iPad 6th Generation volume control slider needs to stay onscreen longer

Very interesting, I never knew I could use the volume display to adjust the volume. Can I recommend using your pointer finger to tap either volume button once while hovering your thumb over where the volume display will appear. When it appears put your thumb on it, now you have all the time in the world to adjust your volume.

Also if you don’t want the Control Center blocking other items on your screen you can swipe the Control Center down then hold your finger on the volume slider, now it will appear all by itself.

The period that the rendered volume slider appears of the screen, triggered when adjusting the volume using the physical volume buttons, is not configurable.

Apple invites submission of feature requests via its Product Feedback portal. If you would like to see changes in a future version of iPadOS, this would be the most appropriate channel through which to register a request:

Feedback - iPad - Apple

As for difficulty operating one or more of your iPad's physical buttons, this might imply a mechanical fault that may require repair. If the iPad has a fitted case, try removing the case from the iPad - as some poorly designed cases can interfere with the physical buttons.

If the physical buttons are not working properly, you would be well advised to have the cause investigated and repaired. It is a common misconception that an iPad (or iPhone) can remain fully functional with damaged or defective physical buttons. 

Whilst Accessibility features (such as assistive touch) can be used to augment the User Interface, these features cannot be used as a substitute for physical button sequences that must be used to trigger system recovery actions. If an issue with the physical buttons are not corrected, sooner or later you may will encounter a situation from which you cannot recover.

You can arrange through an Apple Store, Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) or through Apple’s mail-in repair services. A visit to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store is strongly recommended, as your iPad can be assessed prior to committing to any corrective action:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

iPad Repair - Official Apple Support

eldwood wrote:

I can feel the resistance in the physical button when I press the volume down. That quite unusual for someone to experience a glitch in volume control and then the entire OS to fail but, not unheard of (I would guess). The volume button in question Does still function, albeit with slight difficulty. Thus, is the reason for wanting the onscreen slider to display longer so that it can be "slid" easier than having to touch it immediately.

To reiterate, if the physical buttons are not working properly, you would be well advised to have the cause investigated and repaired. By your own description, the lower button is already on the verge of complete failure - at which time you'll be unable to perform recovery actions that can only be triggered with the physical device buttons. If the iPad should ever require a forced-restart, or recovery, with a defective button your iPad will be unusable.

You can arrange through an Apple Store, Apple Authorised Service Provider (AASP) or through Apple’s mail-in repair services. A visit to the Genius Bar at an Apple Store is strongly recommended, as your iPad can be assessed prior to committing to any corrective action:

Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

iPad Repair - Official Apple Support

As for adjusting the audio volume on your iPad, multiple methods to access volume controls - using the touch-screen alone - have been fully outlined.

There is a good chance the problem isn’t with the physical button but rather with the operating system starting to malfunction.

The button to lower the volume on my iPad 6 stopped working and it wasn’t long after that the whole iPad stopped working completely. I tried hooking it to a computer and Restoring it but that didn’t work.

While your iPad is still working I’d recommend taking it to the Apple Store and have it checked out. Quite possibly just Restoring it can fix the problem before it gets worse.

If you access the iPad volume control from the Control Centre, the volume control slider will remain visible on screen until the Control Centre is dismissed from view. The Control Centre is exposed using a downward swipe from the top-right corner of the screen.

More information about using the Control Centre can be found within the often-overlooked iPad User Guide. Here is a direct link to the relevant section of the Guide:

Use and customize Control Center on iPad - Apple Support

Instead of using on-screen volume controls, why not simply use the physical volume control buttons located on the edge of the iPad?

Adjust the volume and silence on iPad - Apple Support