iPad Pro iPad Pro (12 9") (2nd Generation) Unresponsive Screen

larrydata · Nov 27, 2019

Like many others I've read about here and elsewhere I have a randomly unresponsive screen on my iPad Pro (12 9") (2nd Generation). Other symptoms are freezing display and poor battery life. The unresponsiveness happens in every app and even using the app switcher.

I've been to the Genius bar twice under Applecare so far and they have reset, reloaded, restored, etc several times. They are convinced that it is software since nothing bad ever shows up in their diagnostic tests.

I just got back after they restored to it factory settings using their computer and it's even worse than before. I have no apps except Chrome, OnePassword, Gmail, and Pubg Mobile installed and it's still really bad.

Here's a video showing the intermittent nature of the issue. Works, then doesn't work, then works, then doesn't, etc. You certainly can't play a game with this tablet, and it's quite frustrating doing anything on it.

Has anyone ever actually fixed this issue? I've heard that it happens in the newer Pros too, and that a hardware replacement might not be much better. It was truly amazing before this issue started, and I can't seem to get Apple to take it seriously.

Note: Apple support is supposed to call me Sunday, so maybe I can get them to watch the video and see it for themselves?

Ludatyk · Nov 27, 2019

larrydata said:
Has anyone ever actually fixed this issue? I've heard that it happens in the newer Pros too, and that a hardware replacement might not be much better. It was truly amazing before this issue started, and I can't seem to get Apple to take it seriously.

It’s been a known problem among Apple Community and I don’t recall ever seeing a fix, I’ve had that problem.. along with bleeding screen. But I think it’s hardware related more than anything, it might have little to do with the software. It happened sometime after a year of having that 12.9“ iPP.

But I decided to just upgrade... And come January, it will be a year when I purchased the 2018 iPP model. So far, I haven’t had any issues.. it’s been working perfectly. Can you find any links that it has happened to the newer Pros?

mw360 · Nov 28, 2019

Are you charging the iPad while that’s happening?

AutomaticApple · Nov 28, 2019

larrydata said:
Like many others I've read about here and elsewhere I have a randomly unresponsive screen on my iPad Pro (12 9") (2nd Generation). Other symptoms are freezing display and poor battery life. The unresponsiveness happens in every app and even using the app switcher.

I've been to the Genius bar twice under Applecare so far and they have reset, reloaded, restored, etc several times. They are convinced that it is software since nothing bad ever shows up in their diagnostic tests.

I just got back after they restored to it factory settings using their computer and it's even worse than before. I have no apps except Chrome, OnePassword, Gmail, and Pubg Mobile installed and it's still really bad.

Here's a video showing the intermittent nature of the issue. Works, then doesn't work, then works, then doesn't, etc. You certainly can't play a game with this tablet, and it's quite frustrating doing anything on it.

Has anyone ever actually fixed this issue? I've heard that it happens in the newer Pros too, and that a hardware replacement might not be much better. It was truly amazing before this issue started, and I can't seem to get Apple to take it seriously.

Note: Apple support is supposed to call me Sunday, so maybe I can get them to watch the video and see it for themselves?

What version of iPadOS are you on?

Ungibbed · Nov 28, 2019

Just got my refurb 12.9 (2017) and even under heavy I/O stress loading apps and syncing photos and music while charging, mine hasn’t skipped a beat.

hope it lasts me a while trouble free (knock on wood). Hope you get yours sorted.

muzzy996 · Nov 28, 2019

I had my gen 2 iPP 12.9 replaced under AppleCare+ about a month and a half ago for this issue. Went the online route rather than in-store. The tech support person walked me through a series of questions (cleaning, any existing damage, is there a screen protector, is it in a case etc. etc.). I approached the chat session with the philosophy that the answers to all of that essentially need to be no so as to demonstrate that the device is faulty and not affected by any other external forces. In the end the tech decided to authorize a replacement. I asked if I had to pay a lot for a replacement because if I did I’d rather just get a refurbished unit myself from the certified store and the tech assured me that I wouldn’t have to.

Initially on checkout the invoice showed that i’d be paying several hundred (don’t quote me, I dont recall the exact price) essentially for a full replacement plus a hold on my CC for the balance in value for the replacement unit being sent to me just in case I don’t return it. I nicely pushed back on that and said that if I had to pay to replace this defective unit then I’d rather not complete the service. The tech agreed and went back into the system to modify the service request essentially to the point that what I would have was a hold on my CC for the full value of the replacement with no other upfront charges. Once they received my old unit back I was not charged anything.

larrydata · Nov 28, 2019

I’m on the latest OS and I wasn’t charging it when I made the video.

Thanks Muzzy...hopefully when the tech calls Sunday we can work out a replacement.

aakshey · Nov 29, 2019

larrydata said:
I’m on the latest OS and I wasn’t charging it when I made the video.

Thanks Muzzy...hopefully when the tech calls Sunday we can work out a replacement.

