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iPad Pro 12.9” not responding to touch intermittently

I bought an 12.9” iPad Pro 2017 around 6 months ago and since day one I’ve had trouble with the screen not responding to touch intermittently. It will randomly stop responding to my touch for anywhere between 1 and 30 seconds before coming back, it’s most noticeable when typing as letters or whole words will be missed which is infuriating. The home button still responds and usually gets things working again. I’ve also found that having bluetooth off stops it happening quite so often but it still happens (it’s happened a few times just typing this message out). The Apple Pencil always seems to work, it’s just finger touches that stop doing anything.


I kept hoping an update would fix the issue but nothing has changed yet. I love the iPad but this issue is unacceptable for such an expensive piece of equipment and is driving me nuts now. I’ve tried doing an erase and restore twice with no effect. I also keep the screen as clean as I can.


Im concerned about sending this in to Apple to be looked at because it’s an intermittent issue that they may not be able to replicate in the no doubt short testing they do. Has anyone else with this issue had any luck with apple support fixing it?

iPad Pro Wi-Fi, iOS 11.3.1, 12.9

Posted on May 19, 2018 8:51 AM

Reply
338 replies

Jul 23, 2018 12:38 PM in response to sandylynn131

sandylynn131 wrote:


is it being replaced with a NEW or refurbished iPad? what all did you have to go through to get a replacement? for the money we pay for the large IPad Pro.. we shouldn't be having this problem, let alone have it replaced with a "refurbished" iPad.

Refurb Apple Products are given strict quality repairs and control.

Apple treats its Refurbished products with the same quality and warranties as brand new Apple Product.


https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/refurbfaq_popup


https://www.apple.com/shop/browse/home/specialdeals/ipad

“Apple Certified Refurbished

We test and certify all Apple refurbished products and include a 1-year warranty.
All refurbished iPad models also include a brand new battery, new outer shell and a new white box..”

You CAN get/pay for two-year extended AppleCare+ for refurbished Apple products, as well.

Dec 31, 2018 12:20 AM in response to appleofmyibook

To everyone in this post thread,


Apple is NOT here in these user to user support communities.

You are all just communicating amongst yourself and accomplishing nothing here.


The only way to get Apple to, DIRECTLY, listen to you is to use their feedback portion of their website.


iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html


Cognizant Apple employees read ALL feedback generated from all of the various feedback pages and transfers the data to the proper and responsible Apple teams and personnel , but NO Apple employees will ever respond with any type of direct, individual replies from the feedback you post.


The more users that post product feedback about any product issue, the faster Apple is made aware and starts working on a fix/solution for a future software update.


Also, you may want to phone contact Apple, directly in Cupertino, California, and calmly talk to an Apple customer service employee about this issue via the link below.


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple



Good Luck to All of You!

Jan 15, 2019 8:04 PM in response to kissaragi

Again, for everyone that has posted here to date,

This issue/ bug is happening across all iPad Pro year and models ( even the brand new 2018, 3rd gen iPad Pro models ) and it is starting to affect both the 2018 and 2017 6th and 5th gen 9.7 inch screen iPads, too!!

I am beginning to think that this is a growing issue that is NOT hardware related, but either iOS 11 and/or iOS 12 related bug.

I have a 1st gen, 12.9 inch screen iPad Pro still running iOS 10.3.3 and I am NOT experiencing these recent intermittent touch screen issues.


The best you can do is alert Apple to this growing issue.


The only way to get Apple to, DIRECTLY, listen to you is to use their feedback portion of their website.


iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html


Cognizant Apple employees read ALL feedback generated from all of the various feedback pages and transfers the data to the proper and responsible Apple teams and personnel , but NO Apple employees will ever respond with any type of direct, individual replies from the feedback you post.


The more users that post product feedback about any product issue, the faster Apple is made aware and starts working on a fix/solution for a future software update.


Also, you may want to phone contact Apple, directly in Cupertino, California, and calmly talk to an Apple customer service employee about this issue via the link below.


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple


Good Luck to You!

Feb 1, 2019 10:23 AM in response to kissaragi

To Everyone.


Another user in another similar posting seems to have come up with a temporary fix.


Possible Temporary Solution from user Andrew Ngo


Original posting from here.


iPad Pro 11" - Touch Screen Unresponsive - Apple Community


“For those whom have touch screen unresponsive issue with iOS 12.1.....


Goto Setting -> General -> Accessibility -> Touch Accommodations, Turn on Touch Accommodations. Leave everything else in the options alone.


All my touch issues gone!”


Feb 4, 2019 4:43 PM in response to lakehead6

See my post reply for a possible solution 3 replies above yours.


