iPhone 3G: Working Around Slow iOS 4 Performance

Following Apple’s confirmation that it is aware of performance issues on some iPhone 3G units after upgrading to iOS 4, a workaround of sorts has surfaced. In some cases, disabling Spotlight category searches fixes the issue returns the iPhone 3G to its normal not-as-peppy-as-the-iPhone 4 performance.

Here’s how to disable Spotlight searching on an iPhone 3G running iOS 4:

  • Tap Settings
  • Tap General
  • Select the Home Button Category
  • Tap Spotlight Search
  • Deselect any categories that are checked

According to neowin.net, at least some iPhone 3G owners are reporting this fixes their post-iOS 4 sluggish performance issues. The downside, however, is that you won’t be able to search for content on your iPhone.

In our tests, iPhone 3G performance was about the same with Spotlight searches enabled or disabled. For users that are experiencing slow performance, the workaround might be worth trying until Apple releases a fix for the problem.