Q: iPad Safari crashing regularly

Yes, most here updated to iOS v5.1. Install it ASAP. If you still encounter problems afterwards, backup your data to iCloud, reformat, and directly reinstall iOS 5.1 from scratch. Then, let iCloud repopulate your data and manually download and reinstall your Apps, rather than restoring from a backup. I think some users still may experience an occasional crash under v5.1, but reports of problems were greatly reduced with its release, but we may see yet another update squashing any lingering bugs. I'm surprised the option to install only iOS 5.01 was even available to you.

I did exactly that a couple weeks ago.... Crashing less now, BUT, I have lost about 60% of the stuff that was on my iPad. For some reason, it won't stream from iCloud to my iPad. Shows up in the cloud when I look via iPhone or my PC, but doesn't even show up on my iPad. Two weeks is MORE than enough time for the transfer to take place from iCloud to the iPad...

So I have had to manually reload Apps, Books, and many pictures.... It SHOULDN'T even be happening APPLE!!!

They are only showing that without Jobs there to babysit their arses, they aren't shiat, and can't or won't figure out a more than likely simple thing...

Why not roll everyone back to 4.xx, then write iCloud into that, see if it still happens, and if not, add one feature at a time until they figure out what is causing this problem in ios 5....

I don't think they give a rats arse, but now that people are reporting it on iPad 3's, they REALLY have a problem on their hands!

Christof60:

This sounds to me like inconsistent AppleID and/or sync settings between devices, not iOS bugs. We have found iOS data syncing to be reliable and rock solid with Apple Mail, iCal, Address Book and Safari (bookmarks). Check all your settings. Assuming your data on the computer is the most current and accurate, resync it back to (not from) iCloud. Then log into iCloud on the Web and check for the newly synced data. Next, turn off iCloud on your iPad (the data all will disappear). Once these key Apps all are empty, then turn iCloud back on and let it repopulate the data on the iPad again.

If this doesn't work get to an Apple store genius bar for help, or do online screen sharing with someone who can go through your settings with you. Are you on a PC (and not a Mac)?

When you say "stream from icloud"  what exactly do you mean  are you talking 3/4g here or when you are plugged in to iTunes on USB with your screen locked?

"Stream" as in via Wi-Fi....

You could be right, but before I "reset to factory default", i.e., wiped it back to what it was like when first bought, I did a wipe, but when it asked me if I wanted to wipe it like a new iPad, or wipe it and restore it from iCloud, I chose the latter. Everything was the same, even bookmarks, and the crashing was just as bad... So I did the "factory" wipe, then restored Apps from the App Store (since I knew those apps aren't stored in the cloud, just their settings), but according to what I have read about iCloud, all my pictures, Calendars, Contacts, etc., should have streamed from the iCloud to the "new" iPad.... Some did, most didn't... Sure, I could have something set wrong, but when I check my settings on my iPhone (which has no crashing problem, even with ios update), the iCloud settings, as well as the settings on my PC (ITunes) are all the same, and on the same account....

But, I am a recent convert to any IOS device (only for the FaceTime), and already am having buyers remorse (except for iPhone, I love it)... But if my son had not passed this iPad 1 to me for my Fathers day present last June, I would have taken it outside, loaded the shotgun with #4 birdshot, and blown it to bits, then send them back to Apple...

Funny how I can post all day long on Apples forums without a hiccup, but on most of the other forums I frequent, I can't even switch from one tab to another without crashing back to desktop, or even worse, when I go back to the forum tab where I have written as much as I have on this post, is cleared.... So I have to keep only one tab open while on forums, or copy what I have written, switch tabs, then when I switch back to the forum tab (which is now blank), "paste" what I had written back in...

This is just nuts....  Sorry for the long post, but just trying to be very specific.

Do you clear cookies, history, browsing dat regularly - even perhaps whilst browsing.  The iPad 1 is very memory constrained by comparison with say, an ipad3.  256meg to 1gig DDR2 (very fast) on the new pad.

This memory constraint will be even the more obvious for running a tight memory configuration with the new hungrier iOS5.1 with icloud enabled.  My advice - turn icloud off when not using it to manually back up when connected to wifi and the screen locked.  I certainly wouldn't recommend any streaming settings on an iPad 1, simply because of the memory issue.

There are some free Apps that will report various usage sats of your device - I suggest you download a few and have a look at the effect of turning features on and off, as well as opening and closing various Apps (double tap home button to see in process Apps and close those you are not using) go back to your system analyser App each time to see the effect.  You will be surprised by what you see from using Safari say, for 5 minutes, and then again from after say 30 minutes plus usage.

A less intensive search engine such as Metacrawler, which pools results from the big 3 anyway, would also be a help for you.  Most modern search engines, are loaded with additional code for shortcutting to various tasks, and these all put a strain on the system.

The issue is more about memory management than anything else.