Also,

The only way to get Apple to, DIRECTLY, listen to you is to use their feedback portion of their website.


iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html


Cognizant Apple employees read ALL feedback generated from all of the various feedback pages and transfers the data to the proper and responsible Apple teams and personnel , but NO Apple employees will ever respond with any type of direct, individual replies from the feedback you post.


The more users that post product feedback about any product issue, the faster Apple is made aware and starts working on a fix/solution for a future software update.



Feb 5, 2019 2:53 AM in response to Poolandgolf

If you have an older iPad Pro and not the new 2018 models ( because am I not sure if it is a combination of hardware/software ) on older iPad Pro models it is software.

I own a 1st gen 2015, 12.9 inch iPad and I am NOT having ANY touch issues with my iPad Pro.

My iPad Pro is still running iOS 10.3.3 and have not had any touch issues, at all!

Absolutely none!


This is an iOS 12 ( and possibly an iOS 11 ) issue for sure.


The best all of you can do is alert Apple to this growing issue.


The only way to get Apple to, DIRECTLY, listen to you is to use their feedback portion of their website.


iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html


Cognizant Apple employees read ALL feedback generated from all of the various feedback pages and transfers the data to the proper and responsible Apple teams and personnel , but NO Apple employees will ever respond with any type of direct, individual replies from the feedback you post.


The more users that post product feedback about any product issue, the faster Apple is made aware and starts working on a fix/solution for a future software update.


Also, you may want to phone contact Apple, directly in Cupertino, California, and calmly talk to an Apple customer service employee about this issue via the link below.


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple




Here is a possible Temporary Solution from user Andrew Ngo


Original posting from here.


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8653631


“For those whom have touch screen unresponsive issue with iOS 12.1.....


Goto Setting -> General -> Accessibility -> Touch Accommodations, Turn on Touch Accommodations. Leave everything else in the options alone.


All my touch issues gone!”


Try his solution and if it works, go to the post link I supplied and let him know whether his solution worked for you, or not.


Good Luck to All!





Feb 27, 2019 12:29 PM in response to lakehead6

There is only a growing minority of iPad Pro users, across all year and models reporting the unresponsive touch issues with iOS 12 and, possibly, iOS 11.

There are between 500-1000 users that have reported the issue here in these communities.

There are 5-6 postings that are building up pages in these postings, like this one and I see and respond to, at least, one posting of this unresponsive touch issue a day.

This issue is affecting only a very small percentage of the total amount of all iPad Pro users, perhaps only up to 1%, or so, currently.

In 3 years of iPad Pros, there are a very, VERY large majority of iPad Pro users NOT having this particular issue.

If the number of users having this unresponsive touch issue keep increasing, then Apple will probably move more quickly on this issue.


iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html


Cognizant Apple employees read ALL feedback generated from all of the various feedback pages and transfers the data to the proper and responsible Apple teams and personnel , but NO Apple employees will ever respond with any type of direct, individual replies from the feedback you post.


The more users that post product feedback about any product issue, the faster Apple is made aware and starts working on a fix/solution for a future software update.


Also, you may want to phone contact Apple, directly in Cupertino, California, and calmly talk to an Apple customer service employee about this issue via the link below.


Contact - How to Contact Us - Apple



Good Luck to You!

Apr 13, 2019 7:56 PM in response to kissaragi

Maybe a few of you should check that your iPad isn’t slightly bent, it happened to me again on my iPad 10.5” but thats because I fell sleep and partially slept on it, and the aluminium frame was bent slightly which affected the screen input. The metal frame tends to hold shape once bent, not like plastic where it kind of springs back into shape. I’d imagine it’s a lot easier to bend the 12.9 inch iPad . I also had a similar issue before which was resolved by plugging in my Apple Pencil here: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/250154346

May 16, 2019 2:07 AM in response to CICT

Completely understand and empathise with everyone having this issue.

Those having this issue are still a very small minority of affected users compared to the 3- year, world-wide iPad Pro user base.

Millions of iPad Pro users are not having these touch screen issues.

My iPad Pro is still running iOS 10.3.3 and I am having no touch issues.

iOS 11 was total crawp and I avoided it entirely as iOS 11 was problematic at every update/

Since Apple has reworked iOS for 64-bit code, iOS has been a mess.

iOS is much better in iOS 12, and I really wanted to upgrade to this iOS version badly, but since this touch screen issue appeared last year, I have been apprehensive and reluctant to perform any upgrades/updates.

I do not want my over 3 year old iPad Pro to be one of the affected minority of iPad Pro models.

By staying on my current iOS, I am really missing out on some really great app updates for many of the apps I use everyday.

But until this is fixed and confirmed by all of the posts posted within 30-50 user postings on this issue, I will just have to wait out the entire iOS 12 update cycle to see how this issue pans out or just end up waiting for “lucky” iOS 13.

