Why does my ipad air 2 make a loud "pop" sound every few hours?

i too am having this problem and my ears are sensitive to high pitch noises..... It's pretty darn loud! It was so loud today that it startled me and I almost dropped the iPad. That would **** me off if this stupid sound caused me to break my screen....

I too bought the iPad Air2 128g on their website, the first one I received had a lot of vibration on the speaker, more then normal as it was going through my wrist when touching the screen. Apple online sent me a replacement and that sorted out the vibration issues, now the vibration was acceptable for a product so thin. But the replacement iPad starting making the 'pop' sound and when I got in touch with them, they arranged collection and sent me a replacement (my 3 one). The replacement is brand new and its making the same sound. Once again they have offered a replacement or refund option.

i have now got a hot line to the courier and the returns are piling up. Sadly i really need an iPad as my old one was ancient and not working well anymore. I am now getting fed up as i am waiting on my 4 or is it 5th replacement, i cant remember.

So the only option left (as a needed one as my old one was ancient and not working.........

I'm now waiting on another replacement, but this time I've asked for a 64GB instead of the 128GB i originally ordered. I'm hoping that the problem is only happening in the 128GB. If not then I'll probably have to go back to the older model which is a shame as I really loved the speed, thinness and lightness of this new one. Not that I have had much chance to use them as I don't seem to get beyond setting them up.

I think its a hardware problem as i have set each of these iPads up as new and not used the restore from backup option to set it up. My mums iPad (an iPad 3) and my nephews iPad (iPad Air) has the latest IOS version and there is no pop sound on theirs

Apple see to be a bit slow on dealing with this issue as there seems to be a lot of comments on this issue.

I'm off to their feedback section next to let them know if this issue.

The funny thing is that this "pop" have been reported on other Apple devices also, like the "macbook" and the "first ipad air". (Google search)

If it's a software problem, chances are that Apple wont fix it since not many people complain about it. Or they have no idea what causes it.

If it's a hardware issue, it probably wont be fixed until the next iPad... since Apple wouldn't want a massive recall on their hands.

Looks like we will just have to get used to it...

i have 64g wifi only and getting the pops occassionally...5 or 6 times in two weeks now. i requested a replacement but have decided to hang on and wait until apple has addressed the issue. no point in doing multiple exchanges imho since most people are experiencing the same problem over and over. as far as i can tell it hasn't yet affected the functionality so i'll just continue using it (can't live without it!) and do a warranty exchange at some point down the road...

i also left feedback/report issue on their support link. we ALL need to continue bringing this to their attention. and like you..definitely think its a hardware problem. it happened first while new..before i restored my old backup from itunes...and before i had a case on it.

I Have got it too. My Ipad 3 on IOS 8.1 doesnt have it. It appeared suddenly on my ipad Air2 and was fixed after a reset. After a few days the typing and signal sound disappeared alltogether. I couldnt adjust it. So did a reset and the popping sound returned immediately. Had to do a second reset to get rid of it.

Strange thing. If this is a hardware issue I wish Apple a product recall in billion dollar range. They deserve it after so many bugs lately...

I purchased my iPad Air 2 on a preorder, so I got a pretty early one - a 128GB Wi-Fi model. It had the pop sound. I worked through a bunch of things and it certainly does not appear to be a software problem. Got a replacement and it does the same thing - so the replacement went back today. I originally got an engraved one and Apple is not at all friendly about repair/exchange of a personalized iPad, so the replacement was not engraved.

I believe this problem occurs only when the speakers are "powered on" after being idle for some time. The pop you are hearing is likely a bit of a power surge at this initial power-up. It happens with notification sounds and other things that happen after some time has passed. I can play Tunein all night long and it never makes that sound for 6-8 hours - but when email notification plays after I kill off Tunein it will pop four or five times an hour.

It isn't an 8.1 problem unless it is also specific to the Air 2 hardware in 8.1 - I have an iPad 2 and a 3, both with 8.1 and they do not make this sound.

This now sounds like it is probably endemic to all Air 2's - something bad happening during assembly. It is going to take a while to work through the bad parts and get the situation remedied. I believe Apple will eventually have a stock of Air 2's that do not exhibit this problem - might as well wait for that before trying to exchange yours. Yes, they should register the people that have this problem and let them know when there is a resolution.

I returned mine and the Genius Bar Tech acknowledged that it was hardware. I got a refund and spent it on the MacBook Air 13", i7. 8GB RAM, 256 SSD. I have the 11" but went with the basics with that one but went all out on the 2014 early edition. I dig the MacBook Pro too, but for the bucks I don't like the fusion drive. It is Faster but it still has moving parts and it costs 1000.00 more. I am glad Apple went with the Haswell chip and SanDisc SSD With the new line of MacBook Airs. Anyway don't want to sound like a commercial but,

if you bought a popping iPad Air 2 please return it. There was something wrong with the earlier produced models. It is all over the net. It is not software and it is not your speakers.

So does this mean the production problems are over and the stock now works fine?

i do not see getting a good answer from Apple about this... But I might try. I exchanged once already earlier in November and got a bad one, so I am a little reluctant to try again too soon. But I know this problem can't take that long to solve.

Well... I just do not know. I had two bad ones returned them for refunds. I then waited and bought two more and they work fine. But that does not mean the same for you or even me for that matter. I still am very skeptical about it period.Some folks think it is software but the only device that is doing this is the iPad Air 2. I have had Apple Genius Bar Techs tell me it was a hardware issue and I returned mine and waited. If you have one I would return it for an exchange or a refund until you know for a fact they are working fine. There is know quick fix to what was going on with the earlier iPads and right now some folks are still saying Apple is denying the issue... Mine are insured through my business one way or the other so it is easy for me to gamble. I would wait until after the holidays if it was my money and I would not just simply tell someone it is a software issue that can be fixed with another upgrade because to be frank if it were a bug Apple would have fixed it by now and they would not deny the issue. I would wait... Apple is just too big to say they failed on their flag ship in the fourth quarter of their fiscal year and recall a bunch of popping and glitchy iPads. If you do buy one really test it out night and day.

