A new CPU scheduler will make older iPhones snappier
Apple announced an update to the advanced CPU scheduler component on iOS 27, which manages the iPhone’s CPU resources across workloads. A key part of the update is that the CPU scheduler will now also be available on all the older iPhones that will support iOS 27.The improved component makes multitasking better by prioritizing different jobs and ensuring they’re executed in the correct order and on time. Apple also announced improved system animations, which will allow swiping between pages on the home screen to feel smoother.
Apps will launch 30% faster on iOS 27. | Image by Apple
Putting a numeric value, Apple says that iPhone and iPad apps launch up to 30% faster on iOS 27 and iPadOS 27. That’s achieved by allowing apps to preload the key data they need, which allows them to be ready to go whenever opened. The improvements will also apply to third-party apps.
Speed bumps across the board
AirDrop transfer may also get improved. | Image by Apple
Apple has a long list of features and actions that will work faster, many of them based on general improvements of how content loads across the whole system. One of the affected areas is taking photos, which the company says will appear up to 70% faster in the Photos app after capture.Sharing files will also become faster, with AirDrop speeds seeing up to an 80% increase. Things like starting workouts in the Workout app, saving PDFs, and starting playback in Apple Music will see some speed improvements as well.
On the iPad, browsing and transferring files to external drives will be up to five times faster, according to Apple. That should make those actions feel just as fast as when done in the Finder app on Mac.
This is the Snow Leopard moment of iOS
Photos capturing should also work faster on iOS 27. | Image by Apple
Apple is no stranger to software updates focused on fixing the issues introduced in earlier releases. In 2009, the company launched the Mac OS X Snow Leopard with barely any new features but numerous under-the-hood improvements and performance updates. That version of the OS was considered a fix for all the problems its predecessor, Leopard, had introduced to Mac OS X.Similarly, iOS 26 was one of the most significant updates in the history of Apple’s mobile operating system. Alongside the Liquid Glass redesign, the company introduced numerous new features across most of its apps. The update also came with significant performance issues and bugs that haven’t been resolved even months after the initial release.
While users with older iPhones could have expected to see some performance downgrades, the iOS 26 issues were also present on newer devices. One iPhone 17 Pro user on Reddit complained of severe scroll stutter in almost all apps, while an iPhone 15 Pro Max owner said everything was laggy on their device.
Even launching iOS 27 on the 7-year-old iPhone 11 is a sign that Apple is having another Snow Leopard moment with its mobile OS. Of course, there will be many new features that won’t make it to the older devices, but if the performance improvements are present, users are likely to be happy with the update.
An exemplary move from Apple
If Apple really delivers on its promises, iOS 27 could set it apart from virtually all its competitors. I can’t think of old Android devices that continue to get software support and performance improvements seven years after release. I can only hope that pushes more manufacturers to secure long software support and to launch their updates quickly.
#ancient #iPhone #faster #iOS #improvements