USB Keyboard making iOS screen unresponsive?

Question

rarei Author

Level 1

4 points

USB Keyboard making iOS screen unresponsive?

iOS screen response delay gets progressively worse with wired keyboard–repeatable

The screen response delay gets worse the longer I leave a keyboard plugged in.

Scenario:

iPad Pro 2020

USB hub w/Power

wired keyboard, left plugged in all the time.

When left overnight, screen delay is several seconds from touch to initial response (Tap and hold). Each new tap is the same delay, but once the tap is registered, dragging happen in real time.

Left two days, the touch response is around 20 seconds. This means turning off the iPad is really difficult, as the swipe virtual button must be held for 20 seconds before the touch is registered, then swiped.

Simply unplugging the keyboard will not reset the response delay. Hub has no other devices connected, and has no effect on its own. Only restarting will reset.

Several wired keyboards tried, all the same effect. Bluetooth keyboards are a non issue, but can’t determine if it is simply because they are wireless (so it’s a USB thing) or because they sleep (so disconnect).

Temporary workaround, simply don’t leave keyboard plugged in. Eventually, however, screen will become unresponsive. Seems to be a function of time keyboard is connected. Takes many days to become noticeable if I’m always unplugging keyboard whenever not actively using it.

Are others with unresponsive screens using USB keyboard? Is it constantly plugged in? Could this explain the persistence across many devices, but small number of users experiencing?

Seems to be repeatable enough to consider it an actionable bug.

Posted on Jul 21, 2022 4:35 AM

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Answer 1

Grace2211

Community Specialist

Jul 22, 2022 10:56 AM in response to rarei

Hello Rarei,

Thanks for posting in Apple Support Communities. We understand that your iPad screen is slow rot respond when your wired keyboard is connected for a long period of time.

To get a better understanding of the issue, we'll need to ask you a few questions:

• Did this occur after making any changes to your iPad such as, updating the software?

• Do you experience this behavior when performing a particular task or while using certain app?

• Has your iPad suffered from any type of physical damage?

Having this information will allow us to further isolate the issue. At this time, we'd also like to provide you with some troubleshooting steps that may help resolve the issue:

• Be sure you're running the latest software version. (Backup your data prior to completing the update): Update iPadOS

• Close an app that's not responding: Quit and reopen an app on iPad

• Make sure you have enough storage: How to check the storage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

• Review your battery health: About the battery usage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

We look forward to your reply.

Best regards.

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Answer 2

ASTRO24

Community Specialist

Aug 2, 2022 7:39 AM in response to rarei

rarei,

Because this issue has occurred with several wired keyboards and with several software versions, it would be best to contact Apple Support to investigate this issue further.

Regards.

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Answer 3

rarei Author

Level 1

4 points

Aug 2, 2022 7:09 AM in response to Grace2211

Two years of this. Methodically done all the obvious newbie things you say, many, many times. (20 years in software testing/dev taught me). That’s why I posted the specifics that I did.

This has persisted with every OS update since I bought the ****** brick. Regardless of the apps running, or their versions. Every night is a new test, which apps left open, last update, etc. Every morning is a restart…because the ****** brick is unusable…If I leave it on all day, same thing by the end of the day.

Did you try to repeat the steps that I listed before responding? Try it. Remarkably repeatable, with any iPad…Those steps took me precious hours to narrow down so your engineers can find a problem that has been plaguing hundreds of users with no solution for years. All these users complain, regardless of the OS version, yet the response has been the same, lame, lazy, copy-paste newbie “reboot, reinstall.” Still no fix.

This is science, folks, not religion. Going through hollow rituals won’t make it go away, yet that has been the Apple response for years! Embarrassing for you, really, to blindly parrot the same thoughtless replies to a problem that has persisted for so long, with so many versions of hardware and software…

Last week I was using a Bluetooth keyboard with the troubled iPad. Guess what? No problems! Just last night, again the latest iOS update of a couple days ago, no apps at all running, just the USB keyboard…unusable delay, as has been the daily experience for two years. Why not my other iPads/iPhones? Easy. I never hook a USB keyboard up to them. The moment I did, Bam! Same result. Science is funny that way!

Fix this.

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Answer 4

LotusPilot

Level 10

303,782 points

Aug 2, 2022 7:14 AM in response to rarei

You are clearly frustrated - which is perhaps understandable.

You have systematically tested - and can reliably reproduce - the issue with multiple Apple devices. Your results lean to a possibility that, on the basis of your description, might not have considered…

The only item common to the problem is your USB keyboard. Try using a different USB keyboard from a different manufacturer.

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USB Keyboard making iOS screen unresponsive?

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