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iPad crashes regularly

After updating OS, iPad crashes regularly. What can I do?

iPad, iOS 4.3.2, after I updated the OS, ipad crashe

Posted on Jun 13, 2011 5:20 AM

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38 replies

Jun 13, 2011 5:33 AM in response to Richard Capuozzo


I don't fully understand what the System Reset does but I've found that it cures many ills. It's easy, quick and harmless:


Hold down the on/off switch and the Home button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo. Ignore the "Slide to power off" text if it appears.


A System Reset does not remove any apps, music, movies, etc. nor does it cause any settings to revert back to default.


Also, you might wish to download the iPad-2 User Guide. Pay special attention to page 162. Note that this Guide also applies to the iPad-1 with IOS 4.3 except for those functions that are not supported by the hardware.


http://support.apple.com/manuals/#ipad


Finally, the User Guide can be downloaded at no charge via iBooks and a less comprehensive version of the Guide is included as a Safari bookmark.


Dec 12, 2011 11:20 AM in response to Philly_Phan

Since updating to iOS 5.0.1, my iPad (first version, iPad1) with 64GB and 3G crashes on almost every application. First I thought the crashes happened when too many apps were in the background. But even with one app, it does not matter which one (Apple's or others') the app crashes (shuts off). Because this happens regularly, the pleasure of using the iPad is fast becoming a pain! In the last few days I have reduced the use of iPad drastically and gone back to my other computers (Macs and PCs). As I see from the community postings this is a recurring issue with the new update!

Dec 30, 2011 10:15 AM in response to Philly_Phan

Have the same issue using an iPad1 with OS 5.0.1. Failure can be while using any app; it's not app specific. Solution (for me) seems to be to restart the app or go the reset route. Both work. However those are not solutions, they are workarounds. This is becoming more annoying as it continues. Wish someone from Apple tech would acccept responsibility for this problem and correct with an OS update if that is what is needed.


You wouldn't tell a PC/laptop/desktop user to reboot their system each time an application crashes. So why tell an iPad user to reboot, i.e., reset, when an app crashes?

Dec 31, 2011 2:06 PM in response to Dan Dee

I'm having the same issue with my iPad (original, with 5.0.1). I've done two separate Restores on it, in addition to all these little workarounds, and nothing fixes the issue. I'm convinced it's the 5.0.1 OS that's doing it, because nothing else could be at this point.


I took it to the Apple Store and they told me to do the same thing we've all tried here, plus another Restore of the iPad. No go for any of it.


I also reduced the number of total apps on it. I've done everything. It's a 64GB w/o 3G, and has 44GB of Free space, so it's not like I'm taxing the system to death or anything.


I really wish Apple would ackowledge this issue.

Jan 2, 2012 1:11 PM in response to McQ14

I just returned home from the Apple Store near me. The Genius there told me that the problem is absolutely due to a couple of apps that I have on my iPad. Therefore, I'm already suspicious that he's wrong. 😉


They are: "The Daily", and "AppAdvice".


He looked up known issues on his iPad in the store, and those were the two things that came up as being problematic, because they apparently don't ever close out completely. In other words, they are ALWAYS on, even when it appears they are not.


He told me that doing a backup to the Cloud, and then a restore would eliminate the problem. I don't know how that is supposed to take care of it, but we'll see. Right now my iPad is reloading apps and I'll give it a whirl over the next several days.


Somehow, what the Genius told me doesn't all add up, but I'm not a tech guy, so I don't know. He said those particular apps are okay, but they've been causing iPads to do just what mine has been doing. And somehow, backing up to the Cloud, and restoring from that is supposed to fix it. Completely. 😕


We'll see. I plan on writing to both The Daily and AppAdvice to let them know what Apple told me. I'm sure they'll be surprised by it, since neither one has posted anything about this on their sites.

Jan 2, 2012 3:06 PM in response to McQ14

So in their best middle school blame assignment practices, Apple Genius says, "I didn't do it; they did it." On my iPad, have neither "The Daily" nor "AppAdvice."


Their advice about backing up to the Cloud and then reloading may be an attempt to get fresh versions of the possibly offending apps. (It's like Tech Support showing up and saying let's reinstall the software and see what happens.) Hate to burst Apple's Cloud bubble, but one of the most recent crashes was in trying to download a podcast through iTunes. So perhaps iTunes needs to be added to the offending app list.


No expert here, but it would seem the most recent upgrades to the OS have caused some platform instability that Apple is either unwilling or unable to admit. There may be an OS patch or iOS version update down the road that will fix this either purposely or by accident.

