grey circle will appear on your screen.

Step 2: Prepare the Power Down Screen

To clear the RAM, you need to reach the specific “Slide to Power Off” screen. Importantly, you cannot use the standard volume-and-power button combination, as that brings up the Emergency SOS screen, which will not work for this process.

1. Go back to the main Settings menu.
2. Tap on General.
3. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page and tap Shut Down.
4. The “Slide to Power Off” slider will appear on your screen. Do not slide it.

Step 3: Clear the RAM Using the Virtual Home Button

With the “Slide to Power Off” screen visible, you can now flush the system memory.

1. Tap the floating AssistiveTouch circle that you enabled earlier. A small menu will expand.
2. Press and hold the virtual Home button within this menu.
3. Continue holding the button for approximately 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Your screen will briefly flash, and you will be returned to the Lock Screen (or asked for your passcode).

This flash confirms that your iPhone’s RAM has been successfully cleared. If you open your App Switcher, your previously opened apps will still be listed, but when you tap on them, you will notice they completely reload from scratch because their data was flushed from the active memory.

Step 4: Disable AssistiveTouch (Optional)

If you do not want the floating button to remain on your screen, you can safely turn it off.

Navigate back to Settings > Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and toggle the switch to the Off position.

When Should You Use This Trick?

You do not need to clear your iPhone’s RAM on a daily basis. The iOS operating system is designed to fill your RAM to make opening apps faster. Only use this trick as a troubleshooting step when your phone is actively freezing, overheating, or suffering from significant performance drops.