iPad Pro 12.9 light bleeding - covered by warranty?

[Bob6590]

Update: Apparently Apple is acknowledging some responsibility even after warranty expires, so on Friday I received notice from the supervisor I had talked to earlier in the week to go into our local Apple store on Saturday , and they would arrange an exchange.

Went in Saturday, the tech reviewed and checked over the iPad one more time, and then ordered up a replacement unit for delivery in 3-5 business days. So for now am just awaiting their call to swap out the units.

I talked with the tech about the problem, and he said that if this screen issue happened on a iPhone, they would just replace the screen and send me on my way. But with the 12.9" screen and the way the iPad is assembled, the odds of damaging something else are too high. So they just replace the unit from a stock of new units they have instead and recycle to old unit. The normal new replacement cost is listed at $599 for my model, and they gave me full credit against that cost. So once again thanks to all for your suggestions.

 

[Fraen]

Hello everybody,

I noticed the same problem with my iPad Pro 12.9 2 gen (it was produced in October 2017). I brought it to the local reseller and they gave me a completely new iPad Pro 12.9 2 gen (they said that it was the first case with this problem). Also there were problems with unresponsive screen and small black dot at the bottom of the screen. They checked condition of the device and it was bent (lower left corner, I hold my iPad with left hand hear this corner), I did not drop it and did not bend the device, I only use my backpack to carry it, also I use Smart Keyboard (maybe that could be the reason). They gave me another one for the period of time during replacement of my device, it was iPad Pro 10.5 (2017) out of the box and it was bent too. Btw when I noticed this problem my iPad was out of 1-year warranty (it was 16-th month of usage). However, they changed the device (for free) under Russian consumer law, which gives 2 years warranty. The new one is produced in October 2018, it is not bent at all, hope they solved this problem.
Has anyone experienced this problem again on iPads that were produced in late 2018?

 

[Bob6590]

Final update on my iPad screen problem:

Received a no-cost replacement for my iPad 12.9 256GB unit on Tuesday. The exchange receipt shows the $599 cost being covered even though it's out of warranty by Apple, for "Customer satisfaction purposes."

So if you have the "spotlighting" issue similar to the pictures in this string and others, try taking to store, and if they refuse to replace for free, call 1-800-MYAPPLE and ask to speak to someone about an out-of-warranty repair issue. I lucked out I think, and got the first guy convinced to try getting a replacement for me.

But for sure, they are aware of the issue, as it seemed all I really had to do was complain a bit, and mention my other Apple units that are still running OK after several years.
Bob

 

[mrex]

Hello everybody,

I noticed the same problem with my iPad Pro 12.9 2 gen (it was produced in October 2017). I brought it to the local reseller and they gave me a completely new iPad Pro 12.9 2 gen (they said that it was the first case with this problem). Also there were problems with unresponsive screen and small black dot at the bottom of the screen. They checked condition of the device and it was bent (lower left corner, I hold my iPad with left hand hear this corner), I did not drop it and did not bend the device, I only use my backpack to carry it, also I use Smart Keyboard (maybe that could be the reason). They gave me another one for the period of time during replacement of my device, it was iPad Pro 10.5 (2017) out of the box and it was bent too. Btw when I noticed this problem my iPad was out of 1-year warranty (it was 16-th month of usage). However, they changed the device (for free) under Russian consumer law, which gives 2 years warranty. The new one is produced in October 2018, it is not bent at all, hope they solved this problem.
Has anyone experienced this problem again on iPads that were produced in late 2018?

yes.. mine started right after one year and warranty is over..

maybe it was a first case for the reseller, but mine is exactly as this one https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8572802

im just guessing but probably there will be more cases. all the cases has been quite similar which i have seen.

 

[Bob6590]

Update: Apparently Apple is acknowledging some responsibility even after warranty expires, so on Friday I received notice from the supervisor I had talked to earlier in the week to go into our local Apple store on Saturday , and they would arrange an exchange.