I have the same issue with my 128GB WiFi model. It is very random and can go days between popping. It further only happens when I tap on links or the back button in the Tweetbot for iPad app. I've never had this issue in any other app.

i would return it for a refund or exchange. I had to return two sets twice, then I waited awhile before I bought two more. So far those are fine. One of my employees bought hers on the release day. It popped all the time. She finally took it back on 12/12/14 and she expected that Apple would take it for repairs but they simply gave her another new one and apologized. They told her it was a hardware issue related to manufacturing. She was expecting Apple to deny the issue as everyone is saying and send hers off to be "fixed" but instead they were rather cool about it and gave her a new one and told her she had thirty days from that day instead of 14 because of the holiday return policy, to make sure it was working to Apple standards. They also told her to bring it back straight away if it does the same thing, not to wait. They were pretty confident she would not have the same issue again.

pboggini wrote:

Has anyone found a pattern? I've had my wife limit the number of apps running thinking this might be something to do with apps competing for the speaker or something like that.

I could be only reading an ebook an the pop happens still.

HAve you run a bench mark test? There are a couple really good apps that run benchmark tests. Geekbench 3 and Preformance Test. With geekbench if everything is running correctly your multi core score should be 4511-4530 or higher & single core should be around 1812-1820 or higher. These tests focus on graphics, processor, screen, battery and RAM. the five most important elements of an iPad. When my first iPad Air 2 started popping out if the box I ran those tests and I was getting half that. On the other two that popped the scores were higher but either way your device should not be making an arcing pop noise. If it is take it back for an exchange or refund. I went through four and so far this iPad has been working just fine. I use it for work and play so i am on it nonstop. When I returned the last iPad Air 2 the tech did confirm it was hardware. The sound that most people are hearing and feeling comes from the upper left hand side of the back in book format. If you think it is the speakers then there maybe a totally diferent issue and there are posts for that.

THey have sold over five million iPads and this popping issue is really a very small percentage of properly running iPads. with that being said, that alone spells hardware. In addition there have been four major updates since coming off the line and one did address an issue with EQ but that was unrelated to this.

THere is no common pattern some that do it are week 1 - 44. In this situation it really sounds as if a few employees just did not do their job and some bad iPads were sent out and sold it happens with everything and Apple, of course, is not immune.

I Have friends that bought when they first came out and theirs run just fine. I have several employees the same and then i know two other folks that just bought theirs and theirs popped and they returned them right away and got ones that work just fine. I was going to wait until after the new year but a client gave me one for Christmas and it works well no popping or screen issues. I have run stress tests, battery tests, graphic tests, processor tests, and all passed. in addition you can call Apple Customer Care and ask to send you a diagnostic link to run on your iPad and they can check your motherboard, processor, battery, RAM, etc... In a few minutes.

I Really hope you can return your iPad Air 2's for an exchange or a refund and wait until you feel more comfortable about buying one again. I had troubles but after receiving one for Christmas i got a good one as the millions of others. So dont give up keep returning them until you are satisfied or get a refund. I was told if you bought one after november 1st there is a holiday return policy of the 1st of November until the 8th of January. At least in my neck of the woods it is that way. I wish everyone al, the best and happy new year.

Same here. I bought one online and the day i opened the box it made a pop noise. it did it a few times even in sleep mode. I called Apple Support and made an appointment. Received an exchange it popped at the store in the techs hands and he took it to the back and said The voltage meter registered a small spike when it popped (i do not know what that meant) and offered me a refund. All i know is that was the first and only time an Apple employee ever told me there was something physically wrong with the iPad Air 2 so I took the money. I have not bought one since but i probably will after I get the watch.

Some folks are saying they are going to wait for a fix but in my experiences with Apple in the past if you dont take an item back right away you might as well wait for the next Gen.

Others are telling people this is a software issue that can be fixed with an app or wait for an update. I think they are just trying to sell their app, or they are competitors. Not everyone but there are folks on other threads giving bad advice or mentioning apps to cure the popping noise. I like the Benchmark test thou. It will give you an idea if there is something wrong. I think there is a website that does it for free too. I know Apple Support does a simialar diagnostic test as Alpha mentioned.

Somthing like this is effecting a small group of a very large amount of iPads sold. That does sound like a hardware issue and I would take it straight back. I have worked with Apple for many years and they are very closed lipped about flaws and it is very rare for a tech to admit to a defect. But if it falls with in their 14 day window they have no choice but to exchange it for a new one or give you a refund. They know that they are good but not perfect but they cannot go around saying, ahh... Yeah it is well known that a small amount of iPads were distributed into the Apple flock so if you are experiencing this issue please return it. It is just not the Apple way. So they have this simple fourteen day return policy to offer people that are experiencing issues or they just are not happy with their device they can return it. They may ask why but that is only for the engineers or general knowledge. Good luck everyone. I wish there was a magic potion that can cure this popping and glitchy screen thing but no. Try talking with a Senior iOs Advisor when you call Apple Support. They are there to help and if you speak to them with respect they will work with you. I cannot promise if you are beyond the return policy they will exchange your device but maybe they can work out something. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Mine's way outside the return date, but the snap/pops are getting more and more annoying. I just had it happen 5 times in the last 15 minutes. "Fortunately" I only get them when using my Air 2 or when there is a notification sound. I'd hate it more if it just happened randomly.

I'm wary of swapping mine out as the new one might have screen defects an/or battery issues, which my current one doesn't have.