This is perhaps the main disadvantage of the iPad to say a windows or Mac platform running a system on a constrained memory configuration.  In those you have access to many system service settings and can switch on/off as you need them, or set on a per configuration basis for what you want to do.  On an iPad the system is locked in, and lacks this flexibility - you can stop some system applications running in the background, but unlike windows or a Mac you cannot stop them from leading in the first place.  which means your processor caches, and areas of your RAM are loaded with various bits of prefetch data which you could probably do without entirely.

I suspect the pipelining between the working memory registers of the processor for various tasks, such as display and background system tasks are aslo in a far higher state of resource competition, then on the new quad core iPad3.

All in all the differences may be quite small in any one area (except for speed of course) but overall these little bits add up and the effect, with a browsing application for instance will be quite apparent.

Mercury has to have its own Javascript toggle. Mercury does not obey Safari's settings, despite it using the webkit engine.

I installed ios 5.1 on my relative's ipad 1 and no problems have been reported.

--Sam

P.S I did update all the apps first. Am using airport express + extreme in the house. I updated via usb as I was going from 4.x to 5.x.

Yes and yes and yes, etc.... I have even used Atomic, iCab, and other browsers with no change. This DID NOT HAPPEN until IOS 5 came out...

My wifes Ipad2 does not do it ( well, a couple times in 3 months), but she never has more than one tab open, belongs nor contributes to any forums, and never switches from tab to tab....

Apple is more than awareof this problem, but people will buy their stuff no matter what, and they know this. Why do you think they were tanking before they hired Jobs back (who then led them to being THE biggest thing since white bread), and now he is gone and they cant figure out the new OS has major bugs in it? Yeah, uh huh...

First, explain Mercury?

Next, have your relative open say, 3 tabs, and then try posting to a forum, while switching frequently between tabs, maybe even upload a link to a picture via Flickr, and see what happens.....

I cant coun the time i have written 3-4 paragraphs to a forum, then switch to another tab to check facts, grab html link of picture, etc., and then if it DOESNT crash, it WILL wipe all the typing to the post i had done... It will refresh and the "reply" page is still there, but my writingis gone....Poof.... I cannot even describe how frustrating that is...

They wont fix this obvious MAJOR OS bug, but they sure will remove inflamatory posts, or posts that really cast a bad shadow on them (IOS ***** compared to MS) in a heartbeat...

Been there, done it all....

So why does it clear my info i have entered on one tab when i switch to another tab, then come back to tabi was typing on? Ive checked all my settings, reverted to default, nothing changes it... Crashing has gotten better, but i cant post a thread with pictures, or heaven forbid post an ebay listing, with this p of c rap machine... Nooooooo, i have to go use a BILL GATES product to do that....

This is so ridiculous. My iPad has been crashing regularly for months, annoying me to death, but I keep checking this forum hoping to hear that a fix is in the works. @Geopix, I think most people are like me and just stopped posting to this discussion, even though the issue remains the same. What do you expect, weekly posts ,"Still crashing, no change"?? For me, the crashing became expontentially worse with the ios 5.1 update, so you cannot say that was a fix. I have tried every single tip on this thread, and nothing works.  This is Apple's problem to fix, not mine, and I cry foul if I have an unusable piece of hardware only 2 years old and Apple refuses to do anything about it.

Exactly right, CPadgett. I held off, but finally did the complete back-up and restore of my iPad, I am now running 5.1, and still it crashes in Safari. In Huffington Post, crashes if I touch the screen while a page is loading. Same as before, just not as often.

Jeany:

Erase and reformat your iPad again. This time, don't restore it from the backup. Instead, let iCloud rebuild your Safari Bookmarks, Contacts and iCal calendar, but re-download and re-install all your Apps manually. Sorry your having so much trouble and that you have to do the manual restore, but this is what worked for me with my old iPad 1. No more crashes. Later, I erased the machine again and let it automatically re-download and reinstall iOS 5.1 from scratch. I gifted that machine to my sister and she started manually installing her own Apps. She's been using it without incident for weeks now.

Do not restore any old software or settings except the iCloud data.

It's crappy to have to do all that installation work again, but it does seem to work for some. Good luck.

This may have worked for you Geopix, but i did exactly that, and although crashes got slightly better (or im just learning more how to avoid it), it didnt fix it and i still get the page wiping when i go from a forum tab to a photo tab, and back. Everything i have typed is gone, i.e., the box is now blank... You want to talk about a bug that will make you go berserk? That one surely tops the list...

I even tried aain to go back to iCab, but everytime i went into settings to adjust it (clear cookies, history when closing, etc), it crashes back to desktop.

I bought the app that monitors the ipad, memory use, etc., and it is useless really. Just sitting and watching it, with nothing but it running, and the memory will go from 6% to 99% and back and forth and back and forth. That shows me that something in the OS is VERY unstable...

If Apple doesnt wake up and fix this soon, they are going to see a HUGE fall in their customer fanbase...

Wake up Apple jag off-s...