Jan 2, 2012 5:24 PM in response to Dan Dee

Yep, Dan, I'd say you summed it up pretty well!


I'm just going to go over to the wall and bang my head some more while I wait a few days and then end up going back to the Apple Store. At least I have one within 15 minutes of where I live. If not, I'd be a lot less patient with these guys.


But hey! Maybe if I take all of the offending apps of my iPad, it'll work great! Yeah, that's it. I'll take ALL the apps off my iPad. Including iTunes. Then it will work perfectly!

Jan 5, 2012 6:22 AM in response to McQ14

If your iPhone, iPod or iPad, or even just an app, is freezing or crashing regularly, you may review your crash logs to diagnose any reportable issues. Crash logs contain information about what the iPad and its apps were doing just prior to crashing.


To find a crash log file, sync your iPhone, iPod or iPad first, then locate the appropriate log files using the path for your OS shown below. An app's log file’s name should start with the app’s name, for example.


Mac OS X

~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/<your iDevice’s name>/

Windows XP

C:\Documents and Settings\\Application Data\Apple computer\Logs\CrashReporter\<your iDevice’s name>\

Windows Vista

C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Apple computer\Logs\CrashReporter\MobileDevice\<your iDevice’s name>\


Usually, an iDevice user chooses to allow the reporting of crashes to Apple, Inc. automatically, this being a choice when initially setting up your device. Each time a sync is made, the crash logs get reported. So, Apple has a pretty good idea who's chashing when and where, even why, already. If they acknowledged every crash of an iDevice individually, each and every email to you would have to be redundant to what you've just experienced for yourself. Rest assured, Apple learns a lot from the gross collection of crash reports.


I've just taken a look at my orginal iPad's crash log which shows some 1,500 files, with at least 1,000 of the crashes related to the iPad's low memory. I sense that your review of your own iPad crash reports would pretty much mirror mine.


This is a dilemma, for sure. First, the iPad is really just an original proof-of-concept device. It has been designed with many factors in mind, one being product segmentation. Apple doesn't want the iPad to cannibalize the MacBooks too quickly so there must be some limitations built into the iPad to prevent unwanted occurrences. After all, the MacBooks make up 75% of Apple's business these days. Balancing the MacBooks and the iPads amounts to a dangerous business and the consequences of wrong decisions can become catastrophic.


The amount of memory in the iPad is obviously limited, purposely. The Daily Newspaper demonstrated this fact early on. Today, Apple is pushing greater resolutions requiring bigger files for HD stuff and app developers are assuming, probably, that they can eventually force Apple to increase memory sizes in the iPads. We users expect the Pulse app, for example, to function without flaws but, of course, this app interacts directly with the internet where sites have files in sizes the iPad cannot easily handle. It's a programmer's nightmare, balancing memory requirements.


Apple's competitors know all about these common crashes, too. Watch the tablets appear with greater amounts of memory offered, if only to make a manufacturer's products look technically superior to Apple's. However, Apple is famous for saying "NO!" to a lot of technology for sound reasons. But, future iPads are likely to include increased memory which means that our original iPads will quickly become out-of-date since content providers seem to be assuming that the iPad will someday replace the notebook computer.


Apple may not have anticipated the early enterprise adoption of the iPad but that adoption is becoming rampant and the demand to stop all this crashing will grow more loud quickly. Apple knows all about this issue and we might only wait for both software and hardware improvements. Content providers may hold the most immediate solution, though, by showing more discipline with their creations.

Jan 5, 2012 7:33 AM in response to Richard Capuozzo

I was having the same issue the last few days and finally fixed it! I own a 1st Gen iPad, WiFi only (5.0.1). Virtually every app would crash after about 60 seconds. Maddening! I read through the posts here and took note of the suggestions McQ14 received. I no longer had "The Daily" app, but I did have "AppAdvice". I deleted it just in case (didn't ever read it anyway). I then attempted to sync with iCloud in the settings>iCloud>Storage&Backup screen. Guess what, screen crashed after by backup was only about 5% backed up! I went back into Settings and clicked the "Back Up Now" button again. Same result. I just kept telling it to backup over and over for about 8-10 times and then I noticed the progress bar was now going to about 10% complete before it crashed. Hey progress! After attempting about 5 more backups the bar finally went all the way to the right and completed my iCloud backup to 100%.


This seemed to completely solve the app crashing problem. I went back to all the apps that were crashing before and the all work seamlessly, even the memory hogs.


I hope this helps!

iPad crashes regularly

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