iPad Pro charging problem after 17.1.1 update

Another one to add to the list. My 2 year old M1 iPad Pro 11" has been perfect up until this morning no charging issues or glitches ever on iPadOS 17.2 or previous versions. BUT

Plugged in as usuall this morning to charge, got to 30% then stopped charging altogether using my original Apple charger and cables. Also now the USB port is compleatly dead, not recognised on my Mac or a PC when plugging it in so cant even restore it. Tried other Apple chargers and cables, still dead. Checked the USB port, no damage and clean.

Someone who managed to solve the issue let his iPad compleatly discharge so it hadnt even got enough power to display connect to a charger symbol after it has shut down after getting to 1% . So now waiting until it has zero power (probably will have to wait a few days now) and then try again.

Currently the iPad is bricked. Not great as its my only ipad. :-(

Hi,

After trying every charger (Apple and others) I have, I finally had the idea to try charging it using my Apple Magic Keyboard:

Set up and use Magic Keyboard for iPad - Apple Support

The keyboard has an external USB-C port and charges the iPad using pass through charging. This worked to charge my otherwise dead iPad Pro. I then updated the software and now my iPad Pro charges using a cable again. Yeah! If you have a Magic Keyboard or can borrow one, you might give this a try.

I have 12.9 5th Gen and have been having similar issue. It’s been hit and miss since the update. Went through several charger cable combos and it was still hit and miss. What works one minute doesn’t work the next. Never had a single issue with this iPad.

i tried power off then back on then plug in and nothing. But if i plug in while powered off… the logo comes up and I’m charging again. Clearly a software issue since this update. Apple is apparently trying hard to make us replace our perfectly good (very expensive) iPads.

If the charging cable won’t properly seat or easily fit into the charging port of the iPad, this might indicate that either dirt or lint is obstructing the plug, or the plug or charging socket have been damaged. A damaged charging cable must be replaced - whereas a damaged charging port must be repaired.

If the problem is due to a visible obstruction, you may be able to remove it yourself*. With good light, using a sharpened wooden matchstick or plastic toothpick, very gently try to dislodge a visible the obstruction from the socket. Be careful to avoid damaging the delicate electrical contacts within the socket. Note that a USB-C socket has an obvious "tongue" within the socket.

(*) Removal of an obstruction is often best entrusted to the technicians at the Genius Bar of your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the appropriate tools and expertise are available:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

If the charging problem is not mechanical, these support pages should help with troubleshooting battery and charging issues:

Charge and monitor the iPad battery - Apple Support

If your iPad won't charge – Apple Support

Troubleshooting generally requires substitution of the Power Adapter and cable for another known-good item. Most models of iPad require a Power Adapter rated at 12W (i.e., 2.4A @5V) or greater to reliably charge. 5W Power Adapters (1.0A @5V) intended for older models of iPhone are inadequate to charge an iPad; if the iPad charges at all, charging will be very slow. Recent models of iPad are supplied with a 20W USB-C Power Adapter.

Some third-party USB-C power adapters (and portable PowerBanks) may not support USB PD (Power Delivery). Power Delivery mutually negotiates the charging voltage; the source, load and cable are all elements involved in the negotiation protocol. Unless the Power Adapter explicitly supports USB PD, it will almost certainly fail to charge the iPad; proprietary charging standards, such as QC (Quick Charge), are not supported.

Many computer USB ports also cannot source sufficient power to charge an iPad. Unless explicitly designed for charging connected devices, computer USB ports are typically limited to 0.5-1A @5V (i.e., 2.5-5.0W).

If you continue to experience difficulties when using an appropriate Power Adapter of 12W or greater, you might be best advised to seek assistance directly from from Apple Support. You can contact the Support Team using the Support link at top-right or bottom-left of this page. Alternatively, you can initiate and manage your support cases from Apple devices using the excellent Apple Support App. If not already installed, the App can be downloaded from the App Store:

https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-support/id1130498044

You might also visit the Genius Bar at your local Apple Store or Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) - where the technicians will be able to test and assess your iPad, Power Adapter and cable(s):

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

That's the first thing I did and it did not work. 17.1.1 bricked the charging circuit, whether through the 3 pins at the back via the Magic Keyboard or the onboard USB-C port. Only sending the IPAD back to apple and it coming back with a later version than 17.1.1 solved the issue on my end.

So after alot of reading and frustration I found by accident that my iPad Pro 10.5 will charge when powered off. Once it powers on charging would stop, if I shut down and left it over night it would have a full battery by morning.

I then did a backup and factory rest the device and now it appears to be fully functional again.