This is a known hardware issue. Prevalent on all Pros. Most common with the third gen.

lars666 · Nov 29, 2019

I experience this from time to time with my 12,9" third generation iPad Pro in Safari – although I can't say for sure that it is limited to that. Always thought that this most probably is a iOS software bug which will sooner or later be fixed, but hearing about hardware issue theories here makes me nervous ...

DragonX · Nov 30, 2019

larrydata said:
Like many others I've read about here and elsewhere I have a randomly unresponsive screen on my iPad Pro (12 9") (2nd Generation). Other symptoms are freezing display and poor battery life. The unresponsiveness happens in every app and even using the app switcher.

I've been to the Genius bar twice under Applecare so far and they have reset, reloaded, restored, etc several times. They are convinced that it is software since nothing bad ever shows up in their diagnostic tests.

I just got back after they restored to it factory settings using their computer and it's even worse than before. I have no apps except Chrome, OnePassword, Gmail, and Pubg Mobile installed and it's still really bad.

Here's a video showing the intermittent nature of the issue. Works, then doesn't work, then works, then doesn't, etc. You certainly can't play a game with this tablet, and it's quite frustrating doing anything on it.

Has anyone ever actually fixed this issue? I've heard that it happens in the newer Pros too, and that a hardware replacement might not be much better. It was truly amazing before this issue started, and I can't seem to get Apple to take it seriously.

Note: Apple support is supposed to call me Sunday, so maybe I can get them to watch the video and see it for themselves?

Welcome to the club

Unfortunately it's a known issue with all modern iPads including Pros 2018 and minis. It cannot be fixed as it's a hardware issue and it becomes worse over time.

First it looks like it's a temporary software bug but it gradually becomes worse and worse over time (usually 3-4 months) until your iPad becomes hardly responsive at all.

The only way to fix that is for Apple to admit this issue and change their manufacturing process. Which they didn't ever do since this problem first appeared 2 years ago.

Apple prefers to sell broken iPads and pretend nothing is going on.

P.S. My personal story with Apple Store in California - is that they replaced iPad 2 times (both non-working after some time) and declined to replace 3rd time (warranty was over) so I ended up having a piece of aluminum junk instead of the working iPad Pro.

AutomaticApple · Dec 1, 2019

DragonX said:
Welcome to the club Unfortunately it's a known issue with all modern iPads including Pros 2018 and minis. It cannot be fixed as it's a hardware issue and it becomes worse over time.

First it looks like it's a temporary software bug but it gradually becomes worse and worse over time (usually 3-4 months) until your iPad becomes hardly responsive at all.

The only way to fix that is for Apple to admit this issue and change their manufacturing process. Which they didn't ever do since this problem first appeared 2 years ago.

Apple prefers to sell broken iPads and pretend nothing is going on.

P.S. My personal story with Apple Store in California - is that they replaced iPad 2 times (both non-working after some time) and declined to replace 3rd time (warranty was over) so I ended up having a piece of aluminum junk instead of the working iPad Pro.

You are making the problem seem bigger and worse than it actually is. Calm down and think everything over.

lars666 · Dec 1, 2019

DragonX said:
Welcome to the club Unfortunately it's a known issue with all modern iPads including Pros 2018 and minis. It cannot be fixed as it's a hardware issue and it becomes worse over time.

First it looks like it's a temporary software bug but it gradually becomes worse and worse over time (usually 3-4 months) until your iPad becomes hardly responsive at all.

The only way to fix that is for Apple to admit this issue and change their manufacturing process. Which they didn't ever do since this problem first appeared 2 years ago.

Apple prefers to sell broken iPads and pretend nothing is going on.

P.S. My personal story with Apple Store in California - is that they replaced iPad 2 times (both non-working after some time) and declined to replace 3rd time (warranty was over) so I ended up having a piece of aluminum junk instead of the working iPad Pro.

If the problem was even nearly of the proportion you describe, be sure that Apple would already see itself forced to offer a replacement program like with the butterfly keyboard.

AutomaticApple · Dec 1, 2019

lars666 said:
If the problem was even nearly of the proportion you describe, be sure that Apple would be already see itself forced to offer a replacement program like with the butterfly keyboard.

Spot on! I feel like someone people are practically attached to these kinds of threads and posts like drugs.

In conclusion, there's tons of fear mongering involved.

Ungibbed · Dec 1, 2019

AutomaticApple said:
Spot on! I feel like someone people are practically attached to these kinds of threads and posts like drugs.

In conclusion, there's tons of fear mongering involved.

That’s what I thought, as mine is perfectly fine.

seadragon · Dec 1, 2019

The touch issue is real and extremely frustrating. I’ve had my 12.9 2nd gen. replaced twice during the 2 years it was under AppleCare. The replacements were several months apart. Same issue with all 3 devices. Software updates make no difference, from iOS 11 to the latest 13.2.3.

Just bad luck with all 3 copies? I think not.

I’m out of warranty now. Thanks Apple.

DragonX · Dec 1, 2019

lars666 said:
If the problem was even nearly of the proportion you describe, be sure that Apple would already see itself forced to offer a replacement program like with the butterfly keyboard.

