Using an iPad Air with iOS 10

[KingBuick]

Back in February I gave my iPad Air to my dad as his iPad 2 was slowing down. Now his Air has iOS 10 and I am thinking about getting it back. The pain for me is to transfer all my data back as I deleted my last backup.

For those of you who have an iPad Air running iOS 10, how much longer do you think it will last? Is it slower and buggier than iOS 9?

I have an iPhone 7 which obviously is running iOS 10 with no problems.

 

[Jeroen7]

I've got one for a few years now and have iOS10 on it. I think it will still be ok for a few years. It's always difficult to tell if a device has slowed down, specially when it happens gradually, also you add/remove apps which might still leave stuff, so a full restore at some point might make it more snappy again.

 

[si001]

Same for me, have one for a few years now and did not notice any slowing down with the iOS 10 update.

 

[KingBuick]

Thanks for the suggestions.

 

[Jeroen7]

Thanks for the suggestions.

You could also consider getting the new iPad Pro

 

[KingBuick]

You could also consider getting the new iPad Pro

Unfortunately that's not an option for me.

 

[hinesmj]

iOS 10 runs well on my air. I typing this comment on it right now. It's solid for streaming, note taking, browsing, which is all I really use it for.

 

[KingBuick]

iOS 10 runs well on my air. I typing this comment on it right now. It's solid for streaming, note taking, browsing, which is all I really use it for.

That's good to hear. Have you installed iOS 10.3 on it yet? If so is it still running smoothly?

 

[jmr1015]

I'm on iOS 10.3 right now on my iPad Air. Runs fine.

 

[KingBuick]

I'm on iOS 10.3 right now on my iPad Air. Runs fine.

That's good to hear.

 

[KingBuick]

My dad's iPad Air (used to be mine) is running 10.3 and I noticed that doing simple tasks it has slowed down substantially. I think iOS 11 may be the last update for the Air and 5S.

 

[scruffypig]

I am running iOS 10.3 on my iPad Mini 2 (Retina) and iPhone 5S and both are still very snappy. I suggest doing a clean install and setting up as new. It take a little bit of time, though makes a world of difference.

 

[mogelijk]

I am running iOS 10.3 on my iPad Mini 2 (Retina) and iPhone 5S and both are still very snappy. I suggest doing a clean install and setting up as new. It take a little bit of time, though makes a world of difference.

I find my self agreeing and disagreeing, at the same time. Especially if you consider their age, the 5S and the Air still work quite well. OTOH, if you own an iPhone 6S or 7, you can definitely tell the difference in speeds -- the newer devices clearly have a "step" on the 5S and Air.

I do agree that doing a clean install will help -- this is doubly true if your iPad has used most of the available storage, you'll likely gain a bit of space from a clean install. OTOH, if you are nearly out of space, that is likely contributing to your slowdown, and even with a clean install you'll "quickly" get back to being out of space (which again will cause the iPad to slow down) -- quickly being after a few weeks to a few months, depending on your usage.