Went in Saturday, the tech reviewed and checked over the iPad one more time, and then ordered up a replacement unit for delivery in 3-5 business days. So for now am just awaiting their call to swap out the units.

I talked with the tech about the problem, and he said that if this screen issue happened on a iPhone, they would just replace the screen and send me on my way. But with the 12.9" screen and the way the iPad is assembled, the odds of damaging something else are too high. So they just replace the unit from a stock of new units they have instead and recycle to old unit. The normal new replacement cost is listed at $599 for my model, and they gave me full credit against that cost. So once again thanks to all for your suggestions.

Final Update on replacement for Bob6590 iPad 12.9 2nd Gen:

Picked up my replacement on Tuesday from Apple. The list price for replacement was $599, and in my case they covered it all at Apple. I have a receipt that shows the no-cost exchange. So by complaining both on the 800-MYAPPLE line and at the store in my case succeeded, even though was out of warranty by 5 months or so. If you are having an issue like this out of warranty, at least try to get Apple to cover it, since it worked for me. Only bad news is if it happens again, will be out of luck. Replacement iPad is only warranted 3 months.
Thanks
Bob

 

[MimicBunion972]

My iPad Pro 12.9 inch Gen 2 is just over 2 years old and 3 spotlight leaking appeared in the past few weeks.
This is not normal, it is probably manufacture defect. I have iPad Air and iPad Air 2 from many years ago, they work just fine. I am glad that I am not alone. I will take it to Apple Store. Thanks guys.

 

[Drugojacopo]

Hi all,

I am so glad I found this thread!

Here is my tale:

I purchased my 2nd Gen. iPad Pro 12.9” in September 2017. Around August 2018 it started to show 4-5 backlight bleeding spots on the left side of the screen (the side with the smart connector). I realized this just before the end of the 12-months warranty, so I went to an Apple Store (in D.C.) and got it replaced, no questions asked.

Now, just 10 months later, the replacement iPad Pro is showing 10 or more bleeding points on the same side! Unfortunately, I am not in US anymore, so I went to an authorized Apple-reseller in Italy and I was told that because I am out of warranty it would cost me 650 EUR to replace.

I tried to post this on the Apple Support Community, but I just got ‘shamed’ for not gettin AC+, AND got censored by moderators for saying that I thought AC+ is blackmail and that I hoped Apple was not purposefully designing devices to break down just after warranty expired (...clockwork-Apple...).

I will complain further to Apple, I love the IPad Pro and I am a long-time customer, I expect better from them, this is clearly a manufacturing issue. I’m going to refer to this thread and see if it helps to get an out-of-warranty replacement without the ridiculous fee.

Thanks, I’ll keep you posted.

 

[EssentialParado]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but I figured I’d post in here since it was this thread that convinced me to take my iPad Pro 12.9 (2nd Gen) into my local Apple store.

My iPad exhibits the same ‘spotlight’ issue along the left hand side of the iPad (portrait mode). As many have suggested in this thread, it starts out small, and begins to spread. I took my iPad to the Genius Bar today, a little concerned they may not be able to see the issue (although it’s pretty obvious to my eye). Fortunately, two Genius Bar representatives noticed the issue straight away. I also pointed out that the screen seems to shift to a blue tone along the left hand edge as well.

My iPad was purchased in Sep 2017, I had no apple care, and it was out of warranty. Despite this, I got a free replacement under consumer law (I live in the UK) no questions asked. I’m very happy with the service I got, and I’d encourage anyone with this issue to get it checked out - especially if you have apple care or live in the UK where consumer law applies.

Another observation I made whilst in the Apple Store, my particular store still has a few 2nd Gen 12-Inch iPads on display as part of a wall feature. Each one of these exhibited the same issue to varying degrees.

