iPad gives tingly light vibration electrocution when plugged into mains

Could be a low humming sound. Place your ear close to the iPad and see if you hear something. Maybe all of this tingling is just the iPad being hookup to AC and it's producing a low humming sound. Maybe...maybe...maybe. If this is so we can rule out being socked. And the world is safe again.

Good thought. I wondered about that too. I can't detect any noticable hum... and sticking my ear to the back doesn't create any tingle either. However, I did this when there was also no tingle/vibration when picking it up. I would say it doesn't feel like a high frequency/high voltage current shock/tingle. However, since I have very fortunately never experienced a (dangerous) low frequency/low voltage high current I'm not sure what that would feel like.

I does seem to lessen as though it is a slow static build-up the more frequently it is touched. What I mean by that is that the longer interval it is left the stronger the effect. Most peculiar.

I'm also in the UK and this is happening to me too. I too want to know if this is a fault. It feels so unpleasant I no longer even want to touch the iPad when it is on charge from the mains. I rang my local apple store and have to wait 4 days for an appointment. Are many UK iPads suffering with this and thinking it is 'normal'?

Might be due to improper grounding - same effect can be noticed when charging aluminum MacBooks.

What kind of plug is connected to your charger? All 3 pins made of metal or is the pin in the middle made of plastic?

The earth pin is metal but it is a dummy. It is not connected to anything. My hubby has metered it.

Remove that connector/plug from your charger - is that big pin that fixes the plug made of metal?

Yes, the big pin is made of metal. The big pin IS the earth pin. It is connected to nothing. As I also said, my hubby (who is an electronics engineer) metered it.

At least there SHOULD be 2 tiny metal contacts within the rail of the plug that slides onto this pin.

As this seems not to be the case you might try an Apple connector cord taken from a MacBook power supply.
They are available as replacement parts and offer properly grounding as they are equipped with those tiny contacts within that mentioned rail.

Thank you! I appreciate your help, I have removed the 3 pin 13 amp plug that comes with the PSU and instead am using the cord that came with my MackBook. It resolves the problem immediately.

I shall go to the Apple Store armed with this information and ask to be given a spare Mains lead for a MackBook. One good thing, the MacBook Connector has a much longer lead than supplied with the iPad.

Thanks once again Kay. MaryA 🙂

You're welcome MaryA

It's Sunday morning and after watching some catchup TV on BBC iPlayer my iPad needed a charge. I plugged it into the adapter & lead that came with my UK iPad and guess what?

yes, get get the same described tingle or vibration feeling. It only happens if you are not holding the charging iPad in both hands. If it is lay down, in my case on the arm of the sofa, and I run my fingers on the underside of the device, I get the tingling. If I then picket up whilst still charging and rub the back I get no such sensation.

If I place the iPad on my lap (whilst wearing jeans) I get the tingling but much less than when placed on the surface.

It is a little concerning, but practically doesn't affect normal usage, as I am either holding the device or just touching the glass when its laid down.

Has anybody had an official answer from Apple on whether this is a known issue?

Vibration? Electrocution? Oh my.

"is this a fault?"
No. If you use a 3-prong AC input cable connected to the power adapter, and plug it into a properly grounded AC outlet, the problem will disappear. The current leakage is annoying, but it is not a safety issue.

Hi Carl,

Thanks for your input. I can assure you and other readers that the main supply I am using is properly earthed and I am using the official apple adapter supplied with the device.

I am not concerned about this being a safety issue, more an annoyance.

To double check the problem I have used different main sockets in my own home and also those at a friends, with exactly the same results. So this in not a problem with the main being badly earthed. It is possible that the adapter is faulty.

I have plugged the iPad into a three prong mains adapter I have for my iPhone and the problem goes away, but then again this isn't the 10w adapter. I am lead to believe that the 10w adapter charges the iPad faster (taken from the iPad manual on iBooks).

Just tried the iPad charger with the iPhone lead and the situation remains the same, so the only two constants are the iPad and the 10w mains adapter (UK model).

This is a genuine issue, and not some dumb newbie being silly. 😉

For me the tingling was so unpleasant, I got to the point I didn't even want to pick the machine up at all. Bottom line is, the iPad in the UK is NOT earthed, with the adapter supplied. What concerns me, is if the transformer primary shorts onto the secondary, there will be mains across the case. Once I explained my concerns, to the Genius Bar, I was immediately given a Macbook charger, free of charge. No more problems.

MaryA in the UK

Hi MaryA,

How did giving you a Macbook charger help? It's a different connector than the iPad.

If you mean iPod/iPhone charger, does this lead to slower charge time?