9 Common iPad Problems & How to Fix Them

Today we want to take a look at some of the most common iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad problems and show you how to fix them.

Apple’s released a number of iOS 10 updates but iPad users continue to struggle with problems including abnormal battery drain, issues with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, problems with AirDrop, and more.

The company’s iOS 10.3 update fix some of these issues but we expect some to linger in the months ahead.

With that in mind, we want to share some fixes for common iPad problems affecting iPad Pro, iPad Air, iPad mini and iPad Retina owners. Most of these fixes should work on iOS 7, iOS 8, iOS 9 as well.

How to Fix iPad Battery Life Problems

Battery life issues continue to plague many iPad users. And while it’s easy to blame Apple and its iOS update for your issues, there’s a chance that it’s a third-party application or your bad habits causing the problems.

There are a number of things you can try if your iPad starts exhibiting heavy battery drain out of nowhere or if you start experiencing issues after you upgrade to a new version of iOS.

While there are a ton of things that people recommend, we think there are several fixes that iPad users should try before taking the device into an Apple Store.

These fixes range from small settings tweaks to changes in daily overall use. All of them have the potential to fix bad iOS battery life and we highly recommend looking at them before performing a factory reset or taking the iPad in.

How to Fix iPad Wi-Fi Issues

Wi-Fi issues have been a nuisance for many iPad users for many years and we continue to hear complaints after the iOS 10 release.

iPad users have complained about a wide variety of issues ranging from grayed out Wi-Fi to issues keeping a connection.

Unfortunately, there is no guaranteed fix for iPad Wi-Fi issues but there are a few things that users can try before performing a factory reset, replacing a router, or taking the iPhone down to an Apple Store.

These fixes have been passed down for many years and they’ve worked for numerous iPad users in the past.

The first thing you’ll want to do is reset your network settings. This is an extremely easy process though it could take a couple of minutes to complete. To do this, open up the iPad and head to Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings.

You will need the iPad’s passcode and a few minutes of time because the tablet is going to reboot itself to complete the changes.

You’ll also want to track down commonly used Wi-Fi passwords because this process will force you to renter them for your connections.

If that doesn’t fix things, you can try turning off Wi-Fi Networking. To do that, head to Settings > Privacy > Location Services > System Services. After you’ve handled this, reboot your iPad and see it things improve.

You can also try forgetting your Wi-Fi connection. To do that, head into the Wi-Fi settings and tap that circle with a lowercase “i” in the middle. Forget the connection. Then, reconnect. This has worked for us in the past.

If that doesn’t work, try resetting your router. Unplug it for five minutes and then plug it in again. If that doesn’t help, consult a manual and update the router’s firmware.

How to Fix iPad Bluetooth Problems

Bluetooth problems are common iOS issues and they continue to plague iPad users around the world. There are a few things you can try in an effort to fix them.

First, flip your Bluetooth connection off and then on again to see if that helps. This has helped us reconnect to Bluetooth speakers in the past.

Second, try “Reset All Settings” function in your iPad’s settings. To do this, open up your iPad and head to Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings. This might take a bit of time but it’s a known fix for Bluetooth issues.

If that doesn’t work, forget your Bluetooth connection and connect again. To do that, head into your Bluetooth settings and tap the lowercase “i.” Forget the connection and try again. It might take a few attempts but this could dislodge your issues.

How to Fix iPad App Issues

We’ve been getting a lot of complaints about applications crashing and freezing in iOS 10. iPad users haven’t been as vocal as iPhone users but that doesn’t mean that app problems don’t exist.

Apple’s not going to be fixing these issues and it’s going to be up to third-party developers to take care of any random problems. And that means that fixes, permanent ones, could take awhile.

Fortunately, there are a few things that iPad users can try to try and return app performance to its normal state.

Make sure the applications on your iPad are updated. App updates with support for iOS 10 have been trickling out since launch in September and you’ll want those on board if you’re running the latest software.

If you’re forgetful or lazy, you will want to turn on automatic App Store updates. This will keep apps automatically updated and ensure that they are always on the latest version with the latest bug fixes. To do that, head into Settings > iTunes & App Store > and Toggle on Automatic Downloads.

If you’re on the latest version, try reinstalling the app to see if that helps. This has worked for us in the past.

How to Improve Performance on iPad

Our experience on iOS 10 has been pretty solid but we know that some are suffering from performance issues. Those of you that notice a drop in performance have a few things that they can try to improve performance.

There are some ways to speed up the performance on the iPad should it get a little choppy. We’ve outlined a number of different strategies including reducing animations and pretty effects, resetting settings, or restoring back to factory settings.

Keep in mind, there is no cure all for performance issues on the iPad or Apple’s iPhone. If nothing works, users will want to try these before performing a factory reset.

How to Fix iPad iMessage Problems

We’ve been running into a number of iMessage problems on the iPad for several years now and know other iPad owners have too.

If you’re iMessages stop working, the first thing to try is toggling iMessage off and on. If that doesn’t work, try rebooting the tablet. If neither of those work, it’s time to reset the device’s network settings.

To do that, head into Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. The iPad will reboot, your messages should be working again.

If this doesn’t help, make sure there isn’t an outage at Apple.

How to Fix iPad AirDrop Issues

AirDrop is a quick way to share files across devices. It’s also a feature that’s been troublesome for some users in the past. We ourselves have encountered AirDrop problems on iOS though we were able to solve them with a simple solution.

iPad users experiencing issues with AirDrop, including the inability to send files or discover users, will simply want to try toggling AirDrop to Everyone.