@adamlbiscuit I am also in the UK and having this issue and also purchased in Sept 2017. Did you buy your iPad at the Apple Store? Unfortunately I bought mine at Argos and when I went into the Apple store they told me they cover 2 year warranty under EU consumer law if bought at Apple, but only cover 1 year warranty if bought elsewhere so I was out of luck.

However, now I’m seeing people reporting the same issue returning even with replacement models, I’m wondering if there’s any point getting a replacement!

 

[mrex]

unfortunately mine has excatly the same issue after a year...

it started with couple, now there are seven.

a year suffered by an unresponsive screen, now an unresponsive screen and a light bleed.

 

[Dave-Z]

unfortunately mine has excatly the same issue after a year...

it started with couple, now there are seven.

a year suffered by an unresponsive screen, now an unresponsive screen and a light bleed.

Yeah... Same issue with mine. I eventually used Apple's trade in program. Despite the issues, they accepted it at (their) fully quoted value. I couldn't bring myself to sell it on somewhere like eBay, etc. given how poorly the device worked. I didn't get anywhere near what it would have been worth had it been working properly, but it was better than nothing. I used the gift card to buy an iPhone 8 Plus because I don't really like my XR.

Sadly, the number of Apple products I have now it down to a phone and an iPad Mini 4. I really want a Mini 5 but since there are reports of touch issues with that model, too, I'm not buying. My Surface Go and Lenovo 2-in-1 are working well for me (especially the Surface Go, great little machine... sort of like a cross between an iPad and a netbook).

 

[thadoggfather]

Mine has this issue too

But i wont fight apple to get it replaced dont want one with a bad screen tint , or other uniformity issues ,or one not on jailbroken version ... assuming they’d even take care of it

Mine seems more faint than some pics I’ve seen in this thread tbh but still noticeable

Ill probably use this iPad for a while if I can.

Also too afraid to upgrade from 11.3.1 since I haven’t really had touch issues in regular usage i lucked out on that front . Don’t wanna gamble with that too

 

[mdewberry]

I just recently bought my 12.9 iPad Pro last month, and when I was in the Apple store, I noticed that each and every 12.9 Pro had this backlight bleeding on the edges when looking at white screens. I was nervous about it and showed it to the store employee, who stated he had not noticed it before! I did not see it on the 10.5 inch Pros, but it was on all of the 12.9 inch ones.

He stated that if I still wanted to try one, I could buy it, and I had two weeks to return if there was backlight bleeding. I also confirmed that if this light bleed occurred later, it would definitely be covered under Apple Care (which I bought). I brought it home and no backlight bleed.

I was hoping that maybe it was that initial batch of new iPad Pros that were problematic, and that Apple had worked through the problem. Now, unfortunately, it seems that it is an issue that will most likely surface over time.

So... Similar to many other stories on this thread, I am now beginning to see the spotlighting on the left portrait side of my iPad Pro (along the area where an external keyboard would connect). List most folks, this is happening just over a year of owning the iPad (I bought it in June of last year). So disappointing. The iPad has been in a strong plastic Logi case since the day I have owned it. Luckily I have Apple Care, and will get it replaced at some point. Right now the spotlighting is in a somewhat small area, so i want to see if it spreads (like other posts have stated). Seems like this is a common issue. I am sure my replacement unit will eventually suffer the same issue. My wife and kid's all bought 9.7 iPads the same day and all still have perfect screens. Must be an issue specifically with the 12.9 iPad Pro.

 

[Wm2161]

I owned my iPad Pro 12.9 2nd generation (512 GB) iPad for about 18 months (with no Apple Care) when I started having a small concentration of "light bleed" or “spotlighting” on the bottom part of the tablet where the screen meets the bezel (notable, it is on the same side with the smart connector). Over a two month period, the light bleed became worse, especially on a white lit background. The spotlighting ultimately turned into about 7 very noticeable spots all on the same side, at the bottom of the tablet near the bezel. I took the iPad into an Apple store and was told it was a $600 charge for a one-for-one exchange because it was out of warranty and could not be repaired. A couple of tips based on my experience.

