iPad Pro Touch Screen Unresponsive Randomly? Try These Tips to Fix It
Some iPad Pro users report the touch screen is unresponsive at random. This can mean sometimes iPad Pro is not responding to any touch at all, or sometimes it may intermittently ignore touches or swipes or gestures, or the screen may appear to stutter or freeze after a touch, or even drop deliberate touches like typing letters on the onscreen touch keyboard of iPad Pro.
If you are experiencing random unresponsive touch screen issues with iPad Pro, try the tips below to see if they can help to improve or resolve the problem for you.
1: Clean the Screen
Before doing anything else, clean the iPad Pro screen. Press the screen lock button so that you don’t accidentally tap on anything you don’t want to, and then you just need a simple cloth and a tiny amount of water.
You can use a lightly damp cloth, don’t use any abrasive chemicals or cleaner products.
Sometimes gunk, grease, or food smudges on the iPad Pro screen can make the screen unresponsive to touch, thus cleaning the screen can be an easy solution to resolve this problem.
2: Remove the Case and/or Screen Protector
Many iPad Pro users use a case with their iPad Pro to protect it, and often those cases either include a screen protector or have a screen protector built in.
Lock the device screen, then try removing the case and screen protector from iPad Pro and seeing if the unresponsive touch screen issue continues.
Oftentimes simply removing an ill-fitting case or screen protector will resolve touch screen issues.
It’s worth pointing out that iPad Pro users with both glass and plastic screen protectors report this issue, so it’s not entirely clear if either type of the screen protector makes the problem any better or worse, or is even related at all, because there are reports of users without screen protectors that also have the randomly unresponsive iPad Pro touch screen issue.
3: Update System Software on iPad Pro
Back up to iCloud (or a computer with iTunes, or both), and then install any system software updates that are waiting on the iPad Pro by going to Settings > General > Software Update.
It’s possible that the intermittently unresponsive touch screen issue is a bug or some other issue specific to some versions of iOS / iPadOS, so updating to the latest version of system software on the iPad Pro may help.
4: Turn on Touch Accommodations
If the iPad Pro screen is still randomly unresponsive to touch, you can try enabling a system setting option called Touch Accommodations.
For iPadOS 13 and later: Go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch Accommodations > turn on “Touch Accommodations”
For iOS 12 and earlier: Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Touch Accommodations, then turn on ‘Touch Accommodations’
Apparently you don’t need to enable or toggle any other setting within the Toufh Accommodations section, simply turning the feature on can resolve the unresponsive touch screen issue for some iPad Pro users. Thanks to a user on Apple discussions forum for offering this particular suggestion.
5: Turn Off Tap to Wake
Some users report that disabling Tap to Wake has improved their unresponsive touch screen problems on their iPad Pro.
Go to Settings > General > Accessibility > find “Tap to Wake” and turn that OFF
6: Forcibly restart the iPad Pro
Some users have reported that forcibly rebooting the device will temporarily resolve the unresponsive touch screen issue with iPad Pro. If you’re not familiar with the procedure, here’s how you can do this:
Force restarting iPad Pro (new models without Home buttons): Press and release Volume Up, press and release Volume Down, press and hold Power button until you see the ļ£æ Apple logo on the screen.
Force restart older Home button models of iPad Pro: Press and hold the Power button and Home button until you see the ļ£æ Apple logo on screen
When the device boots back up again, the touch screen should be responsive and work as expected again, at least for a while.
7: Have an Apple Pencil? Disconnect and Reconnect it
Curiously, some users have reported that disconnecting and reconnecting the Apple Pencil to their iPad Pro can improve the unresponsive touch screen issue.
Of course if you don’t have an Apple Pencil, this will not be relevant to you.
8: Backup and Restore
Backing up and restoring may resolve the issue as well. I know this is the lamest advice for troubleshooting, but it’s also a step that Apple will require of you before you have a device serviced through warranty programs, so whether you want to do it or not, you should. Just backup your iPad Pro to iCloud or iTunes, then restore it from iTunes, or reset it and restore from backup using iCloud.