AutomaticApple · Dec 2, 2019

DragonX said:
Apple fixed butterfly keyboard only after they faced a class action lawsuit led by a couple of well known journalists.

iPad problem is indeed as big, look at all these threads (this is not even all of them) about people facing hardware problem with unresponsive screen:

MacRumors News:
https://forums.macrumors.com/thread...-complain-of-screen-stuttering-issues.2176245
Other forum threads:
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/irresponsive-screen-ipad-pro-12-9-2nd-gen.2121051/
(28+ pages of comments!)
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2016-ipad-pro-12-9-screen-intermittently-unresponsive.2118824/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/12-9-ipad-pro-gen-3-touchscreen-problem.2154220/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ipad-pro-stuttering-issue-now-more-widespread.2165593/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/missing-keystrokes.2166241/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/known-problem.2168160/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/10-5-pro-with-unresponsive-screen.2170164/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/2nd-gen-10-5”-degraded-touch-screen-sensitivity.2172781/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/ipad-pro-12-9-2018-screen-latency-issues.2173735/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-stutter-ipad-pro-2018.2161383/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-touch-unresponsive-on-2018-ipad-pros.2176116/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-stuttering-issue-on-11-ipad-pros.2176379/#post-27268554
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/touch-screen-response-issues.2185806/
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/screen-not-always-reacting-to-touch.2205045/

There are also tons of threads on iFixit, Best Buy and Amazon - basically everywhere people buy iPads they face eventual problems with the touch screen and they're surprised that no one cares.

Probably we need another class action suit and another journalist facing it. Until then buying an iPad (any model) is a very expensive lottery where you chances that it becomes a pumpkin in a year - are very high (considering new light bleeding problem and bending).

You are thinking about this way too broadly. There are more than likely millions of unaffected 2nd generation iPad Pros out in the wild. There are people who aren't experiencing any issues with their 2nd generation iPad Pro.

Again, not all iPads have major issues. I feel bad for those who are afraid to buy an iPad because of all this crappy fear mongering. There is no doubt that the issue exists, that's for sure, but it isn't big enough to justify scaring people from buying an iPad.

TL;DR: If it seems like the internet is trying to scare you in some way from buying a product, do some more research elsewhere or in real life.

DragonX · Dec 2, 2019

AutomaticApple said:
You are thinking about this way too broadly. There are more than likely millions of unaffected 2nd generation iPad Pros out in the wild. There are people who aren't experiencing any issues with their 2nd generation iPad Pro.

There are also millions of people who don't use iPad at all.
So why do you care? This is the thread specifically about people who are having problems.

muzzy996 · Dec 2, 2019

I don't see it as fear mongering at all, because I've experienced it and I have talked to a handful (sure its small) of people who have issues as well but do not go onto online forums to share their experiences about it. To me it's just about being informed and helping people make informed decisions. The iPad is still something I'm going to continue to maintain and I'll eventually upgrade as well . . but I'm going to do it with my eyes wide open to the fact that there is a possibility that I'll have issues with it and I'll mitigate that risk the way I see fit (which in my case means I'll continue to subscribe to AppleCare+).

I really could care less what other people do, but it does make me wonder if writing the issue off as insignificant in terms of probability simply because there are tens of millions of satisfied users isn't doing people a bit of a disservice.

AutomaticApple · Dec 2, 2019

DragonX said:
So why do you care? This is the thread specifically about people who are having problems.

It's fear mongering.

DragonX said:
There are also millions of people who don't use iPad at all.

Yes, I'm fully aware. What are you trying to say?

This post explains the problems with these kinds of threads.
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/bigger-ipad-pro.2212856/post-28029505

DragonX · Dec 2, 2019

AutomaticApple said:
Yes, I'm fully aware. What are you trying to say?

I'm trying to say that you go into posts where people are having very specific problems with Apple hardware. And telling that their problems are not so important comparing to some very abstract thing you call "millions".

That's not the first time you do that and it just looks strange to me, why do you care at all?

larrydata · Dec 2, 2019

I shared my video with Apple support and they agreed that it is “not normal at all” and I’m getting a loaner while mine is serviced.

I’m hoping there’s a happy ending but I will wait and see.

AutomaticApple · Dec 3, 2019

DragonX said:
I'm trying to say that you go into posts where people are having very specific problems with Apple hardware. And telling that their problems are not so important comparing to some very abstract thing you call "millions".

Not all of them are going to have a bad experience with Apple though.

DragonX · Dec 3, 2019

AutomaticApple said:
Not all of them are going to have a bad experience with Apple though.

Yeah, you do that again! Telling us our problems are not so important comparing to "all of them". No thank you, I'm not buying your Apple ad.

AutomaticApple · Dec 4, 2019

DragonX said:
Yeah, you do that again! Telling us our problems are not so important comparing to "all of them". No thank you, I'm not buying your Apple ad.

I never said that your problems were unimportant...

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