iPad starts playing music in my bag!

Just noticed your post neveralull this mornging in my inbox and also that this thread started in 2010 two years ago! Surprised Apple hasn't fixed nor apparently acknowledged it as I too have found in my days trying to fix the problem that all of the Apple reps I spoke with had never even heard of the issue like you saw right there in the store.

Personally, I wouldn't have left the store until an Apple rep there addressed, witnessed and documented the problem. But then you might not have realized how long this has been going on.

Now that you do and you see this 2 year old thread, if you don't live far from that store, you're on AppleCare, I would print out this thread and march back in to the Genius Bar and get explanation and their top tier tech staff to witness this problem, comment and come up with a plan on what to do.

My solution? I just turned my keyboard off and never use it. I should probably just ebay it but I'm sure there will come a day where I need it so I'll let it collect dust a little longer 🙂 Apple are you listening?

Eureka! I have found the issue!

While talking with AppleCare just now I was able to recreate the issue and workarounds to stop it. Here's what I learned:

1. iPad and BlueTooth keyboard need to be on. iPad in sleep mode versus fully off.

2. Pressing the F8 key turns on your music whether your iPad music icon says Music or iPod which depens if you're on iOS 4 or 5 (at the time of this writing).

3. So if your iPad and keyboard are in say... your knapsak, briefcase, etc. and your F8 key gets pressed accidentally, your music will start playing (if your ipad is sleeping and your keyboard is on).

4. If you have YouTube on & in sleep mode, I noticed that YouTube will start versus iPod/Music.

5. If your iPod/Music app was off/quit when your F8 key got pressed and started your iPod/Music playing a song, if you double click the iPad Home button you will be surprised to see that the iPod/Music app icon is NOT showing in the one inch area at the bottom of your iPad where all your "on" apps show.

6. So how is your music playing if the music app doesn't show presuming it isn't "on"? It turns out iPod/Music is always in like a "ready" mode. Double click the iPad Home button. When the bottom app area appears, swipe from left to right in the app area and you will now see your music app controls to start/stop, etc.

7. So.. this F8 key deal, is not a bug, but per AppleCare the way BlueTooth keyboards are designed. But to my mind there SHOULD be a preference to disable the F8 key so your music doesn't start playing in a quiet lecture class or biz meeting should you have left your iPad in sleep mode and your keyboard on.

8. Workaround 1: Turn your keyboard off before putting in a case along with your iPad. Hold on/off key on right for a few seconds till tiny green light goes off in upper right above the CD eject key. If your keyboard is off, F8 won't work and can't turn on your iPad's music.

9. Workaround 2: if your keyboard is on and the F8 key starts playing your iPad music or YouTube, get to your keyboard and press F8 to stop it, or F10 to mute the sound.

10. Workaround 3: open your ipad, double click the home button to show your apps, swipe left to right in lower app area, when your music controls appear, press Stop.

11. Write Apple and request that they give us a preference to disable the F8 key in:

iPad > Settings > General > Keyboard... in an upcoming iOS.

How To Write Apple:

Go to <apple.com> and in the lower right of most pages, even the homepage, is the link "Contact Us" - click it. On the lower right of the next page is a box of links "Website Feedback" - click "Product Feedback". On the next page you'll see lots of icons for various Apple products but there isn't a keyboard one, so click the iPad and fill out the form page with your observation and request for F8 bluetooth keyboard disable capability. It would be nice to know what all the other macros associated with the F keys are and do as we may want to be able to disable or edit them in some way.

Mystery solved. BTW... if there already is a way to control the F keys on a BlueTooth keyboard as related to your iPad, please advise in this thread.

Thanks.

Steven

You do not need workaround #2 or #3. If you simply turn your keyboard off, regardless of what buttons are pushed while your apple wireless keyboard is in your bag, the music will not turn on even if the F8 button is pressed accidentally. In the time that has elapsed since I posted this solution originally, the only inconvenience I have found is you have to turn on your keyboard when you want to use it again - after about a week of doing this in and out of meetings and in and out of the office, it is now a habit and not an inconvenience.

My original workaround was to 1- turn off the keyboard and 2- disable Bluetooth every time I put it in my bag. I had to do this because if the keyboard "on-off" button was bumped in the bag, it would activate the keyboard and at some point I would once again be listening to tunes from inside my bag and/or wouldn't hear them but have a dead iPad battery when I did pull it out.

My newest workaround was to buy the Zagg folio with its own keyboard. It's built to make sure there is no accidental activation of the keyboard when it's closed up

Agree to both the last two posts. I was just giving options and agree that turning off your keyboard is probably the best and easiest and saves battery life maybe too.

But I'd still like to see Apple offer us a "disable" F8 ability and any other F keys that we should know what they do 🙂

The problem is definitely the Bluetooth keyboard. I thought at first that it was a smart cover issue but I couldn't account for the music playing. Or the seemingly randomness of the problem.

Just turn off the Bluetooth before stowing the iPad and the keyboard in your bag.

i suggest turning it off when you arent using it this will also save battery

Thanks everyone. I just experienced the spontaneous music from my IPad phenomena that all of you described. Rather embarassing to happen in the middle of a class or meeting -- and I'm a faculty member! It looks like this problem has been ongoing for about 2 years now. When is some genius from Apple going to fix this problem? Did all of the thinking and problem solving get buried with Steve Jobs?

Now it's my turn to thank you! I thought I was going crazy. I must have touched the F8 key at some point and music started a playin'.

I usually turn off the keyboard when I'm done so the batteries don't wear out, so I've never had the experience before. It is kind of neat to be able to just push F8 when I want to hear my music.

Well, again, thanks.

Just figured out that pushing the F8 key when the music is playing turns it off!

I do not own a blue tooth keyboard and am experiencing the same issue. However, I have noticed that it is only when the iPad has earbuds plugged in. The music has never come on out loud.

My issue is that I -think- I'm actually turning the keyboard off (holding power down until the light goes off) before I ever put it in my bag. I guess that's not happening since the music still plays. Unless the power button gets jostled enough to turn it on.

For what it's worth: I experienced the same exact problem on my iMac. iTunes would just start up. Could not figure out a way to stop it except by deleting all preferences and login items related to iTunes. Not sure how this relates to the iPod/iPad issue other than the blue tooth keyboard connection. I my case i have a Microsoft(!) wireless keyboard attached and maybe that is the problem. Since I got a new iMac have not had the same iTunes start up issue.

I had the same issue with my iPad mini. Daydreamjovi had a good point, I have only had it happen when I have headphones plugged in. Maybe that is triggering something, I thought it was an issue with the magnets on the cover waking it or starting it. I will keep an eye on the headphones plugged in.

I do not have a Bluetooth keyboard and have turned off Bluetooth. However I have been using my IPad using earphones and the music comes on whenever I haven't been using it for a little while. However, I was watching a movie on SkyGo last week when I could suddenly hear the music in the background. Does anyone know if a solution has been found yet?