Misc other tips to try resolving unresponsive touch screen
issues on iPad Pro
- If the touch screen problem only happens in some apps, try deleting those apps and reinstalling them on ipad Pro
- Make sure the iPad Pro has sufficient storage available on the device, if the iPad Pro is completely full performance may suffer
- Make sure the iPad Pro display is not cracked or damaged
- Inspect the entire iPad Pro for physical damage, as any physical damage may impact the performance of the device and would have to be fixed before regular behavior may resume
You can also try some of the other tips and solutions for when iPhone touch screen is not working and there is some crossover between the two, like cleaning the screen, updating system software, and so on.
iPad Pro touch screen still unresponsive randomly? Consider contacting Apple Support
If you have tried all of the above solutions and the unresponsive touch screen problem still persists on your iPad Pro, then you may want to contact official Apple Support directly and have them try and work the issue out with you.
–
It’s not entirely clear how common the unresponsive touch screen iPad Pro problem is, but the issue is reported with nearly all iPad Pro models and appears as a complaint on a wide variety of threads on the official Apple discussion boards (1, 2, 3) and elsewhere on other discussion forums on the web (1). At one point, MacRumors even wrote a post about it and described the issue as screen stuttering or general unresponsiveness, often with a touch screen that appears unresponsive or that is dropping keys when typing.
If you have experienced any problems with the touch screen on your iPad Pro becoming unresponsive at random or intermittently, and you either found one of the tips above worked for you, or you discovered another solution, then share it with us in the comments below!
How do I engage all these remedies of THE SCREEN IS NOT RESPONDING????
Help
This was my problem back then when I havenāt encountered this article. My iPadās screen is not responding. I have tried different functions mentioned here and I didnāt stop until my iPad screen works back to its normal function.
Tap screen to wake did not work. iPadOS uptodate, restarted, still not work. Took off my Apple pencil and replaced it, still not work. BUT Apple Pencil can be attached but not charging if incorrectly placed (GRRR). So placing Apple Pencil so it shows charge status, screen sleep, try to wake by tapping screen and viola it works – go figure!!!
Your tips are excellent. Thanks for sharing them with us. One of my iPads does not work correctly. I got some helpful tips from reading your article, and I think it will help me.
Commenter āMxoerā left a reply above about a magnetic case causing his issue . I immediately removed my new expensive zugu magnetic stand case and have not had an intermittent dead screen sinceā¦ I donāt know if this is common knowledge that Iām late in knowing and there is another issue causing some to have this problem ā¦.as of now I saw no other mention of magnetic cases being an issue with any apple tabletsā¦Iām just now able to complete sentences for the first time since I got this renewed iPad from amazon . I was about to return it after weeks of getting very little consistent use out of it .I mean it was horrible most times , Iād have to hold a letter for seconds while typing or turn from landscape to portrait view to unfreeze the screen ā¦and both of those solves would usually only work for a sentence or so if lucky before Iād have to do it againā¦..itās only been minutes since Iāve removed the Case so it might not be permanent ā¦but so far Iām only getting a very rare letter not showing after hitting it ā¦.of course that last sentence and now this one seem to be having more glitches lol ā¦.itās still nowhere as bad as before ā¦and might now be just the usual human error Iām prone to in life now with tech stuff hehe. Also I plugged in at 16% just now too ,so might be something to the charging effecting things tooā¦damn its still is happening ,again ! Am about to restart again ,then let it fully charge and see if t helps ā¦.so odd how it worked perfectly for about ten minute after removing the case but now is all fāed up again( took longer to type last sentence than whole comment b4)
iPad Pro 10.5 from around 2017-2019 I think (model #A1709)
I bought a used, but well-preserved iPad Pro 12,9 (2017) lately and this happens for me, too.
I think it is a mechanical fault, because it only happens when using the device in a way where it doesnāt lie flat on o surface, that is to say when you hold it in a certain angle. Lying on the desk it works absolutely fine, so itās not the Display itself, but some other component that wonāt work properly in a different position, maybe because of the size of the device (I tend to assume that it bends minimally when using it with one hand in a more or less upright position and some kind of contact doesnāt work).
Tapping a different location of the screen will usually make it disappear. Strange story, but as I use it for text reading and watching media mostly, it doesnāt bother me too much as I got a bigger screen for half the price of a newer one. Though, I have never experienced anything similar with a tablet before.