1. I asked if this problem was reported by others? The tech surprising provided her opinion and said that she saw a few of these issues and attributed it to having the iPad connected to a Smart Keyboard (maybe for long periods of times). She pointed out that all the iPads she saw, with similar light bleed issues, were affected on the same side with the smart connector. I know this sounds insane since the iPad Pro is a device built and sold with the intent of being connected to a Smart Keyboard. After walking around the Apple store later, I also noticed that the third-generation iPad Pro models no longer have the Smart Keyboard connector on the bottom of the iPad, it is now on the rear. I can only speculate that besides a major case design change, Apple may have been privy to a known issue with the Smart Keyboard positioned at the bottom of its device and changed its position in the new model.

2. as far as the $600 charge. I had a very respectful back and forth with the tech on the asking price for a fix for my device that she speculated could have been due to it being connected to a smart keyboard that Apple sold (and still sells) in their store. I also pointed out online advertising, from other retailers that still had stock of the 2nd generation, that we're selling it for nearly the same price as what Apple was asking for a one-for-one exchange. The tech, who was clearly on my side, then checked my tablet’s battery life and said: "your battery is testing at a rate that we would consider nearly failing". That being said, she offered to charge me for what amounts to a battery replacement ($100.00) and conducted a one-for-one trade with me. In the end, I walked away with a new device for $100 despite my original iPad being out warranty and having no Apple Care.

I mention this because if you have this issue and are facing a $600.00 replacement fee, consider asking for a battery diagnosis and see if they can replace the device based on a "failing battery". I tried posting this tread on the Apple community board website and not surprisingly they did not post it because they claim it was not a technical issue..shameful (see attached).

 

[Matt Godbey]

Same problem here on a 12.9 Pro. I just noticed this light bleed within the last three weeks. I'm super nerdy about my screens and surely I would have noticed this before. Have had the ipad since July, 2017. So, out of warranty and no AC because this was my first Apple product and I didn't know about Apple Care or what it was. Kind of stupid on my part, I guess. But I bought the iPAD through BandH in New York and it was never offered from them, so I didn't know about it.

Weird that it's just showing up on all these iPADs. I thought it might have been after I attached the Brydge keyboard. That thing grips and holds the screen so tight I thought it may have been the problem.

Now, I'm wondering...

 

[Wm2161]

Same problem here on a 12.9 Pro. I just noticed this light bleed within the last three weeks. I'm super nerdy about my screens and surely I would have noticed this before. Have had the ipad since July, 2017. So, out of warranty and no AC because this was my first Apple product and I didn't know about Apple Care or what it was. Kind of stupid on my part, I guess. But I bought the iPAD through BandH in New York and it was never offered from them, so I didn't know about it.

Weird that it's just showing up on all these iPADs. I thought it might have been after I attached the Brydge keyboard. That thing grips and holds the screen so tight I thought it may have been the problem.

Now, I'm wondering...

Matt..like you, I also purchased my iPad through a third-party retailer in the US (not Apple) and although I was was not able to get Apple to completely concede to the fact this is a manufacturing error, they only charged me for a battery failure/replacement which is significantly cheaper ($100.00). Also, consider the credit card used to purchase the iPad. I used a chase card that has an extended warranty feature which adds two years to the original warranty. I filed a claim to recoup the $100.00 charge for the warranty repair. So even if Apple charges you $600 for the warranty repair/exchange, if you have a CC that offers this coverage you may be in luck. Funny that you mention B&H Photo, that is the website I used to show the Apple tech that their $600 charge for a one-for-one exchange (device only with 90-day warranty) was roughly the same price for a new device (which would carry a 1-year warranty and new charging cable and plug). good luck!

