Indexing still in progress. Is this “normal”?

[iPhone-Guy]

I got the update the day it came out and it STILL says indexing... 🫤

 

[Barbs]

I got the update the day it came out and it STILL says indexing... 🫤

Indexing took 49 hours for me to complete. On a 15 Pro Max. I also have the newest iPad Pro, and for some reason that is still indexing. Which is odd to me, as I figured with a faster chip and all, it would be faster.

 

[BobVB]

A question. For those still 'indexing' is there any indication of your 'system data' storage on your iPhone getting any bigger - mine is still at the 1.07 gigs it always stays at. AND is your plugged in, locked iPhone running warm? Mine is just as cool as it was before the 27 update - you'd think all this indexing would be showing up as increased data file size and processor heat, wouldn't you?

 

[Parowdy]

More than 2 and a half days later with at least 24 hours connected to a cable and it’s still going.

Wait, no, just checked again and now it’s done. Weird.

 

[Parowdy]

Is it a bad idea to restart the phone while it’s indexing? I’m having a few minor visual quirks here and there that I’m guessing a restart may fix, but I also don’t wanna interrupt the process…

Hey, so I assume it’s too late for you by now but I wondered the same and did the same until I decided to restart anyway yesterday. Nothing bad happened and indexing just recently stopped.
The restart didn’t fix anything for me but that’s besides the point.

 

[s2mike]

Hey, so I assume it’s too late for you by now but I wondered the same and did the same until I decided to restart anyway yesterday. Nothing bad happened and indexing just recently stopped.
The restart didn’t fix anything for me but that’s besides the point.

I actually just pulled the trigger and restarted a few minutes ago. Fixed a couple of the minor bugs I was experiencing, but still indexing and still no Siri access. Been about 60 hours.

 

[C7 POWER]

2 1/2 days in, Mine is still indexing and still on the Siri Waitlist

 

[Parowdy]

I found this great information on Reddit:


How iOS 27 Indexing Works (What Redditors Report)

What It Is & Why It Runs

• ⁠Purpose: Rebuilds device search/index so Spotlight, Mail, Photos, and Siri yield better results. "it supposedly organizes your files so you can search for them quickly"
• ⁠Scope: The index in iOS 27 is much larger and more detailed than before, so initial creation can take far longer. "the index is being completely rebuilt... the index is therefore an order of magnitude larger, more specific, and hopefully also more informative"

Typical Duration & Variability

• ⁠Expected time: Multiple days is common; many users report >24–36 hours. "24 hours and my Iphone 17 hasn’t finished indexing."
• ⁠Not strictly tied to data size: Some devices with little or no data still index for days. "I have 0 and it’s indexing 24 hours now. I guess it always takes 2-3 days."
• ⁠Depends on device and buginess: Experiences vary—some finish <24h, others take several days or may be affected by beta bugs. "Mine was done in less than 24 hours on 16PM... noticing some minor bugs and heat issues"

Symptoms During Indexing

• ⁠Battery / heat / performance effects: Users often see temporary battery drain, heating, or lag while indexing. "Knowing the most powerful iPhone is still indexing gives me some sort of peace lol. My SE 3 has been stuck as well."
• ⁠UI visibility: iOS now shows an indexing indicator in Settings so you can tell when it's happening. "I like that it tells you this instead of the guessing game"
• ⁠Search/Siri partially limited until done: Search and Siri results can be incomplete while indexing runs. "When I searched for apps by names yesterday nothing was coming up. Today it’s partially working."

Causes, Workarounds & Troubleshooting

• ⁠Not location-specific: Indexing appears unrelated to being overseas. "It's nothing to do with location."
• ⁠Be patient / wait: Multiple commenters advise waiting; it's expected behavior after big updates. "Why not just wait? It will take a long time... it is reindexing your whole life on the device"
• ⁠Possible bug or beta instability: Some believe slow indexing may be a bug in the developer beta. "It might be a bug too. My indexing is taking quite some time..."
• ⁠Restores may help but are heavy-handed: A full restore might fix stuck indexing for some, but it’s not universally recommended. "A restore of the device would probably fix it"

Community Observations & Contrasts

• ⁠Historical precedent: Major iOS updates have long rebuilt indexes and caused temporary complaints about battery/heat. "Literally every major update does this. It's why newbs complain about bad battery performance / excessive heat"
• ⁠Mixed outcomes after completion: Some see improved performance and search quality after indexing finishes; others still notice minor bugs. "I think the delay is probably a bug at this point... I've asked Siri obscure questions... she's spot on 9/10"
• ⁠Siri access is separate: Getting access to the new Siri AI can be on a separate waitlist and is not strictly tied to indexing completing. "Indexing has nothing to do with Siri. My phone is still indexing. It’s a 17 pro but I’ve had the Siri since I updated the beta"

This is an AI summary, right? What’s with the often useless quotes and the claim finished indexing has anything to do with bugs?

 

[Silverstring]

Leaving my 13 pro max plugged in and on WiFi, screen off, for more than 24 hours, still indexing endlessly. Apple has to do better. This will be pain for users

Haha, forever indexing is the thing that Apple never tell everybody at WWDC 2026. I really want to know how many weeks does it take to complete indexing. Siri is always things that Apple made propaganda for so long, but it never work as advertised. Too much trouble.

