iPad Pro screen unresponsive

i did a full wipe and restore while traveling on business (away from my Apple Pencil). My iPad stopped exhibiting unresponsive screen.

When I returned home my pencil was completely dead and I did not experience unresponsive screen. No problems for 2 weeks.

I plugged in my pencil and charged it to 3% and IMMEDIATELY the issue started again. Issue persisted for a few days.

I have not had the issue for over a month now.

I hypothesize that if I plug my pencil in again - it will return.

So,

Maybe this IS some issue connected to touch and the Apple Pencil and maybe something connected to iOS 12, because my on iPad Pro is still running iOS 10.3.3 and I am not experiencing these non-responsive touch screen issues.

So, FredFoox could possibly be right about his hypothesis, too!

Maybe getting closer to the real cause and effect here, now!

Interesting.

You can trust me on this.

You can bet, just like you and everyone else who has posted here about this touch/touch screen issue, to date, a WHOLE LOT of other users, for sure, would have posted here reporting this same issue, by now. No doubt.

This is simply NOT occuring in these iPad support communities or any other iPad related discussion forums or communities and this issue isn't being discussed anywhere else in the tech sector, either.

And you have no proof to backup your assertions on this, while I have plenty of proof right here in these communities to support my position.

This iPad Pro touch screen issue IS an isolated one only affecting a small subset of iPad Pro users across three model years running iOS 12.

YOU can bet, that you are 1000% misinforming users and incorrect.

This is is absolutely being discussed in just about every tech blog that writes about apple.

google it.

It has absolutely nothing to do with iOS 12. Vast numbers of users running later versions of iOS are still experiencing the issue.

https://www.ikream.com/2019/06/how-to-fix-an-apple-ipad-pro-2018-that-suddenly-keeps-lagging-and-freezing-troubleshooting-guide-31365

https://macreports.com/how-to-fix-your-ipad-pro-with-unresponsive-screen/

https://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/2435073/ipad-pro-early-adopters-complain-of-freezing-glitch

https://www.macrumors.com/2019/04/02/ipad-pro-screen-stuttering-issues/

Stop spouting incorrect statements as fact. You can continue to say it’s only affecting a “small minority” all you want, that doesn’t make it true. It is impacting the vast majority of iPad Pro users. You have absolutely no source for your information other than counting these posts. Statistically, even if you do that, you need to factor in the number of users who wouldn’t post on a blog with an issue. Stop misinforming people and presenting your information as though you are affiliated with Apple.

And you can prove it's effecting the vast majority of iPad Pro users, how? You'd be wrong with that as you can't prove that and I'm an example of owning two iPad Pro 11's with ZERO, ZIP, NADDA touch issues. I have many friends with iPad Pro 11 and 12.9 and guess what? Not one of them is having any issues either.

No one is saying some people don't have an issue. I'm sure some do. But to say with zero proof it effects the majority of Pro users is simply not fact and you have absolutely no data to back up such a claim.

All those supposed links you supplied are just links to possible troubleshooting steps to try for this touch screen issue.

And those links mainly acknowledge the issue just with the 2018 iPad Pro models.

No real mention that it affects all iPad Pro models from the past three years!

Many of those troubleshooting steps, in all of those links, look like they are compiled/copied/“lifted”/“glombed” from all of the possible solutions/fixes already posted and tried right here in these official Apple support communities.

Your links are a joke and still do not prove that tens or hundreds of thousands or even millions of iPad Pros have been affected.

Once again, without real proof from anyone else here, I will continue to stand by my own assertions and real proof here.

Focus on the issue. Arguing how many users isn't going to help.

I don't have any plain ipads anymore, and the ones with the issue are both pro 12.9 inch 2017 2nd gen and 2018 3rd gen.

Like Fredfox said i can't explain why the 3nd gen model took nearly 2 years use to start having the issue end of 2018 coinciding with ios upgrades while the 3rd gen only lasted 2 months. Perhaps it's a difference in design.

In terms of temperature it's never been in temperatures below standard room. It does get hot outside here upto 102F, but that's only storage temp when i'm outside the house and left it at home, but it's always in an air conditioned room when used so use temperature is more between 64-82F, humidity may reach 70% at worst due to AC and air purifier but certainly not wet or condensing. All the above is within apple recommended standard as below which is probably a conservative limit based on lab tests more severe than anything i would subject it to:

Operating ambient temperature:

0° to 35° C (32° to 95° F)

Nonoperating temperature:

−20° to 45° C (−4° to 113° F)

Relative humidity:

5% to 95% noncondensing

Operating altitude:

tested up to 3,000 meters (10,000 feet)

OMG, what did I do? Just took a short nap ...

Yes, let’s focus.

The endeavor to clarify who is genius and who is a..hole - please elsewhere!

I want to be able to demonstrate the issue.

My issue is affecting an iPad pro 11” from an early batch.

I am perfectly happy with it except when halve of the touchscreen goes berserk.

