The most common iPad problems and how to fix them

It can be frustrating if a pixel isn’t working on your iPad. You’ll first notice this as an unresponsive dot on the display that doesn’t change, or stays black no matter what happens. Sometimes there may be more than one pixel like this.

Possible solutions

You may find from time to time that your iPad screen freezes and remains unresponsive to your touch. You’re not alone, as this is a common complaint. The most likely source of the problem is an app, but it’s not always easy to identify which one. If it happens repeatedly, take note of what you have running and try uninstalling it to see if that solves the problem permanently. Whatever the cause, your immediate solutions to quickly troubleshoot a frozen iPad screen are the same.

Possible solutions

• Try restarting your device first by pressing and holding the Power button until you see “slide to power off” on the screen, and then slide to power off. Press and hold the same button to turn it back on. You’ll know it worked when you see the Apple logo.
• If the screen isn’t responding, you might need to force restart the device in which case you should press and hold the Power button and the Home button at the same time for around 10 seconds. You’ll know it worked when the Apple logo appears. For newer iPads without the Home button, press and quickly release the Volume Up button, press and quickly release the Volume Down button, and then press and hold the Power button until the device restarts.
• If it stubbornly refuses to react to a restart or reset, then you’ll need to try a restore. Plug it into your computer using the cable provided. Load up iTunes on the computer, select your iPad, choose the Summary tab, and hit the Restore iPad button. This will erase your content, so you may prefer to choose Restore Backup on the Summary tab. Bear in mind that you’ll lose anything you haven’t backed up.

It’s a nightmare with any electronic device when it refuses to turn on at all. Don’t assume the worst, though, it may prove easy to revive.

Possible solutions

• Try holding down the Power button and the Home button together until you see the Apple logo. For newer iPads without the Home button, press and quickly release the Volume up button, press and quickly release the Volume down button, and then press and hold the Power button until the device restarts.
• Maybe the battery is just empty. Plug the iPad into the wall charger using the original cable and charger that came in the box and wait an hour before trying the first step again.
• If your iPad turns on but gets stuck during startup, then plug it into your computer with iTunes running and repeat step one, except this time, don’t let go of the buttons when you see the Apple logo, keep holding them until you see the recovery mode screen. You should get the option to Restore or Update. Choose Update and it will try to reinstall iOS without wiping your data.
• If none of this works, then it’s time to contact Apple or drop into an Apple Store if you’re able to.

iTunes or Finder can sometimes glitch out and not recognize your iPad. Obviously speaking, this can cause major issues with using your iPad as intended. If iTunes or Finder aren’t recognizing your iPad then you can try a few things to solve the problem.

Possible solutions

• Check the battery icon on the iPad when you plug it into your computer. If it has a lightning bolt on it to denote charging or it says Not charging next to it then you know the port and the cable are working and you can move to the next solution. If it doesn’t, then try another port. If that doesn’t work, then try another cable.
• (If you are running MacOS Catalina you can skip this as you’ll be using Finder to interface with your iPad.) Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes. If it’s on a PC then go to Help and then select Check for updates. If it’s on a Mac then hit the iTunes tab and select Check for updates. If you have the latest version or updating makes no difference, try the next solution.
• Turn the iPad off. Turn the computer off. Turn them both back on again and plug the iPad back in. If you see a Trust this computer alert, unlock your device and tap Trust.

If you find that your iPad won’t charge when you plug it into a power adapter, there are a couple of possible reasons. If it doesn’t charge when you plug it into the computer, it may just be the port you are using, try the power adapter instead. You can see whether the USB port on your computer is charging it or not by looking at the battery icon on the iPad. If it is charging, you’ll see the lightning symbol; if not, it will say Not charging next to it. Some computer ports can’t provide enough juice to charge the iPad, and it will always charge more slowly via the computer, even if it does work. Read on for more ways to troubleshoot and iPad that just won’t charge.

Possible solutions

iPad won’t connect to Wi-Fi

Very few users will want an iPad that isn’t connected to the internet, but getting connected isn’t always easy. Before you start serious troubleshooting, you should check Settings > Wi-Fi on the iPad and make sure that it is turned on. It’s also worth making sure that Wi-Fi is accessible on another device.

Possible solutions

• There’s a reason IT departments the world over tell everyone to turn a device off and on again as a first troubleshooting step — because it so often works. Try turning off your iPad and router and then turn them both on again and wait a few seconds before trying to reconnect.
• Try telling the iPad to forget the network in Settings by tapping the network name and selecting forget. Turn the iPad off and on again and then reconnect to the network and re-enter the details as necessary. You can also try Settings > General > Reset > Reset network settings.
• Make sure you have the latest iOS software by going to Settings > General > Software update. You should plug your iPad into the power adapter before updating. Older iPads can be updated via iTunes on the Summary tab via the Check for update option.
• If your iPad still won’t connect then it’s worth checking with your ISP for help or advice. The problem could be related to your specific router. You might want to update the firmware or change the channel.
• If nothing so far has worked, then you may consider trying to connect to a different Wi-Fi network with your iPad just to test if it works. If not, then it’s time to contact Apple for further help.

If you find that your iPad is not its usual zippy self and you are experiencing lag when you navigate, you can try a couple of fixes. You may just have too many things running.

Possible solutions

Cellular data connection dropping

Cellular data connections dropping can cause serious annoyances as you move about. Obviously, this will be seriously influenced by how good the coverage is in your area. If you have good coverage on the same network with your phone, but the iPad is struggling, you could try a couple of things. First, check in Settings > General > Cellular and make sure it’s on. You could also try a restart. If it continues to be a problem, go through the steps below.

Possible solutions

iPad randomly crashes and glitches out

Sometimes your iPad will randomly turn off, restart, or have an app crash. You might find that this is a bigger issue on older iPads. You can try a few different things to alleviate the problem. It is quite likely to be related to specific apps, so take note of what you were doing when it crashes and see if a pattern emerges over time.

Possible solutions

Slow battery recharges

When everything is running as it usually should, your iPad should take about three hours to recharge. If you own an older model, it still would only take about four hours, at a maximum. That said, many users report that it takes much longer for their iPad to recharge fully. We have a couple of tips to try and speed up the charging process.

Possible solutions

Apple Pencil not working

We completely understand how frustrating this issue can be, mainly because you likely bought the Pencil to pair specifically with your iPad. We have several solutions to try out to get the two working together again.

Possible solutions

A bootloop is a glitch where your device gets stuck in a cycle of turning off and turning back on; The iPad continues repeating that over and over again on a seemingly endless loop. We’ve found that these frustrating cycles tend to result from a bug in whatever app you were last trying to use. That said, there could also be a couple of other factors causing the bootloop. We have several recommendations to try out to stop the looping before you take your iPad to the Apple Store for help.