I have skipped iOS versions in the past, but never been 2-3 version behind before.


Just for my curiosity, try all of my iPad performance tips in my user tip link below and see if all of this helps with your iPad Pro issues or not.


Tap on the link below to my iDevice/iOS performance/optimisation user tips link.


https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-1034


Try all of these tips and leave each tip active together. Do not simply try every tip individually, expecting just one tip to be a performance “cure all”.


Many of these tips are designed to work together to help improve overall iOS/iDevice performance.


I use ALL of these tips on every iPad I own. Even on my 2015 iPad Pro.



Good Luck!



Feb 4, 2020 9:26 AM in response to drjoe66

As I have been indicating all along.


Keep hammerin’ Apple on this and keep calling and sending feedback to Apple.


These methods are the only ways to get Apple’s attention.



iPad Feedback


http://www.apple.com/feedback/ipad.html



Tap on the link below and scroll down some to get to the Apple Product Support section and phone numbers for your location/region.


https://www.apple.com/contact/


Feb 1, 2019 7:17 AM in response to Chowhar

Having read through the many Community discussions on this topic, it would be fair to say that:

  • Some contributors suggest the problem is some how related to the Apple Pencil - and claim successes in avoiding repeat of the issue by disassociating the Pencil from the afflicted device.
  • Other contributors suggest that the Pencil is not the cause - in some some cases, the contributor doesn't even possess an Apple Pencil.


As one of the many who do suffer from this intermittent issue, speaking for myself only (and as an owner of a Pencil) I can categorically state that, for me, the Apple Pencil (of itself) is not contributory factor. With the Apple Pencil "forgotten from this device" and/or with Bluetooth disabled, the issue of a non-responsive touch screen still regularly manifests itself - and when it does, my iPad Pro is all but unusable.


I hope this is helpful in going some way to answering your question. You, in common with others, may see different results.


Apr 6, 2019 6:16 AM in response to kissaragi

Ok, I think I’ve found the issue and a work around. I have read all 12 pages of posts in this thread. Looked at dozens of other people having the same issue but no fixes... The commonalities seems to be:


  1. Intermittent nature of the problem.
  2. The buttons and “Apple Pencil” and other nib type pointers seem to work.
  3. It happens at home but never at the Apple store lying on the counter.
  4. Some thought it was heat build-up from lap, leg or being on a blanket.
  5. Some say different cases fix it for a while, but the problem comes back.


I believe the issue is static build up! Items 3,4,&5 are all static synchronizing situations. I always sit in a big lazy boy with a cotton throw and the dog on my lap. When I pick up the iPad it works for a little bit, then starts getting worse. So, I watched a wonderful YouTube video where an intelligent housewife was instructing us how to make antistatic spray so our dresses wouldn’t cling to our legs. Well, if you take her cup of water and 2 tablespoons of fabric softener put it in a bottle and sprits yourself, furniture or favorite blanket the problem magically disappears.


Now, I’m not sure if the iPad has a grounding issue or there is a screwup in the design of the touch screen or not, but I keep my little bottle of home maker spray beside the chair and life is good.


Give it a try, what could it hurt.


Youtube link: https://youtu.be/TXC4zWMqV88


Apr 6, 2019 2:10 PM in response to DevonWarrior

Hey, I posted this this morning. I just figured out my problem.


k, I think I’ve found the issue and a work around. I have read all 12 pages of posts in this thread. Looked at dozens of other people having the same issue but no fixes... The commonalities seems to be:


  1. Intermittent nature of the problem.
  2. The buttons and “Apple Pencil” and other nib type pointers seem to work.
  3. It happens at home but never at the Apple store lying on the counter.
  4. Some thought it was heat build-up from lap, leg or being on a blanket.
  5. Some say different cases fix it for a while, but the problem comes back.


I believe the issue is static build up! Items 3,4,&5 are all static synchronizing situations. I always sit in a big lazy boy with a cotton throw and the dog on my lap. When I pick up the iPad it works for a little bit, then starts getting worse. So, I watched a wonderful YouTube video where an intelligent housewife was instructing us how to make antistatic spray so our dresses wouldn’t cling to our legs. Well, if you take her cup of water and 2 tablespoons of fabric softener put it in a bottle and sprits yourself, furniture or favorite blanket the problem magically disappears.


Now, I’m not sure if the iPad has a grounding issue or there is a screwup in the design of the touch screen or not, but I keep my little bottle of home maker spray beside the chair and life is good.


Give it a try, what could it hurt.


Youtube link: https://youtu.be/TXC4zWMqV88

iPad Pro 12.9” not responding to touch intermittently

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