It happens randomly and does come back. Exactly as shown in the above linked video.

When it’s there it happens intermittently for a few seconds.

You can choose to swipe up or swipe down, but to use the whole thing you have to rotate it all the time.

That’s in landscape mode, in portrait mode you have to choose left or right (in my case).

It may well be a minority program, which is good for Apple, but not good enough for me/us.

I just want to make an Apple representative declare this unacceptable so that I can fully join the Apple paradise.

I am confused by the pencil relationship.

I had one, but sold it, so cannot contribute.

But that could be a random coincidence.

If it were a mechanical cause it ought to occur with other cables too, I’d say.

We should all calm down and try to nail down the conditions under which it happens, just observe carefully the next time it does, because we think it will.

I remain open about the explanation.

I think it could e.g. be a single bad solder joint at the touch screen controller and have nothing to do with the display itself.

And that changes a few micrometers with thermal expansion and here we go (Been there! I do not say this without a reason).

And then manufacturing processes are continuously optimized and the problem goes away and nobody knows why.

It does not only affect the 11” iPad pros, right? That would indicate that the root cause of this is not directly at the display.

Anyway: If we can build a stronger case then either devices can be replaced or a better SW workaround is implemented (evidently there is some recovery routine already, I’d say).

Keep fingers crossed that they’ll do it again!

I don't know if this adds anything to the discussion, but I have had situations, while this was occurring, where I put my finger on the ipad to hold something in place (like an aiming mechanism in the game), and while holding still, the screen would respond as though I had lifted my finger.

So, basically, it's not just a matter of the screen "freezing" and not moving when I swipe a finger, it actually stops responding to my finger sitting still in contact with the screen as well.

MichaelPM - is not sure which position you are vehemently defending. (Or why you feel so compelled).

I agree with you that this is not affecting ALL iPads Pros. I’ll even agree that it’s not affecting the MAJORITY of iPad pros.

Can we agree on the term SIGNIFICANT percentage? People who have the problem - and are seeking validation that this issue is real - are insulted when the problem is minimized or called insignificant. To us - it is very significant.

It is affecting 100% of the only iPad I own. That’s significant.

This is a good summary of the problem. The Apple Store replace my first iPad Pro without asking questions. They check my second one and found the light leak. I don't know what will happen with this third one, but I won't go in until the problem becomes every few seconds continuously.

Feels like hardware to me, too. Something is coming loose, letting go after so much use. I keep mine in a rigid case, but also tested all three with no case and even sitting in the original packaging. Nothing makes a difference re: the behavior.

Thanks for your post.

Yes, I too confirm everything, even the suspicion with tilting, though I cannot make any sense of it.

I’d like to recommend some systematic test steps the next time the issue occurs:

Shake the device and bend it, then try again!

(Want to know if there is an indication for a mechanical issue).

Cool it down in the fridge, then try again!

(Want to know if there is an indication for a thermal issue.)

Connect a pencil (if available), then try again!

(Just want to ascertain that there is the occasionally reported correlation.)

Check if it does affect approximately halve the screen and not the other halve. Which halve?

(Want to verify this observation, that some users may have missed.)

Test the device “naked” and again with enclosure or other accessory!

(Want to know if immediate environment matters.)

Change the location and go to a different room, use a different couch, a different air!

(Want to know if invisible properties matter such as humidity and electrostatic charge.)

...

To be even more technical: Apple uses a lot of flex PCBs.

They are known to need handling with care.

I have had invisible, hair-thin cracks in the copper on those PCBs.

The functional consequence is hard to predict, but surely messy.

I have had crosstalk into an undocumented test pin (cost us 6 months to find), I have had an erratic crystal oscillator in a correctly designed schematic (took us a year to find), I have had a chemically aggressive heatsink-glue setting a board on fire (too complicated to explain here; proud that we figured that out from the ashes).

What I want to say: The first thing you want as a test engineer in such a situation is an error report that is as precise as possible.

That’s what I am aiming at.

Apple deleted a post that it deemed not constructive, though that was my intention.

I try again with more charming wording:

Same with me, that’s why we are here.

...

On the other hand: If a customer shows up and wants a product replaced/repaired, that appears perfectly fine, what would you do?? What would you do if this were your own shop?

To a certain extent I can understand it, but that does not improve my iPad experience.

What we are critisizing is that we are talking to deaf ears and that even videos showing the problem are not considered sufficient evidence (I have one too).

Probably someone did look into the matter, maybe even some tentative fixes were provided in SW, but what if even at Apple they cannot reproduce it?

Of course they would have access to all technical documentation and tools that we cannot dream of.

Nevertheless I do not rule out that they decided not to admit what nobody cannot convincingly demonstrate.

(Here was a personal story showing how hard troubleshooting can be.)

With this understanding of how things probably work on the other side, with some sympathy for the plight of the very human engineers there who have lots of other tasks in their issue tracking system, I say:

Let’s work together to nail this down!

Sounds constructive to me, no?