iPad Pro 12.9” not responding to touch intermittently

i do not notice the bluetooth issue but i have the exact same problem for over 6 months regarding the touch unresponsive problem. mine is 1st gen 12.9" iPad Pro. last night when the problem occurred (it happens every single night) i just unconsciously picked my apple pencil up and tried and it worked just fine. i then changed back to my finger and the screen was unresponsive again. i do not know why but you can try if you have apple pencil, or bring your iPad to apple store and try if it is your case too.

[Edited by Host]

My iPad Pro 12.9 has exactly the same issue.

I took a video when the issue occurred and brought the iPad to the Apple store (since the issue occurs randomly and the video is the best proof I can give). One staff watched the video, and said he would give me a new one, but they would need to send it for a further check.

A few days later, it was returned to the store, with no issue found (no surprise)! Then the staff blahed about not running too many tasks (which I never do), keeping the battery not too low, and regularly reset the iPad, which are total nonsense, because none of them work at all.

I am very very upset, because the issue still bugs me every so often, and there is just no good solution for me either. I don't really want to sell it on eBay saying it's perfect and get another person into the trap, and I don't want to sell it cheap because it cost me a fortune, and Apple won't fix it because they couldn't detect the issue in their short test!

I bought the 11” yesterday through Best Buy and noticed the same problem right out of the box. Didn’t give it much importance. Held it on my hand during the entire setup and it worked just fine, but every time I set the iPad down the problem would intermittently come back. It only happened when I set the tablet down on a flat surface. If I picked it up, it worked just fine. I called Apple to find out if there was a fix for this and they said it was a hardware problem. Took it back to Best Buy and they offered an exchange for a new iPad. I ended up just returning everything. Eh.

Unfortunately for me I purchased an EXCELLENT condition iPad Pro 12.9" on Gazelle.com. I saved more than $300 but now I regret it. I have to hard reboot the iPad several times in an hour. Per Apple chat support I have restored the iPad and it still has the same issue. So now, based on what you have experienced and wrote, and my experience, I am confident it is a hardware problem and there is nothing I can do except wait until I can purchase a new one--which will take some time. 😟

It is so unfortunate. I’m sorry to hear. I filled out a survey and included the specific problems I was having with my iPad. I’m hoping they get a team to focus on that issue. I so badly want an iPad but I’m afraid I’ll be stuck with an expensive defective device. In the mean time, all I can do is wait until this is resolved before I consider buying a new one. 😫

For everyone having touch isues with your iPad and if you own and use an Apple Pencil with it, another discussion post is trying this new theory.

Try turning off Bluetooth, move your Apple Pencil well out of Bluetooth range ( at least 20 feet, or somewhat farther, if possible ), hard reset your iPad Pro, and then try using the iPad Pro for quite awhile to see if touch response returns to normal.

The new theory seems to focus on the Apple Pencil causing interference to the iPad Pro's touch hardware, regardless of whether Bluetooth is on, or not.

Since you can never turn off an Apple Pencil, the pencil is always on and active on some level, so removing the Apple Pencil far out of reception range of the iPad Pro has seem to help this touch screen issue for some other iPad Pro users.

I have a 1st gen iPad Pro and have never used an Apple Pencil with it, but an Adonit Pixel Bluetooth stylus with a built-in on/off switch and I have not experienced any touch response issues with my iPad Pro in the 3 years I have owned this iPad Pro.

Try this Apple Pencil solution. See what happens for you.

Good Luck to All!

“you can never turn off an Apple Pencil, the pencil is always on and active on some level“

The Apple Pencil will power-off shortly after Bluetooth on the paired iPad is turned-off - this being the shipping condion of the Pencil.

Power-off the Pencil occurs after it cannot detect the Bluetooth LE signal - the exact period isn’t known, but the Pencil will eventually completely power-off until it is re-paired with the iPad.

Many users without an Apple Pencil are reporting issues of iPad Pro screens becoming unresponsive for several seconds at a time. My own pencil is currently +4000 miles away - and the problem persists. This issue is apparently unique to models of iPad Pro - but has not neen definitively limked to the Apple Pencil itself.

