iPad dock hidden on home screen iOS 11

Thank you so much! Your suggestion was the WINNER! I tried other fixes and they lasted only minutes.

I noted what one other respondent mentioned about apps with ads and figured that might be the trigger. I disabled recent apps, and more than 24 hours later — everything is still in place. So grateful for sanity returned!

Unfortunately, all you can really do is wait for apple to fix the bug.

Don’t use the apps with ads if that works for you (not an ideal situation Im sure)

You could look into an ad blocking app, but those some with their own sets of issues (the only way developers of free apps get paid is through ads so you’re affecting their bottom line, not to mention not all ad blockers are free or use means to block the ads that may not have the outcomes you want - some use proxy servers which may make them not work on some networks)

One thing I maybe didn’t mention was that I deleted the potentially offending app, before Changing my settings — THEN I reinstalled it after I wasn’t going to show up in the dock. Just after that, I installed 11.2. Good Luck...I know it’s extremely infuriating!

My iPad Pro 9.7” has been doing this for 2 months. Too bad Apple can’t fix this, they’re too busy sending me security codes to my iPhone so I can login to this site on the iPad I’ve told them is trusted 10 times already to comment. I have to restart my iPad about 5 times a day.

The disappearing dock just started happening to me today. It disappears in landscape. Rotate 90 to portrait and it appears but not centered. Go 90 more and it remains but not centered. Continue and the same. One more for the full circle and it disappears again. Restarting is a very temporary fix.

im not using any apps I haven’t used for a very long time. Disabling recent apps doesn’t help at all.

this is pretty clearly an iOS/Apple problem.

Hi, I experienced the same thing on my mini 2. Here is how I fixed it. On mine the culprit was apparently an app that offered extra playing time in exchange for viewing an ad. (A previous commenter provided that suggestion) I first deleted the app (temporarily) then changed my settings so that recent apps would not show in the dock. Then reinstalled the app and voila! Never had the issues since.

As with others the restart is only a temp fix. Even resetting all settings only "fixes" the dock issue for about a few hours before the Dock disappears again. Apple is getting lax with QA testing in both iOS and OSX as I have submitted a variety of issues to Apple personally and via my work and have not received "fixes" for any of them since middle of last year.

the problem keeps recurring every few hours to days, then i have to restart my ipad to make the dock reappear again. since ios11 i got more problems than with any other version before, and i use apple products since ios4!! 😡 pls apple test your software before releasing it.

I’ve also noticed if my dock messes up it’s after an in app ad

Some of those come in ‘wrong’ in that if you have your iPad in landscape mode (wider than it is tall) and some ad comes in in portrait (taller than it is wide) it may mess up your dock.

Arbery I can feel your frustration but we’re all just users like you. We have no control over the issue nor the ability to fix it beyond suggesting work arounds to tide you over until Apple fixes the issue.

How do I fix this? I brought it up from the bottom but cannot get it to move below the little dots and stay. Do you have any advice on how to do this? I am trying to drag it off the screen as you stated in your second paragraph.

I have the same issue with my IPad Air 2 anytime I switch from portrait to landscape mode on the screen. I have issues with programs such as Apples own News just flipping back to the home screen when it apparently feels like it, because there is no set pattern. I have issues with the home button not responding to touch recognition. My iPhone 6s does not recognize the touch on the home button either. All these problems started at the introduction of X. It has been the most frustrating experience dealing with Apple on these issues. My IOS is up to date. Each time I update in hopes that the issues will be resolved. Each update has been a bitter disappointment.

Makes does the same ever since I updated iOS. I restart it and it resolves it but then it goes back to the dock either moving up the screen or vanishing completely in portrait mode or it is half off the screen left or right in landscape mode. Getting quite fed up with this lastest iOS on iPad and iPhone as it’s so bug ridden.

This isn’t a solution, the problem resurfaces after using the iPad for a bit.

I usually use my iPad after restarting it, but hey, if you just restart your iPad and the only thing you do is to stare at it - than I guess yes, this solution works.

Restarting should not be the fix for it long-term, and just recently I noticed my battery symbol changes color while charging ensuring fully connected to my iPad Pro 9.7 iOS 11.2.5 and my daughters iPad Air 2 iOS 11.2.5 battery symbol starts out green then after while it turns to white, meaning it's not charging. I have to unplug the USB-C to Lightning cable and re-connect it to both devices. I had placed a call with AppleCare and that was a run around. Still having same issue. Please APPLE INC., let's do something in your next iOS rollout.

I’m also experiencing this issue and am surprised this hasn’t been fixed by now. Really hoping iOS 11.3 deals with this because it’s driving me nuts. How apps can interfere with the normal operation of the Dock is beyond me, that should technically not even be possible.

If I rotate my iPad it shows various Dock positions:

Portrait (home button down): Dock floats over the bottom row of homescreen icons with the left side off screen.

Landscape (Home button on the right): Dock is entirely off screen

Landscape (Home button on the left): Dock is on screen but too small and to the right, as if it’s a portrait Dock on a landscape view.

Portrait (Home button up): correct position but too large, right side off screen.