Sounds very similar to the rest of us. I escalated mine to the the point it went to their consumer law team and was still denied. The only success ive had charging mine was by letting it die totally 0% bat. Then plug in the charge cable and leave it, dont unplug the cable till its fully charged again. (It does seem to take a lot longer to charge tho.

If you unplug and use it, in my experience you will ned to go tho the above again as it wont charge plugging it in again untill its totally flat again. It really does seem like a software bug causing the issue as it wont charge when the IOS is fully loaded into RAM, however when its totally flat with no OS loaded it charges (sometimes) ?

Regardless Ive pretty much written it off, Apple has taken no responsiblity for the issue unless of course your willing to pay for apple care. I know I wont be wasting my money on another apple product again.

It might be a communication issue between iPad and charger after an iOS update. Some people mentioned that they could charge the iPad by using an older USB-A charger with USB-A to USB-C cable, because this way no communication possible… Apple please fix this critical problem!

Have the same issue with my iPad Air 4 after the update. Apple employees couldn’t help me and asked me to buy a new one. I tried charging it with a usb A to C cable just to see if that changes anything and thankfully my ipad does charge with it.

Same thing happened to me. My iPad Pro updated overnight and then the charging port stopped working. I made sure the charging port was clean. I tried several different charging cables and plugs. I also did a hard reset and nothing fixed it. I decided to factory reset it before the battery died. Once it came back up from the reset, charging miraculously started working! That proves the issue was caused by a software glitch of some sort. I hope this post finds other people that are experiencing the issue and can factory reset before the batter dies.

6th-gen iPad Pro 12.9” here running 17.3. Anker charging cable rated to 100W. Anker power bank able to supply 100W to a single port. Battery has a display that reads output. Currently charging at 5-7W w/ screen off. When I got it new last week, I got 35W. Turned the iPad completely off and charging jumped to 35-36W. Turned iPad back on and it stayed at above 30W. Definitely not just older devices and clearly related to the OS.

Had the same issue. What worked for me was to use an Apple USBC cable with an Apple charging brick. Plugged it in and charged right away. After it recognized that combination of cable and charging brick, I was able to use other cables / chargers I had used previously.

My iPad had been dead for two weeks before just coming across your comment. Notice I said "had been"....I attached it to my Magic Keyboard, plugged it in and am already at 10%. Thanks for this suggestion. I was upset at having to consider buying a new device.

If you don't have a Magic Keyboard and are having issues, definitely consider purchasing one (cheaper than a new iPad Pro) or borrow someone's to see if this will help.

While, I am happy for you, this shows that you simply have a damaged USB port on your iPad. The issue here is not about a damaged USB port but rather about a software update and iPadOS 17.1.1 which causes iPads to stop charging. What we have experienced is that an iPad running iPadOS 17.1.1 when drying the battery down to zero will basically be bricked. It will refuse to charge from USB or from the 3 dots at the back for the keyboard. This is what has happened to me however I had AppleCare and Apple replaced my iPad and now I am back in business with a brand new 2 year old 11 inch pro model. However, many people in this thread are finding that they have a bricked device which is out of warranty and not on AppleCare and therefore only good for electronic recycling. You are therefore not on scope of this thread!

My 2018 IPad Pro just experienced exactly the same problem discussed by others in this thread. I used it every day for years and it had been working perfectly, charging to 100% everyday with no hint of a battery issue. Then, a week ago after plugging it in to the same charger I always used, it was at 1% and could not start-up more than for one second before shutting down. I tried every charging method I had including plugging into my MacBook. Nothing. I took it to the Genius Bar at Apple Store along with a printout of this thread. The agent was polite and professional, but clearly trained to never admit that Apple could be responsible for a device failure. He reviewed my printout of this thread and admitted after my pointed question that he had heard of this issue being raised. He tried different chargers and also tried to access my IPad through his MacBook but could get no more response than I could get. He said it was probably not a hardware issue with the port because the temporary response in my IPad when he plugged various things in showed that a signal was getting through the port. The best he could offer me was an "out of warranty swap out" at a cost to me of about $500. When I told him that seemed unfair given the evidence that Apple software killed it, he said I could talk to Apple Support and arranged for them to call me. The Apple rep called me at the time arranged, and as I explained everything, she said I should talk to a Senior Advisor. He also was polite and responsible but also trained to never admit that Apple could be at fault. He too offered an out of warranty swap out with a new 2018 MacBook Pro for $535. Really? You can get a brand new MacBook Pro for close to that on sale, so he basically offered me less than nothing. I could maybe understand Apple's position if I was the only person complaining about a dead 2018 IPad. But when there is evidence that many older MacBook Pros suddenly died with the exact same symptoms within 2 months of an Apple software update, that puts the company in an extreme anti-consumer position.