You do know that your iPhone has always done this, right?

It has always indexed after an update, and it’s never told you how long it’s going to take.

Why do you even need to know how long indexing takes, when there’s nothing you can do to speed it up? Is there something you can’t do with your phone now that indexing is preventing?

The only difference now as opposed to all the other times your iPhone was indexing is the new dialog box that tells you that it’s in progress.

 

[KUKitch]

Also indexing since update on Monday on my 17PM - iPad Pro finished a day or so ago. Does anybody have this Siri set up notification? It won’t go away on my phone and I can’t clear it - I have set it up and I got ‘new Siri’ yesterday and it has persisted through that change.

 

[RobertoDLV]

Indexing (for days) stopped just after restarting my iPad. Don't know if it's related.

 

[MCKLMT]

Indexing (for days) stopped just after restarting my iPad. Don't know if it's related.

I restarted my iPhone Air multiple times without success. I don’t think this is related.

 

[papbot]

I restarted my iPhone Air multiple times without success. I don’t think this is related.

I suspect restarting just pauses the process momentarily then starts again after a short period. Mine’s been indexing since Monday evening with one restart on Tuesday.

 

[Moukee]

They should probably think about adding a progress bar or percentage. There was one on macOS.

 

[mizxco]

Brian Tong on his YouTube channel said that indexing can take up to 1-2 weeks if one has a lot of data to comb through.

Did he hear this from someone with internal build? how else would he know? I doubt it's something asked and answered through media reps.

 

[mizxco]

Also indexing since update on Monday on my 17PM - iPad Pro finished a day or so ago. Does anybody have this Siri set up notification? It won’t go away on my phone and I can’t clear it - I have set it up and I got ‘new Siri’ yesterday and it has persisted through that change.View attachment 2637511

Experiencing both currently, kinda annoying since there's a badge on the Settings app. I swear it's something to do with photos, somehow they rely on iPhone to do all the on-device processing. It should be Mac's job tbh.

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

iPhone 15 pro is still indexing ~84 hours after installing.

The phone is cool to the touch and relatively responsive, so I'm patient...still...

I'm also wondering if it does a full index of all iPhoto pics. I have "Optimize Storage" on for Photos (and other stuff), but if it's indexing all the photos it's probably gonna take a while.

I also charge it overnight on a Magsafe charger, and someone - in another thread - mentioned that it probably won't index while on that (I guess it's a heat thing), so that might also explain why it goes super slow...

 

[mrklaw]

the ‘index faster if you charge longer’ confuses me. I read that to say ‘if you keep it plugged in it’ll use more power to do it faster’ but I’ve not noticed any difference in temperature suggesting high CPU usage when its fully charged?

 

[xaanaax]

My 15 pro max is still indexing since Tuesday, so it's been 3 days now, I have it plugged in at work for 8 hours and overnight, I'm starting to think it's a bug and will never finish... Also still on the waiting list for siri...

 

[Artemiz]

iPhone 15 pro is still indexing ~84 hours after installing.

The phone is cool to the touch and relatively responsive, so I'm patient...still...

I'm also wondering if it does a full index of all iPhoto pics. I have "Optimize Storage" on for Photos (and other stuff), but if it's indexing all the photos it's probably gonna take a while.

I also charge it overnight on a Magsafe charger, and someone - in another thread - mentioned that it probably won't index while on that (I guess it's a heat thing), so that might also explain why it goes super slow...

The method of charging shouldn’t affect the process.

Most of the heavy-lifting is finished within the first 24 hours. And once the device is charged to the limit, heat won’t factor in at all unless there’s a rogue process stuck in the background. Whoever said it was just guessing.

 

[macrulezz]

Since Tuesday still indexing on my 17 Pro Max 256Gb and iPad Pro M4.
It takes soooooooooooo long. No Siri AI too, still in waitlist. 🙁

 

[Artemiz]

I’d say Apple made a big mistake with this “indexing” message.

People are so hung up on this thing even when they could still use their devices as usual with almost no performance impact whatsoever. For the first time in a very long time and instead of focusing on the feature, we’re stuck on a notification.

Ignore the message. Keep exploring and enjoying the new iOS. It’ll finish when it can.

 

[Fr. Guido Sarducci]

In other news, pineapple doesn’t belong on pizza.

 

[teh_hunterer]

Indexing took 49 hours for me to complete. On a 15 Pro Max. I also have the newest iPad Pro, and for some reason that is still indexing. Which is odd to me, as I figured with a faster chip and all, it would be faster.

Yeah my M5 iPad Pro has been sat on a charger since updating days ago as I've been at work most of the time, and it's still going!

 

[Nikhil72]

Yeah my M5 iPad Pro has been sat on a charger since updating days ago as I've been at work most of the time, and it's still going!

Same. Been keeping both iPhone and iPad Pro m5 on charger all day at my desk. Still indexing but the performance is great and battery and heat are fine so I’m not concerned.