 

[Matt Godbey]

William, thanks for the info. I'll see what can be done.
er-hem, I suppose it's William? That's the name that came to mind, Wm2161

 

[ixthy]

Guys all ipad pro 2017 models have this issue, which appears after several months of use. I know that because I have returned two devices and my 3rd is starting to have the same issues. Unresponsive touch screen and spotlights at the side of the magnet for the smart keyboard. I really consider to keep my 3rd device, because it was better than the previous two I returned. Probably the issue is how they glue the screen on this particular side, because all other sides seem to be perfectly fine, at least for all my 3 devices. For everybody's info I have never used a smart keyboard so it is not a keyboard issue. Maybe the problem is more general and it is about how they assemble this thing with the keyboard magnet. If you don't have a serious issue, you better don't bother contacting Apple. Exchanging your device may be even more dangerous than you think.
[doublepost=1567619776][/doublepost]

Same problem here on a 12.9 Pro. I just noticed this light bleed within the last three weeks. I'm super nerdy about my screens and surely I would have noticed this before. Have had the ipad since July, 2017. So, out of warranty and no AC because this was my first Apple product and I didn't know about Apple Care or what it was. Kind of stupid on my part, I guess. But I bought the iPAD through BandH in New York and it was never offered from them, so I didn't know about it.

Weird that it's just showing up on all these iPADs. I thought it might have been after I attached the Brydge keyboard. That thing grips and holds the screen so tight I thought it may have been the problem.

Now, I'm wondering...

Don't wonder my friend. It is Apple's fault. Sooner or later all ipad pros do this. That is why Apple never talks about this issue. They usually exchange your device with a new with the same problem. And believe me, if you have this device for two years and you notice the problem just now, you are one of the lucky guys.

 

[Matt Godbey]

Thanks, ixthy!

 

[thadoggfather]

It’s incredible this hasn’t been acknowledged or any extended warranty offered standard for this issue. Really disappointing actually

 

[seadragon]

My just over 2 years old and out of warranty 2nd gen 12.9 Pro just started having this issue. I have one led spotlighting on the smart connector side. Sounds like it will worsen. Just great.

 

[Drugojacopo]

Update on my issue: Got bounced back with a bill of 600 EURO from Apple Italy, I did not accept. Came to the US for holidays, went in the Apple store where I was suggested to call 1-800-APL-CARE and ‘shout’ to talk to the supervisor. I just got off the phone with such supervisor who refused to do any exception for my iPad.
I am now seriously considering disengaging with anything Apple and moving to a Surface. Will sleep over it.

 

[Dave-Z]

I am now seriously considering disengaging with anything Apple and moving to a Surface. Will sleep over it.

I really like my Surface Go. It's a nice little machine. Part laptop, part tablet. Easily my favorite device these days.

 

[Gturay]

My just over 2 years old and out of warranty 2nd gen 12.9 Pro just started having this issue. I have one led spotlighting on the smart connector side. Sounds like it will worsen. Just great.

I got mine replaced for a discounted $400. Then called apple support and got nowhere. Stuck paying that money for a 15 month old iPad Pro 12.9inch. I am not pleased at all. And only 90 days of warranty on the replacement device. I am losing my respect for apple.

 

[Bigv99j]

Yep....just noticed this problem and came looking at the forums. Second gen 12.9 pro same side as everybody. I don’t use a keyboard though. Just a case. No Apple care, no warranty. All I can do is hope it last until the new pro comes out. I was gonna get the new one anyhow. But that might be awhile. I’m hooked on the Apple pencil, Procreate, Goodnotes....so I’m not sure if I could use anything else. There is nothing else as good to me. Seems like as much as we spent it would’ve lasted longer before it had problems.

 

[Der Keyser]

Just wanted to chime in and say mine showed the exact same problem with light bleeding and intermittenly unresponsive display. Luckily I live in Denmark and here the law requires 1 year of full product warranty and 1 additonal year of manufactoring failure warranty. Mine got exchanged by apple at no cost because of the second year warranty.