Boost Performance: Clear RAM on Your iPhone 17 Pro

If you’ve noticed that your iPhone 17 Pro seems to lag despite its reputation as one of the fastest smartphones available, you’re not alone. It’s common for devices to encounter slowdowns, where apps take longer to launch or the entire system feels sluggish. Fortunately, this doesn’t indicate a malfunction or the need for a factory reset. Instead, it often means the RAM is cluttered, and clearing it could restore your device’s original responsiveness.

Quick Steps to Clear RAM on iPhone 17 Pro for Enhanced Performance

RAM, or random access memory, functions as your iPhone’s short-term memory—handling multiple applications simultaneously. While your iPhone can manage a range of tasks, overloading its RAM may lead to reduced performance and longer loading times. By clearing the RAM, you essentially refresh the device’s memory. Remarkably, this procedure can be completed within minutes and does not necessitate any third-party applications.

Although Apple hasn’t provided a straightforward way to clear RAM on the iPhone 17 Pro, nor does iOS 26 include a specific option for this function, there is a helpful workaround. Follow the detailed steps below to clear RAM on your device.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Enable AssistiveTouch to begin the process:

Open the Settings app.
Navigate to Accessibility > Touch > AssistiveTouch and turn it on.
A floating button will appear on your screen for easy access.

How to enable AssistiveTouch — Enable AssistiveTouch from your Settings app.

Step 2: Access the Power Off menu:

Press and hold the Side Button along with either the Volume Up or Volume Down button until you see the “Slide to Power Off” slider.
Importantly, do not slide to power off your device.

Step 3: Use AssistiveTouch to clear your RAM:

Tap the floating AssistiveTouch button.
Press and hold the Home button until the screen flashes or returns to the Lock Screen.

iPhone 17 pro RAM Clear — AssistiveTouch button in action during the RAM clearing procedure.

Once you complete these steps, you’ll find that your RAM has been successfully cleared. When you return to the Home Screen and relaunch an app, it will reload from scratch, indicative of an improved performance as unnecessary background processes have been eliminated.

Regularly clearing RAM on your iPhone 17 Pro can keep its performance fast and responsive. This is especially advantageous if you frequently leave apps open instead of closing them through the App Switcher. For added convenience, consider creating a Siri Shortcut to streamline this process. Alternately, you can revisit this guide whenever you need to clear the RAM effectively.