Thanks for sharing excellent tips with us. I have an old iPad, and its screen does not work correctly. By reading your article, I get some tips I think it help me to solve my problem.
I have been experiencing the problem you mention in this article with my iPad Pro 10.5 dropping characters when I type or not registering touches for about a year. It was particularly frustrating when it would only pick up three digits when I was entering my 4-digit pin, so I had to enter over and over again and risk locking myself out. This problem also frequently happens when playing games and writing emails. Your tips help me to solve this problem. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks for sharing. It is so sad that my iPad run into ghost typing.
iPad Pro 12.9 inch ….Every time I used ctype charger ghostly touch happen until restart iPad so I stop use ctype charger now no problem on old iPad
My iPad pro is about 5 years old. This only recently, in the last year or so, started happening. It happens way more often than it should. I have a case, but no screen protector, so that is not the issue. Sometimes I wait it out and it resolves itself in a few minutes. Sometimes I have to restart it because I get tired of waiting. It hasnāt happened on my iPhone which is a 7 plus. I believe it was caused by something in one of their updates and they just havenāt figured it out yet and it isnāt important enough for them to resolve it. Of course if you contact them, it will always be your fault in some way because that is just Apple.
Thx for the help I was on the phone with an apple rep for about 45 minutes and nothing she said worked then I googled it and found the answer. It was quick and easy your site is amazing again thx for the help
I am hardcore PUBG Mobile player. I just bought an Ipad Pro for gaming only. I have been reading the article and scrolling the comments for hours now. I am using an Ipad Pro 10.5 2017. I had a plastic case and a screen protector on. Using original apple 12W adapter and original apple cable. A 100% battery sure I can play for 3 hours straight without charging but since I am a hardcore gamer, it seems to be fine except when it comes to charging or maybe charging at 20% (cause that is the time I always start plugging the charger).
The problem is when i charged my ipad while playing PUBG. It will result some flickering and unresponsive touch in the game screen which significantly affects my gameplay. I cant move my character properly and aim my gun recoil smoothly. Most likely like I am having my character shaking while moving. You can tell the difference when the issue appears. That is why i came to this article seems to be hard to find any solutions for this.
well i tried removing the case. i thought i solved it but after awhile the problem comes again. I would like to remove my glass screen protector but it would be a waste if it is not because of it (because you cant reuse an opened screen protector).
I tried following the tips to turn off the screentime and we will see how it works. And also i invest some money preordering Anker 30W adapter and also Anker powerline+ II cable Usb c to lightning to see if there are any problem cause by the old adapter. Well why Anker because it is MFI (Made for Iphone).
If anyone has the same problem as me please comment below. Share your thoughts because this is a big hassle for me.
I have the same problem but your post reduced the problem. I usually use my iPad Pro connected to a charger 100% of the time. After reading your post I tried using the iPad without using the charger. That greatly reduced the problem but did not eliminate it. Thanks for your help.
Turning off screen time worked for me too.
Turning off screen time worked for me.
The problem appeared on the iPad Os. When I reinstalled version 12 the problem was gone, I installed 13 the problem is back. Maybe Apple wants to encourage me to change working equipment as they do with upgrading computers.
iPad Pro 12,9 2015
Touch screen not working. When I press push and power button for few seconds, apple appears and soon I tube with arrow and the charger appears. So is there any solution?
Thanks
This happened to me just yesterday! Press Vol up > Press Vol down > hold lock button until it restarts.
Promise this will work! ā¤ļø
I feel like my problem is different to everyone elses in the comments. My touch works fine – but it’s selective. I can’t open apps from the home menu or dropbar. I can’t touch anything in control panel. I cant slide apps around the screen to turn em off or to enable multitasking. I can’t even touch the damn screen to turn the iPad off! But I’ve been opening and switching from apps using Siri and touch accommodations and the touch within the apps work just fine! I disconnected my Apple pencil and ‘tap to turn on’ – that didn’t work. So then I made the stupid mistake of turning my bluetooth off so now I cant type in my password using my keyboard š this is when face recognition conveniently decided to stop working. šššš OML! SO IM LOCKED OUT. I will have to wait days until the iPad runs out of battery and turns off… will update how it goes
My problem solve, it cause my case ve mangnetic.. i took if off and no case.. it work fine.. its look like magnet in my case it the problem…
I just took the āmagneticā stand holding cover off my iPad and it seems to have corrected it! I canāt believe I didnāt notice that it all started when I put this cover on ,or that I didnt even think to try this before now ā¦.am hopeful I donāt have to return this new renewed amazon iPad Pro now .. so far so good , this whole comment without a single dead key/ screen issue ! Crossing fingers hoping it is a permanent fix , thanks !