To do that, pull up Control Center from the bottom of the screen and change the setting from Off or Contacts Only to Everyone. With this setting turned on, we were able to share files across all devices using iOS.

How to Fix iPad Random Reboots

iPad users have been complaining about frustrating random reboots where the device magically resets on its own. These can be tricky to fix but here are a few suggestions.

The only permanent cure is going to be an iOS update and upcoming iOS 10 updates aren’t guaranteed to fix things. Fortunately, after years of dealing with these issues, we have some tips to try and minimize this extremely random issue.

First, try restarting the iPad. This is a no-brainer but it could have a positive impact on your device’s performance, especially if you haven’t reset it in awhile.

We also recommend performing a reset on all settings. To do that, Settings > General > Reset > Reset All Settings.

It also might be worth it to uninstall recent apps to see if that helps.

How to Fix iPad Cellular Data Issues

We’ve been getting complaints about cellular data issues on iPads running the iOS 10 update. Slow connections, no connections and other random problems have plagued some iPad and iPhone users in the days since its release.

To try and fix these, first try restarting the iPad. This has worked for us in the past. If that simple fix doesn’t work, try toggling cellular data on and off. This also has had a positive effect on our connectivity. To do that, Cellular > Cellular Data > Toggle Off.

Finally, if none of that works, try flipping Airplane Mode on, waiting 30 seconds, and then flipping it off. This, like the other fixes, has worked to dislodge cellular data issues.

If nothing works, contact your carrier to see if there is an outage in your area.

How to Fix iPad Problems If Nothing Else Works

If none of this works and Apple’s discussion forums aren’t helping, we have two recommendations. First, take the iPad to a Genius Bar at the local Apple Store. They’ll help diagnose the problem, if they can.

You might also get in contact with Apple’s support page on Twitter to see if the reps there can help you iron out your issue(s).

Those that can’t or don’t want to go that route will want to consider performing a factory reset. Factory resets will wipe the iPad clean though it has worked wonders for devices in the past.

To do that choose Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings. Again, this will wipe everything from the iPad, so make a back up before doing this, even though we recommend not installing from a restore.

Install iOS 12.5.6 for Better Security

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If you're on the fence, here's one of the best reasons to install iOS 12.5.6 right away. iOS 12.5.6 has a vital security patch on board and it will protect your device(s) from harm. If you want the details, head over to Apple's website. If you missed the iOS 12.5.5 update, it brought three security patches to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. You can learn more about the trio on Apple's security site.  If you missed iOS 12.5.4, you'll get that update's important security upgrades with your iOS 12.5.6 update. If you're interested in the particulars, head on over to Apple's website for more. If you skipped iOS 12.5.3, you'll get its security patches with your upgrade. Both of its patches were related to WebKit. If you want to learn more about them, head on over to Apple's security site.  If you skipped iOS 12.5.2, you'll also get its security patch with your upgrade. You can read more about it over on Apple's website.  If you also skipped iOS 12.5, you'll also get its patch with your upgrade. Apple's outlined the update's patch in detail on its security site.  If you missed iOS 12.4.9, you'll also get its four security patches with your upgrade. You can read more about those right here.  If you skipped iOS 12.4.7, you also get the update's three security patches (two for the Mail app and one for Wi-Fi) with your upgrade to iOS 12.5.6. If you're running software that's older than Apple's iOS 12.4.4 update, you'll want to download iOS 12.5.6 in the near future because it brings iOS 12.4.4's security patch to your device. You can read about it right here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.4.2, you'll get an its patch with your upgrade. You can read about the security contents of iOS 12.4.2 right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4.1, you'll get iOS 12.4.1's security patch with your iOS 12.5.6 update. You can read about that patch right here.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.4, you get iOS 12.4's patches with your iOS 12.5.6 update.  iOS 12.4 brought 19 security patches to the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. If you're interested in the specifics, you can read about them on Apple's security site.  If you're running software older than iOS 12.3, your iOS 12.5.6 update carries iOS 12.3's security patches on board. The iOS 12.3 update brought 23 patches and you can read about all of them right here on Apple's site.  If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.2, you'll get iOS 12.2's security patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. iOS 12.2 brought a whopping 41 security patches to iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch. You can read more about the iOS 12.2's patches over on the company's website.  It's important to note that Apple's iOS 12.2 update patched up an exploit that allowed websites to use motion sensors to "fingerprint" devices. The exploit, discovered by researchers in Europe, uses JavaScript to snag data from a device's accelerometer, gyroscope, and magnetometer when the user visits an infected website. If the attack is successful, a device can be tracked around the internet.  Fortunately, Apple's patched up the issue. If you skipped it, you'll probably want to move to iOS 12.5.6 soon. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.4, you get four important security patches including fixes for a widespread FaceTime eavesdropping bug that lets you call someone via FaceTime and hear the audio coming from their phone before they pick up the phone. If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.3, you get some additional patches with your version of iOS 12.5.6. Again, they're baked into your upgrade. Apple lists a grand total of 23 patches on board iOS 12.1.3 and you can read about all of them over on Apple's website.  If you're on software older than iOS 12.1.1, you should install the iOS 12.5.6 update on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch today.  The iOS 12.1.1 update brought 17 patches for potential security exploits. They'll will help protect your phone. You can read about them here. If you're running software older than iOS 12.1, you'll get 24 patches from that update with your version of iOS 12.5.5. If you're on software that's older than iOS 12.0.1, your iOS 12.5.6 update brings two additional patches. Both patches are for potential lock screen exploits. Long story long, if you store sensitive data on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, you have some really good reasons to upgrade to iOS 12.5.6 today.

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