Failure of Smart Keyboard for 10.5‑inch iPad Pro

Question

Failure of Smart Keyboard for 10.5‑inch iPad Pro

Hi, I have a Smart Keyboard for 10.5‑inch iPad Pro. I bought it in January 2019 and after months of error messages 'This Accessory is not supported' it has finally died completely. When the problems first started I would remove the keyboard and reconnect it and it would work again but recently it has completely stopped working. I have tried all the apple and online trouble shooting ideas but nothing works.

There are lots of people discussing similar problems online and an article in Apple Insider magazine discussing Apple addressing this problem. https://appleinsider.com/articles/18/04/13/apple-offers-up-extended-repair-program-for-defective-ipad-pro-smart-keyboards

I am able to read my serial number so rang Apple today but they said since it is out of warranty they will not help. A lifespan of under two years for a product that costs over £150 seems unacceptable to me. Has anyone else encountered similar problems or knows how I might resolve this?

My ipad software is up to date, I've cleaned the contact points, restarted the ipad, switched off imessage and switched it on again.

Posted on Dec 1, 2020 5:25 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

LotusPilot

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Dec 1, 2020 6:52 AM in response to mountainair_girl

As the majority of contributors here are all end users, just like you and I, there is very little that we can offer other than the facts of your predicament.

Apple do invite feedback and comments via their product feedback pages:

https://www.apple.com/feedback/

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Answer 2

Dec 1, 2020 5:29 AM in response to mountainair_girl

The “This Accessory is not supported” alert is characteristic of a faulty folio keyboard. The electrical connections that pass though the flexible fabric hinges typically fracture - this usually resulting in errors and/or the on-screen notification that you see.

The Smart folio keyboard is not repairable. The only remedy is replacement of the keyboard.

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Answer 3

Dec 1, 2020 5:37 AM in response to LotusPilot

Thank you for your reply. I agree it isn't repairable. I feel that Apple should acknowledge this and make an attempt to rectify it. The number of people reporting the same problem would suggest that this is a defect of the keyboard itself rather than the usage so I had hoped they would replace the keyboard but this in unfortunately not the case.

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Answer 4

Dec 1, 2020 7:24 AM in response to mountainair_girl

You’re very welcome. I’m sorry that a more palatable solution isn’t readily available.

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Answer 5

Dec 1, 2020 7:02 AM in response to LotusPilot

I will do that, thank you for the link.

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