( I knew I shouldāve avoided this new expensive style cover and stuck with the ole heavy duty otter box style I usually use / get ) ā¦sorry for the long and extended comment , Iām sort of running a keyboard test while replying ā¦.still working ,and itās never lasted more than a sentences or so without skipping letters or locking up before now ā¦..I dd have a slight issue of screen /keys intermittently not working when I first got it and was updating while setting it up and charging All at once ā¦.and the next day or two later I put the new case on so it seemed like maybe the issue was just getting worse as I used the iPadā¦..but in hind sight the one day it was done updating /downloading apps and music etc I think it did work well , and it was after I put the zugu case on that it really started ā¦ā¦yep it still hasnāt missed a ātapā yet .. I forgot what a joy an iPad Pro could be , this is awesome, thanks again for this suggestion ā¦I think , at this point, it is definitely the reason I was having the Intermittent ādead touch screenā effectā¦..ok Iāve bored you all long enough with my extended reply / testā¦.you need to remove your magnetic case if your using one and have this issue and at least try .thanks again
Silly to find out the way to fix a touch screen not responding to touches is by first going to settings…which requires touching the screen which doesn’t work because that is the problem.
I’ve been going crazy for a day or two with the touchscreen randomly going to various other things than what I’m doing on a certain Ipad game… but I think it was because it was sitting by a window, and that side of the screen was warming up and making it hypersensitive. I moved the Ipad and the problem resolved.
I have been having issues with my iPad Pro 10.5 dropping characters when I type or not registering when I touch the screen for about a year. Most frustrating was often happening when I would enter my 4 digit pin it would only pick up 3 digits so I would have to enter over and over again and risk locking myself out. Would also happen frequently in games and writing emails. I tried your recommendation to turn on Touch Accommodations and over the past 2 hours have had no issues at all. Thank you for the suggestion!
My problem, too, and also with a big iPad Pro – and the solution of turning on Touch Accommodations has absolutely solved it. Thanks and a tip of the hat!
So I’ll try the screentime now but in the meantime, I’m working on one theory where electrostatics are triggering the unresponsiveness.
I just bought a second-hand iPad pro 10,5 – immaculate condition and well looked after device from a genuine person. They claim there were no issues before. I’m staying at the Airbnb where the sofa is loading me with electrostatic field and I’m causing the discharge every time I touch the fridge or kitchen tap.
The thing is that the responsiveness is affected before I get ‘shocked’ and right after it’s getting better. Have no clue whether it’s my imagination or not but it seems to be working.
Check and let me know.
Both my daughter and I have this issue. It drives me nuts. Itās as if I do not have a touch screen at all. I usually have to close everything or and then go back in. We would love to see this corrected. Between our iPhones (8Plus and an XS Max), 2 iPods, 5 iPads (one old gen 4, 2 iPad minis and two iPad Pros) and 2 Apple watches (3 series and 5 series) the IPPs are the only ones we have these issues with.
Mine types in it’s own or not at all and it’s always when the charger is plugged in and my ipad is over 2 years old. This is the 3rd ipad I’ve had the issue with. I work from mine and it’s so bad I cant use it while charging. Its ONLY when charging. So strange cant find anything on the web similar.
Mine does the same, plugged in and it either misses inputs, or adds characters. Frustrating beyond belief. Think my battery is going south….as when charging it starts to get warm and thatās never happened before.
Iāve been having this issue now for over a year on my 10.5ā iPad Pro 2017. I still havenāt found an answer but I am posting here just in case there are similarities. I have a plastic case back protector and a screen protector from Paperlike. I also use an Apple Pencil and the Apple Smart Keyboard. In the last two months my Apple smart keyboard stopped working. I was able to do a Reset All Settings that got the keyboard to work again but the problem started again within 48 hours.