LotusPilot wrote:

“you can never turn off an Apple Pencil, the pencil is always on and active on some level“

The Apple Pencil will power-off shortly after Bluetooth on the paired iPad is turned-off - this being the shipping condion of the Pencil.

Power-off the Pencil occurs after it cannot detect the Bluetooth LE signal - the exact period isn’t known, but the Pencil will eventually completely power-off until it is re-paired with the iPad.

Not true.

Apple Pencil may sleep, but never fully turns completely off.

Plenty of posts here where Apple Pencil users stop using their Apple Pencils for a month, or a lot longer without charging up their Apple Pencils.

The battery in the Apple Pencil continues to drain.

Once the battery stayed in a flat, zero charge condition for this amount of time, or even longer, the battery in the Apple Pencil completely fails and those users had to purchase a new Apple Pencil.

The Apple Pencil does power-off.

All rechargable batteries, to some extent, suffer a degree of self-discharge. Despite the Pencil being powered-off, over an extended period it will lose charge. The smaller the battery (and the Pencil is tiny) the more noticable the effect.

Lithium Ion batteries must have a minimum terminal voltage to charge - and all such batteries contain internal electronics that disconnect the battery if the terminal voltage falls below a critical level - below which the batteries will not charge.

Just an FYI for those experiencing intermittent multi-touch displays:

Backup the device and wipe clean. DO NOT restore from iCloud backup. This step was missed by myself and Apple Tech Online Support. So the Apple Store Techs enlightened me and my iPad seems to be working normally now. It’s been 24 hours with zero issues.

How do you reload important app data if you do not restore from a backup?

That data and all apps will no longer be on your iPad, unless you use iTunes 12.6.4/12.6.5 to restore apps and data.

Did you have have an iTunes data backup, as well?

So, you will have to reload all apps and any important data linked to those apps is, basically, gone forever?

The “nuclear” solution, while it may work, is not a practical one and means, basically, losing any important data.

What is the point of backing up and restoring that data, if that is no longer an option?

Not a very good solution.

This is why I prefer iTunes backups on a computer and use other data backup solutions other than iCloud.

iCloud is more of a “sync-ing”/sharing service than a data backup service.

I have this problem too. Ive been using the ipad for a year without any problems. and yes i do use apple pencil from time to time, and uses logitech keyboard case since day 1.

I recently installed games that required lots of swiping within the screen ( infinity blade II ), and noticed i have this problem. It happend very very randomly BUT it get worse while i play AND charging the ipad.

anybody wanted to update to this problem? can we eventually come to conclusion of what caused it & what are the solution.

i mean this is $1300 APPLE tablet.

Well, bad news on my end. It started happening to me as well 48 hours after the clean wipe.

I will be picking up a replacement iPad this week and hope that one is AOK. I trust Apple wont let me down. I have always been a fan of this company and it’s incredible workforce.

Exactly. I could have wrote what you did. The more I play specific touch intensive games the more I have issues. Close those games, hard reboot and the problem is resolved until the next issue. And sometimes I have issues typing, either emails or text

My new 11” ipad pro does this: when I use it in portrait mode, with the USB-C port at the bottom, using the on-screen keyboard, certain letters are skipped when typing. Especially those closer to the midddle of the screen (y, g etc.). It’s horrible really.

Gets worse if my hands are hugging the left and righ sides of the ipad. It’s totally fine if I flip the ipad and use it with the USB-C port pointing up, or in landscape mode. And it doesnt happen when i put the ipad down on a surface and type without holding it, so I’m thinking it’s somethin to do with the smart keyboard connectors, or something electrical/conductive anyway.

Anybody else noticing this? Relly easy for me to replicate if I just type a series of letters “y” and “o” rapidly, like oyooooyoyoyoyoyoyoooooooooyoyoyoo Hyou can see how many “y”s are missed). Again, this doesn’t happen if I flip the ipad, or put it down, or type in landscape.

Drives me crazy really.