Strange iPad behavior

Question

Strange iPad behavior

My First Gen iPad Air has what I'm going to call "ring-on". When a call comes in to my iPhone 8, my old first generation iPad and my new iPad 6th generation all 'ring' and I can answer the call from either the iPhone or one of the iPads. The iPad Air, when and only when plugged into the AC with genuine Apple cord/charger, will continue to ring with a faster repeating tone. It will continue until the AC power is disconnected. If it is not plugged in to the AC, it functions normally, i.e. I can answer the call. I have an .m4a file of this sound but don't see how to attach it to this posting.

A few other facts to share:

I tested this on another WiFi network, and got the same behavior.
Even if the iPhone is not in my home WiFi network, the same thing happens. Meaning if someone calls my iPhone when I'm 2 miles away, I'll come home to this repetitive tone. Aggravates the dog.
I have "Allow calls on other devices" set to "On" on the iPhone, and all 3 iPads listed and on.
In the FaceTime setting, I have "Calls from iPhone" "On".

Has anyone ever experienced this? What additional information can I provide to enable someone to help with this?

Thanks.

iPad Air, iOS 12

Posted on Mar 10, 2019 11:02 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Mar 11, 2019 2:19 PM in response to Charles Smith

Hi Charles!

You’ve done an outstanding job troubleshooting. If the issue did stop after you restored the iPad to the factory settings, you’re on the right path thinking that an app, or settings change, could be the culprit. There are two different paths you can take to help isolate the source further.

One is to again reset it to the factory settings and set it up as new, using iTunes to restore and install a fresh copy of iOS. This article will show you how to do so using iTunes: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod to factory settings. After set up as new, wait several days to see if the issue returns without any apps installed or any changes made. Once you know that it is certainly performing as expected, without any “ring-on” occurring, you can then add in one app at a time, performing the same period of testing with each app. This will help you to ensure when the issue reoccurs. If it is when a certain app is installed, reach out to that app developer for their support with this issue. Here’s how you can contact the developer: How to contact an app developer.

Another option is you can restore a backup from one of the other iPads, which is working correctly, to your iPad Air if they’re running the same iOS version. Here are the steps you can take to restore a backup: Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup.

Let us know the results!

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Answer 2

cp from OH

Community Specialist

Mar 11, 2019 12:49 PM in response to Charles Smith

Hello Charles Smith,

Thanks for reaching out in the Apple Support Communities. I can see you're having an issue with your iPad and Continuity calling. You’ve done a great job troubleshooting so far. Based on the information that you’ve provided it sounds like this is isolated to the iPad. To begin, restart your iPad by following these steps: Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. After restarting see if the “ring-on” persists. If it does, let us know which iOS version number your iPad is running.

Enjoy the day!

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Answer 3

Mar 11, 2019 1:04 PM in response to cp from OH

Hi CP.

I went one step further - I wiped it clean and did NOT import/download the backed up content; I installed all apps again and made the settings as I needed. Unlike my iPhone, I don't keep content on my iPads that I don't want to lose. That being said, here is the information that might be helpful:

The Model is MD785LL/A

The iOS version is 12.1.4 (16D57)

I look forward to any suggestions or insights. As I recall, when I did reset the thing, the issue abated for a while, and of course that suggests a subsequent setting change or downloaded app as the potential culprit. Sonos app maybe? One of my IP camera apps (Wyze, Wansview & Nest)? I don't know if there are known compatibility issues with them or not.

As an aside, I'm using my 3 iPads and my iPhone to try to get my house back to the technology of the 1970s where extension telephones were prevalent so that people could answer an incoming call in more than one place. My other 2 iPads work great in this manner and one of them is older than the iPad Air.

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Answer 4

Mar 11, 2019 4:06 PM in response to brenden dv

Yes, I understand what you are recommending. Restoring app by app can be made to work but seems to me to be imprecise. I am hoping someone else has encountered this, but the permutations may be too great for this to be commonly replicable.

However, I'm going to do what you suggest, and then just place this iPad in a location where I don't use it for anything other than "answering the phone" and iMessage/texting. If this issue persists, I'll turn off Messaging, because that is a possible culprit I think.

When all is said and done, the question of why this device and not older and new iPads remains. Is this iPad Air a flawed product?

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Answer 5

Mar 12, 2019 7:47 AM in response to Charles Smith

Well, apparently this isn't going to be easy. I "erase(d) all content and settings" on the iPad and accepted the defaults in setting up a new iPad. I enabled phone calling.

Then I tested it and it immediately continued with "ring-on".

What next?

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Strange iPad behavior

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