Iāll keep testing but at this point Iām hesitant to buy another iPad because I canāt tell if the issue is hardware or software or accessories.
I would try removing the screen protector and clean the screen really well and see if the unresponsive touch screen problem happens without the protector on. Give it a try.
Screen protectors are notorious for causing touch issues on iPhone and iPad and other devices, particularly once they’re used a bit.
As for buying a new iPad, it will come with the 1 year Apple warranty so if there is a touch screen issue then it could be replaced or repaired by Apple.
Believe or not, my Ipad Pro kept on freezing and being unresponsive a lot. It stopped doing so, as soon as I turned off, “screentime”. This is the third day in a row that it is working flawlessly again. I turned it back on, and sure enough it started freezing again. Turned it off, and I am happy with it again. Just offering up my experience.
Peter,
Thanks for the screen time advice. IT WORKS FOR ME!!!
I was convinced that my problem was at the bottom of the screen when the home button was in the west position. I was getting frustrated. Thank you!!!
You too? LOL!! I was losing my mind trying to figure out why the half of my keyboard adjacent to the home button was acting so weird for so long. I thought it was hardware but realized it was a software glitch when I kept correcting it by sleeping the iPad Pro with the power button then waking it with the home button. This fix works for anywhere between a few minutes to a few hours. Turning off my Screen Time. See if that works (in my Wolverine voice).
Iāve just tried this and it worked š thanks for the information ššš
Finally a fix that worked!!!. Turned off screen time, no more issues!! Thank you!
OMG THANK YOU FOR THIS FIX!! Iām shouting because Iām happy because this has been bugging me for over a year. I recently started searching AGAIN for a fix and FINALLY, yours has worked. I donāt know who or where you are but I owe you a pint! Top man.
Iāve tried every suggestion in every article without success, but turning off screen time seems to be the solution for me too. Come to think of it, my problems started when this feature was added. Thanks Apple.
I had problems with the touch screen not responding at times and writing emails was a nightmare! After reading the tips above, I cleaned the screen! All is fine! Hadnāt realised how bad it was!
Glad that helped you Rs.
Cleaning the screen with a slightly damp cotton cloth is usually all it takes to fix touch screen issues on iPad and iPhone, or any touch screen. Sometimes it’s a software problem like a frozen app, and sometimes it’s a hardware issue, but that’s rare.
Did what a user Sam posted & turned off my pen & now the problem is gone. Weird!
First time this has happened on my iPad. I had to push power and home button down at the same time to get my screen responding again.
My iPad Pro was working fine for 3 years. After upgradig to iOS 12.x all the problems desribed above have occured from one day to the other and not going away.
I am considering suing Apple for this, as this problem goes beyond warranty and seems to be implied by iOS upgrades and therefore is a software bug and not a hardware flaw!
Some people have the problems with iPad Pro screen not responding to touch anymore, others don’t. I have not experienced it consistently, maybe it is software.
You should update to iPadOS as you are running an older version, that might help. Some have fixed it with iPadOS 13.3?
Out of warranty is out of luck, that’s the way it goes…
Updating to the latest IOS did nothing to solve this problem. I took off my glass screen protector and it immediately improved. Still stuck when moving down the page. So then I did this the last thing and turned off screentime. So far so good.
Thanks all.
Same thing happened to me. Two different ipads….both working fine….load the 13.0 update and within a short period of time having touchscreen issues ALL OVER THE PLACE. Rebooted, reloaded, wiped and clean reinstall, had a ritual involving human sacrifice….nothing seemed to fix the problem (just kidding on the human sacrifice). Apples’ response? Sorry…you are out of warranty…must be a hardware problem…just buy a new one…or by this refurbished one for $450. In other words….GFY Mr. Volakis. Ever since Jobs checked out the company just doesn’t give a flying f**. I’ve been a LOYAL Apple customer for 20+ years…half a dozen laptops, towers, iphones, ipads….they just don’t give a F***! :(
I had the exact same issue. Was beyond frustrating. Took it to Apple store, showed the issue and they immediately replaced it as it was a hardware fault.
Iāve managing this for a year, although itās never got as bad as for some people. Pressing either button always gets it going again for a while (maybe only a few seconds, mind you). Removing the screen protector helped a bit. It is hundo PC a software bug IMO.
