iPad Pro 11" - Touch Screen Unresponsive

I am convinced this is a software problem, not a physical problem with certain touchscreens. Here’s my rationale:

(1) I own two iPad Pro’s, a 2nd gen 10.5 and 3rd gen 12.9. I have owned the 10.5 for about 18 months and the 12.9 for about 3. Both have started to show screen sensitivity issues increasing over the past couple of months, as iOS updates have been automatically installed. Both are running 12.1.4

(2) The 10.5 has become very sensitive to movement. If I try to type while moving (I use it on an Eliptical Trainer nearly every morning) it does not detect about 50% of my keystrokes if I hold the iPad. If I put it down on the book stand on the trainer and type with one finger, the problem is much less apparent. This was not happening a few weeks back. I’m not sure which iOS update caused the issue.

(3) The 12.9 has the “unresponsive” issue that many on this forum point out. I have noticed it is mostly later in the day, after I have used the iPad on and off through the day. It seems correlated with screen cleanliness. If I keep the screen completely free of prints and smudges, it works much more reliably.

(4) Unresponsiveness also seems correlated with movement on the 12.9. If I suddenly pick up the iPad and immediately try to swipe/scroll on a webpage or email list, or other app (and if the iPad is kind of smudged) it is unresponsive for several seconds. Same thing happens when suddenly rotating or putting the iPad down on a table, again, if I have smudges/prints.

I recall reading somewhere that the screen on the 3rd gen iPads was changed to give the pen a more realistic feel. I wonder if the new screen and tweaking of touch algorithms on Apple’s part are causing the problems. I also suspect some iPads are more sensitive than others.

I had an appointment scheduled at my local apple store to convince them I needed them to replace my 12.9 iPad but cancelled when I couldn’t re-create the unresponsiveness when keeping the screen completely clean.

Everyone in this post needs to inform Apple about this.

This is a known, growing issue 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 more than convinced, now than ever, that this growing issue 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.

Some Posters/Users have stated here that this unresponsive touch issue started sometime late in the iOS 11 update cycle, but seems more pervasive in iOS 12, now!

There is, at least, one of these “iPad Pro unresponsive touch screen issues” posts a day!

Currently there is no fix yet from Apple.

The best everyone here 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

Best of Luck to All of You!

Thanks Michel. I did notice you had posted that. Anyway, all I'm saying is that it's a problem that has been there since 2017, but am pretty sure you already know that

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8213530

I am on an older iOS version and there are two distinct Touch settings under Accessibility

One is Assistive Touch. The other is Touch Accomodations.

I can just toggle ON Assistive Touch without having to activate/toggle on Touch Accomodations and any of the Touch Accomodations settings within.

The OP is just toggling ON Assistive Touch ONLY.

He stating that he did nothing but toggle ON this one setting ONLY.

Please re-read the OP’s simple instructions.

Do you want reliable touch back on your iPad Pro or not?

Seems like a small price to pay for more reliable touch. No?

I have the software Home button on my screen.

Since I have an older iPad Pro with a hardware Home button, using the software Home button ( which can be configured to do up to six other tasks beside the Home function ) saves the wear and tear of actually using the hardware Home button.

Find a place for software Home button that makes it useful to you, but it is located in a minimally unobtrusive location.

The software Home button does “gray out” when it is not being used.

Is the only option, to make the screen responsive all the time, to remove the glass protector? Is there any screen protector that works? I am on my 2nd iPad in 2 weeks, returned a case and waiting for my 3rd screen protector. This is getting ridiculous.

Are you using a screen protector on that iPad Pro?

The new 3rd generation iPad Pro models with the new liquid retina displays do not like screen protectors, of any kind, put on the screen.

Touch response is very poor with any screen protector on these new iPad Pros.

Take it off.

Zagg has not been able to solve the new iPad Pro liquid retina screen touch response issues with their widely-known and branded tablet screen protectors, nobody will.

Take it off.

Touch screen response should return to normal. No guarantees though as there is a known unresponsive touch screen issue across all three years of iPad Pro models that I am convinced started withn iOS 12 and is affecting a quickly growing minority of all iPad Pro users.

My iPad Pro is STILL runnung IOS 10.3.3 and my iPad Pro is experiencing no touch issues. None.

Lots of 1st, 2nd and 3rd gen iPad Pro users reporting unresponsive touch screen issues since upgrading to iOS 12.

Best of Luck to You!

So if it's a software issue, why hasn't Apple fixed it just yet? This seems to be an old-ish problem https://www.ifixit.com/Answers/View/415652/iPad+Pro+12.9+touchscreen+is+unresponsive+from+time+to+time

Apple should have stepped in long ago.

This unresponsive touch issue affects ALL iPad Pro year and modes. NOT just the new 2018 year iPad Pro models.

And that link you supplied is another support site that has no direct affiliation with Apple or Apple monitors or communicates with.

These Apple product support communities are supplied by Apple to allows a combination of Apple products users and some Apple product specialists, assigned to the user to user Apple product support communities, to help out other users here when needed.

Due to privacy issues and the veracity of the comments here, in these supoort communities, Apple support personnel are not allowed to just simply forward data from the postings posted here.

There is no one in ANY of these Apple Support Communities from any Apple product teams, ever present, here, in these support communities.

Cognizant or responsible Apple product teams, designers and engineers do not read, nor participate in these, largely Apple product user to user technical support communities.

Cognizant Apple teams do not monitor these Apple user support communities, either!

Apple does not know, on its own accord, of any product issues unless customers return product feedback through Apple’s Website.

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

I supplied all of this info two postings/replies above yours.

The feedback numbers have to be large enough for Apple to look into a possible product issue/s and start implementing a fix for a future iOS update.

The feedback numbers take time to build up to a point where a pattern of similar product issues and comments become apparent to Apple teams and the to specific, cognizant Apple teams.

So, Apple had no way to know to “step in” on this issue until it has actually become a large enough of an issue to warrant Apple’s and specific Apple team’s attention.

Send Apple feedback per my links posted elsewhere in this post.

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

I would like to know this, as well.

There are close to 800 various iPad Pro models users, in this community, having this issue. The touch screen response issue is affecting all three years of iPad Pro models.

How does adding a case to your iPad Pro solve your touch response issues?

Yup,

Look for my feedback link reply in this post and send feedback to Apple.

I kinda of knew your touch screen problems would return .

Once you get this issue, it doesn’t seem to really go away and, currently, there is no fix for this.

Does it appear that the iPad Pro 11 only works without a screen protector? They don’t use any protectors in the Apple stores which makes me uncomfortable for my own devices. I just purchased a Zagg glass protector for my Samsung Galaxy Note9 and am having the responsive issues with it also especially if it is lying flat. Is this a screen protector issue or device issue?

I know next to nothing of Samsung phones, except they are, usually, blatant copies of the iPhone.

The new iPad Pro models use a new liquid retina display technology.

The same type of liquid retina screen technology used in the iPhone Xs and Xs Max, but the smaller screen sizes are not bothered by any phone screen protectors.

The much larger liquid retina screens used in the new iPad Pros are the ones that are problematic.

To compound this issue, there is a growing minority ( over 800 users, now ) of users of all three years of iPad Pro models experiencing intermittent unresponsive touch screen issues as a result of some issue/glitch/bug in iOS 12.

So, there are two issues going on with touch screen issues specifically with iPad Pro models.