Slow iPad 2

[Snowman9000]

I inherited a 16 GB iPad 2. I restored it to factory fresh and have been using it for browsing. I've added no apps other than Chrome, and stored no photos or files on it.

To me, it's slow, both on Safari and Chrome. Sitting at the same desk, on the same 30 mbps wifi, as my Macbook Air, there is no comparison. I did google it, and got suggestions about clearing the browser cache etc., turning off notifications and other repetitive data transfers, and the like.

The 16 GB memory is mostly free. As in way more than half, probably two thirds free. I don't remember the exact numbers. I don't recall if Safari offered anything other than full nuclear clearing, but that's what I did. So I lost all my cookies and quick memory of what pages I go to. I did not notice lesser options, but that may have been my oversight. Chrome offered a simple cache clear. It speeded up after clearing the caches, but it's still slow. Is this just the nature of the beast?

[My_Roadtrek]

I purchased a new NETGEAR Nighthawk X6 AC3200 Tri-Band Wi-Fi router when I got my new IPad Pro. This was to take advantage of the Pros 802.11ac Wi-Fi technology, and better streaming of 4K with TIVO Netflix, Fire TV, etc.

An added plus was it increased the IPad 2, speed from around 20 Mbps to 30 Mbps.

This router is expensive, but delivers, and is by far the fastest router I have used. The latest software fixed the bugs that have been reported in some of the older reviews.
For you, if your router is your weak spot, a newer router, not nessarily one as expensive as the Nighthawk, may help considerably.
As a side note, we have a 75 Mbps plan from Comcast, 90 Mbps max, the IPad Pro connected to the Nighthawk consistently clocks out at 85 Mbps, just a little less than our Ethernet connection.

[Snowman9000]

9.2

[1492]

Chris Bryant wrote:
It has a 1ghz dual core CPU, so it isn't going to scream.

Especially, when comparing to a MacBook Air.

To OP, what iOS are you running?

[Snowman9000]

OP here. Still having same problem. However, I am an hour into using the Dolphin browser. It is much faster!!! It has an Adblock, which helps a lot.

[Snowman9000]

Thanks. I just implemented those suggestions.

[My_Roadtrek]

Fix IOS 9 slow performance.
I had already done several of these things, so maybe that's why I'm not seeing a slow down. 9.2 fixed several problems including some slow performance issues.

[wnjj]

Boggy everywhere here too. Swiping the home screens lags. Clicking the home button takes several seconds after using an app for very long.

Clearly the later OS versions use more ram. It runs like a PC that's using swap to disk.

[My_Roadtrek]

I had some key stroke problems with 9.1 but seem to have been resolved with 9.2.

[Snowman9000]

My Roadtrek wrote:
Except for the battery life my Ipad 2 seems about as fast as the day I bought it.
9.2 fixed a few Safari issues I was having.
I think what people are seeing are web sites that haven't been updated, and so many more ads that really slow things down.

In my case, it's more than that. It's just boggy, sometimes in keystroke and touch response.

[My_Roadtrek]

Except for the battery life my Ipad 2 seems about as fast as the day I bought it.
9.2 fixed a few Safari issues I was having.
I think what people are seeing are web sites that haven't been updated, and so many more ads that really slow things down.

[Snowman9000]

wnjj wrote:
iPad 2 here also. It's gotten slower with each OS upgrade. Sometimes takes several seconds to bring up the keyboard or close a browser tab. Would much rather be 2-3 OS versions ago when it ran just fine.

Sounds like a pattern, then. Is there any way to revert to OS version 7 or whatever? I'd even consider jailbreaking it at this point, if it could enable better performance via an older OS.

EDIT TO ADD: In researching the question, the answer is no. Apple tightly controls the availability of versions. Once a person has upgraded, within a few days he/she cannot revert to the previous one.

So, I hope they fix 9.x.

[FlatBroke]

Ask here. They have folks that know this stuff inside and out. iPad forum

[wnjj]

iPad 2 here also. It's gotten slower with each OS upgrade. Sometimes takes several seconds to bring up the keyboard or close a browser tab. Would much rather be 2-3 OS versions ago when it ran just fine.

[My_Roadtrek]

IOS 9 is significantly smaller than IOS 8.
It's all about processing speed, can't compare it to a Mac.
My IPad Pro leaves my IPad 2 in the dust, and is a joy to use. I now keep the IPad 2 in the kitchen for surfing the Internet. It still works pretty good, but the battery is a little tired.