Third iPad I purchased with my hard earned money. All of them having the same issue after a few month of careful usage…I cannot believe that they refuse to fix this problem!
They should be made to pay for moral, as wall as material, damages for all the misery caused to people.
You will get my money no more apple!
Agree with others than Apple is no longer a trustworthy product. Since Jobs died and that ** Cook took over nothing is the same. Engineers are leaving apple at a record pace because the company is farming out more work to China.
Me too. Iāve tried everything suggested above. I use my Pro as a score in choral performances and am terrified that the page turns will not work when I need them to. I am suffering a loss of faith in Apple products.
Yeah, $1000 for a lame device. Same issue. Shouldnāt have problems like this swept under the rug by Apple (like the swelling batteries in iPhone 6)
They should just have a team spend a week to fix the issue and roll out bug fix.
Apple used to be great, now the only great product they have is the MacBook ,in my opinion.
Iād been having issues with the touch responsiveness for a long time and tried everything to fix it, until last night when I saw a comment on another forum. The issue seemed to be my Apple Pencil.
If you are having issues with touch responsiveness and you own an Apple Pencil, go to its bluetooth settings and click on āForget this deviceā. Donāt just turn the bluetooth off because this doesnāt seem to help! I also restarted my iPad afterwards, but Iām not sure if thatās necessary.
If you donāt own an Apple Pencil, I wonder if another bluetooth device is causing issues? It might be worth checking that out!
Guys there is no need to reboot, just lock/unlock works out for a period of time. Iāve heard itās static energy, it causes this trouble. For me, it happened after I started using 12w charger, and updated ipad to ios 13. They used to make problems with speed and battery back in time, but now, they make another kinds of issues to make the use of devices unpossible
Same problem and nothing is fixing it! Ugh
Some Problem for two years now. Apple exchanged my ipadPro now 3 times with a new one. The problem re-appeared always after a few month usage. Now I am out of my warranty and apple refuses to help. I started 1980 with an apple II and will end my apple journey now!!
1500$… and Same issue… Hate now how Tim Cook’s manage it…. arrrrrhhhhhh
1300 dollars down the drain. I hate Apple now. Good way to lose a 30 year customer. Ready to throw this POS out the window.
I had the same problem. Non responsive screen for a while and then it was working again. It happened more and more to the extend where it got REALLY annoying after a few month. It seemed that touch screen was not working when holding the Ipad Pro a bit too close to the actual touchscreen also.
I returned it to the store, they sent it to a repair center and Apple sent a brand new one. I have no problem with the new one, and I can hold it however I want. I think Apple is aware, that they had a problem with a large batch of Ipads.
Off course it might not be the same issue on all users Ipads having these symptoms.
Yup same exact issue, however went to my Genius Bar appointment and since it couldnāt be duplicated they sent me on my way. Imagine, paid $1300 for a device, had a bunch of tech support over the phone with Apple, sat at the Genius Bar, spoke with the manager, and I still have a broken device that is still under warranty I might add. My frustration and disappointment with Apple is unreal.
I realized this is comment is nearly a year old, but is it possible it could not be duplicated because it was not plugged in, while at the Apple store? I have discovered that the only time I have this problem, is when Iām using my iPad Pro while charging.
Yes, I have the same problem. It appears certain parts of the screen stop working. I have the larger iPad Pro. Not sure if its a HW issue or a SW one. Frustrating either way….
I have the same problem. For me it seems a SW issue…
I have this happen quite often on my Pro. Usually a reboot cures the problem, but sometimes I have to reboot multiple times before it goes back to normal.
Yup this is my experience as well, have to reboot and it solves it for a short while then returns again. Weird issue for iPad Pro… is it a display issue or software or electrical or what?
Magical devices have magical problems. Time to take it to a wizard instead of a genius š
But seriously, if itās severe, just turn off your pencil for a while, do a hard reset and leave the pencil off until you really need it.
Deactivate Screen Time.
And finally, turn on Assisted Touch.
Itās likely a combo of oils on the screen, static buildup, wonky bluetooth performance and a glitch in code for predicting the intent of your touch if that makes any sense. Hopefully they quietly address this in an update and just call it a stability and performance improvement.
YMMV.